The Human Species
by Shaded Skies
Summary: Humanity has finally gotten fed up with their fragile position in the world of Pokémon. Gathering the best of trainers, they have decided to subdue or dispose of every powerful Pokémon in existence. The strong will expire as a large conflict between Pokémon and humans arises… But which side of the conflict will you end up on when you are neither Pokémon nor human…?
1. Lonesome Wanderer Lucario

A hateful blizzard rages over the northern region of Sinnoh. Braving the evil storm while dragging a limp body behind him, a Lucario stumbles through the snow. His body was thin and muscular, but his meager fur and shorts appeared to do little to protect him from the strong winds. Seeing nothing but whirling snow and walls of rock around him, he searched in hopes of finding a cave to take shelter in.

He was cold and weary, but eventually managed to locate a big gaping hole in the side of the mountain. He tackled through the opening violently enough to be ramming through a brick wall as he threw the body he was carrying into a corner of the dank cave. Immediately he closed his eyes, as they burned in pain after having been ravaged by the storm. Collapsing on the ground he lay there panting for a while, not knowing whether to recover his exhaustion or start flailing about in order to regain his body heat.

Deciding that both options sounded like too much of a hassle, he instead sat up and crossed his legs in an attempt to enter a meditative state. That way, he could at least find the inner peace he craved so badly for a while.

He had barely gotten started before he sensed the aura of someone appearing behind him, at the mouth of the cave. The heavy snow has already begun covering up the tracks leading to it, as well as the marks left from the fierce battle that had recently taken place outside. Someone must have seen him enter it…

"Pretty gutsy of you to come alone…" the Lucario suddenly said out loud with a dark tone in his voice as his eyes remained closed, "Who sent you? Some human organization… Or are you a dog of the legendaries?" He clenched his fists a little as no one answered, and he sensed the foreign aura rapidly moving closer to him.

"No, I guess it doesn't matter…" the Lucario continued with a sigh, "Since you've followed me all the way here, there can only be one course of action…!" Cracking his neck and opening his eyes, the Lucario stood up and quickly turned around to face the approaching threat.

"OHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGOD" an extremely high-pitched voice echoed in his ears, as a smooth ball of blue hair flew at him. The Lucario narrowly dodged it with a sidestep and saw that it was a fairly short creature with some kind of beak sticking out of it.

"I-It really is you!" the strange thing continued as her glee increased with every new pounce at him, "I'm your biggest fan! I love you! I've watched every episode over and over and o-"

"Wait!" the Lucario exclaimed terrified while dodging her grasps and fighting hard not to counterattack, "Y-You're not here to kill me!"

"Ki… I-I…" the short bird responded, mishearing him and beginning to blush a little, "… I'd LOVE to kiss you!"

"Simmer down!" Lucario shouted as he made a small leap back to avoid the thing's constant approach. As his vision grew less distorted, he saw that it looked like a blue baby penguin with a big head and… White nipples!

"I've never even seen you before, you crazy thing!" the Lucario yelled angrily as the Piplup before him finally ceased her attacks.

"But… You're 'Lonesome Wanderer Lucario', right?" she asked, looking at him confused with her beady eyes.

"I…" the Lucario mumbled, remembering that he had referred to as 'Lucario' before and was indeed wandering alone, "… Yeah, I guess you could call me that…"

"I KNEW IT!" the Piplup squealed loudly before again jumping up to try to steal his lips.

"Bastard!" Lucario yelled in disgust as he grabbed a hold of her head in midair, "You've got rabies or something!" He had expected a strong reaction from this, but instead the Piplup was just holding her hands in front of her with a brown, rectangular object in them.

"Can I have your pawprint?" the Piplup asked sincerely with a big smile on her face.

"W-What the hell…?" Lucario stammered as he searched the small penguin for some kind of storage space, "Where'd you get that from!"

"Home!" the Piplup giggled, "I've always dreamed of meeting you like this, alone in a cave somewhere, no one to interrupt the romantic mood…"

"…" Lucario stood in silence, not really caring about anything this wild beast had to say, "You wanted my… My… What did you want?"

"Pawprint!" the Piplup exclaimed happily, reaching out even more with the brown object, "I want to show it to all my friends to prove that I really did meet you!"

"Paw… Print? Oh, it's…" Lucario mumbled, examining the small thing which now reminded him to a miniature vat of wet cement, "… Like an autograph?"

"… A what?" the Piplup wondered, trying to cock her head to the side but instead moving her body diagonally since Lucario still had a tight hold of her.

"Never mind…" Lucario sighed while letting go of the tiny creature, making her fall to the ground and landing on her butt, "I'll give it to you, but then you've got to leave."

"Leave!" the Piplup exclaimed instead of 'Ow' as she hit the ground, "But… All my life I've been waiting for you! I'm your biggest fan! You're the best hero ever!"

"I have no idea what you're talking about…" Lucario said exhausted, tired of all the nonsense.

"Take…" the Piplup whispered as she remember all those practices she had in front of the mirror. She put on her best face as she gathered up all her courage and shouted, "… Take me with you!"

"Not a chance" Lucario responded bluntly, "I travel alone, and I don't need a pet."

"A-A pet?" the Piplup stuttered surprised, "No, as a partner! I… I can fight! I've traveled before! We'll-"

"I said 'not a chance', not 'maybe'!" Lucario interrupted harshly, the word 'partner' leaving a bad aftertaste in his mind, "I'm a 'lone wanderer', remember?"

"Yes! But together, we can-" the Piplup tried to continue, but was interrupted once again.

"THIS is why I travel alone, if you're wondering!" Lucario said with annoyance, "So that I don't have to put up with all this... This… What's that sound called that penguins make? Chirping?"

"… Pegu-nins?" the Piplup tried to repeat with a confused stare.

"I don't have any fish, if that's what you're looking for!" Lucario said loudly before pointing directly behind him, "And don't even think you're getting a piece of this one!"

They both looked at the large Pokémon that Lucario had dragged into the cave. Another bird-like Pokémon, it was larger and had a fiery tone of colors to its feathers. While Lucario remained oblivious, the Piplup could easily tell that it was a Combusken.

"Oooooh!" the Piplup exclaimed with admiration, "Did you hit her with your Aura Sphere? Or maybe your Aura Storm!"

"… My what?" Lucario asked, before ignoring the thought, "Well… It definitively got familiar with my fists, if that's what you're referring to!"

"Wow! You didn't even have use your special attacks!" the Piplup shouted happily as she bounced up and down, "That's soooo cool!"

"Cool?" Lucario said while making a short laugh to himself, "No, I just punched it in the face until it went down… Oh well, at least I won't be going hungry tonight!"

"Yeah! Hungry…" the Piplup continued bouncing before she realized what she had just said and became a bit startled, "… Uh, hungry?"

"Not hungry enough to bite into this slab of disease, of course! I've got to cook it first!" Lucario said as he scanned the area for fitting material to ignite, "Listen, if you help me with starting the fire, I guess you can have half a leg or something."

The awkward situation was broken as a pitiful groan was suddenly heard from the Combusken. Its senses were barely functional and its mind foggy beyond any recognition as it didn't know where or what it was. Running completely on instincts, it struggled to move.

"Whoa, still breathing?" Lucario muttered surprised while approaching it, "I guess I'll have to take care of that, first…"

"WAIT! STOP!" the Piplup yelled while running ahead of him, "What are you doing!"

"Well, I can't eat it if it's still alive!" Lucario responded as he moved even closer to the Combusken that had started flailing its right leg wildly, "Now shut up, you're ruining my appetite…"

"Y-You can't eat her!" the Piplup shouted in horror as the Combusken moaned frightfully, "She's a sentient being! An intelligent creature!"

"Not intelligent enough to avoid fighting me…" Lucario muttered as his stomach growled loudly, "Besides, I haven't had anything to eat but berries for five days. I'm starving for meat!"

"No… No way…" the Piplup stammered as she fell back, gazing up on her fallen idol, "Y-You're really a cannibal! Y-You're kidding, right!"

"Pfft, cannibal…" Lucario scoffed to himself before suddenly realizing something that made is mouth drop, "… Wait, what? You mean, Pokémon don't usually… Rather, Pokémon can't…" Something clicked in him at the sound of the word 'Cannibal', and he began to get worried that maybe there was a reason why this act was considered unnatural even between two different species of Pokémon…

"… Yeah, I was… I mean, of course I was joking around!" Lucario said slowly before picking up the pace, "I just wanted to scare Big Bird here a little bit. Now, scram."

"Oh…" the Piplup whispered, somewhat relieved. She knew her hero would never try something like that for real!

"Get with the scraming, already!" Lucario shouted, hoping the message would stick this time.

"Come on!" the Piplup continued her earlier hassling, "Let me be your sidekick!"

"No!" Lucario responded sharply and bluntly.

"I promise I won't get in your way!" the Piplup continued, not taking 'no' for an answer, "I'll even hide myself if I have to! And I've got lots of items that'll be useful-"

"You know, I'm not a lone wanderer because I want to be!" Lucario interrupted, so very tired of this whole conversation, "Just that those that follow me have a bad tendency to end up dead!"

"I…" the Piplup whispered as she closed her eyes before shouting in determination, "I'm not afraid of death!"

A few moments of silence passed between them, as Lucario stared at the little thing in front of him. He didn't know whether to be impressed with it or angrier at it. Looking outside the cave for an escape, he noticed that the snow had stopped altogether.

"What's with this climate…?" Lucario mumbled as he looked back at his lost meal with a starving stare. He realized that he no longer had any reason to stay, and began heading for the exit.

"Listen, come with me and you'll find nothing but death" Lucario tried to explain as calmly as possible while walking, "Give up on becoming my partner and go back to your home on the north po… I mean, south pole."

"I'll follow you wherever you go!" the Piplup replied cheerfully.

"Damn it! Do you ever stop!" Lucario turned around and growled irritated, as his stomach did the same.

"Oh wait… You're hungry?" the Piplup asked, her face lighting up, "That's perfect! I've got berries with me!" Before Lucario could blink the Piplup was holding several large berries in her hands, once again dazzling him as to where she had kept them stored until now.

"… Ugh" was all Lucario managed to say as he felt very disappointed, "… Really? Nothing else? I really hate berries…"

"Huh? But that's…" the Piplup said, looking over the brightly colored berries with a hint of hunger, "… I've never heard of a Pokémon that didn't like berries!"

"Oh, I'm not a Pokémon…" Lucario said lightly as he once again turned around and finally left the cave.

"I'm human."

* * *

><p><em>… And so begins the story known as "The Human Species". Just so you know, this will be last story I write related to Pokémon. But don't worry - It will also by far be the longest and without a shadow of a doubt the best thing I've ever written. Chapters will be short but more frequent, and streamlined for quality over quantity.<em>

_While waiting for the next chapter, you might want to read "Occult Magazine: Evolution's Gate", "Forever Legendary" and "Mew's Christmas Carol". The events and characters of these three stories will all eventually become relevant in this one, and although reading them is not necessary to follow "The Human Species" I promise that it will enrich your experience._


	2. Serene Chaser Suicune

"Hey! Wait up!" the Piplup shouted, her cries going unnoticed as Lucario had long since blocked her out completely, entering a state harmonic silence. With the mountain range far behind them and a bright sun far above them, they were currently walking through a large field of grass and small flowers. Lucario treaded carefully, worried that a seemingly harmless dandelion would turn out to be some kind of grass-type Pokémon lying in ambush.

What unnerved him even more was the fact that the grass beneath his feet was fairly dry. There been a mighty blizzard just a few hours ago, and looking back he was still able to see the cave they had rested in. Either the storm had been extremely local, or the sun had dried up the grass faster than what could be considered normal.

"Hey… You" Lucario finally said, making the Piplup raise her head in excitement, "Why isn't there any snow here?"

"Oh!" she exclaimed with a trace of confidence before completely trailing off, "That's because… Um… Well…" Lucario rapidly wished he hadn't left his happy bubble.

"I have no idea!" she finally answered with a big smile.

"Ugh…" Lucario groaned, amazed at how useless this penguin would be as a permanent traveling companion, "… How old are you, anyway?"

"Four!" the Piplup quickly replied.

"Figures…" Lucario sighed, having guessed it was a little older as a thought suddenly hit him, "… Is that in human years or penguin years?"

"Pegu-nin…?" the Piplup asked, still not being able to pronounce the foreign word correctly. Actually, ever since meeting her idol for the first time there had been a lot of things that had gone quite far above her head, yet somehow gotten stuck in there. One question in her felt particularly pressing…

"Hey, hey! About that thing you said before…" she said with a lively voice as Lucario looked back at her for a moment, "Uh… What do you mean, you're human?"

"Well… I'm human" Lucario responded with a short laugh, "Heh… I mean, I'm in the body of a Pokémon, but I'm still human."

"Hmm…" the Piplup mumbled as she didn't understand, "I've never heard of anything like that before!"

"That makes two of us" Lucario hastily replied, holding his paws in front of him and looking down at what used to be his hands.

"How did it happen?" the Piplup continued asking, simply glad that Lucario wasn't ignoring her anymore.

"Who knows?" Lucario said, getting tired of talking and regretting having given the Piplup any attention, "There I was, being human and all… And then I was some kind of blue wolf."

"Hmm…" the Piplup mumbled as she once again didn't understand, "I don't get it!"

"Please stop talking…" Lucario muttered, making one last attempt to make some use out of his annoying stowaway, "Hey, none of these flowers are Pokémon, right?"

"Hahaha! Of course not!" the Piplup laughed, before looking at his serious face and getting a concerned look on hers, "… You can't tell?"

"How can anyone?" Lucario sighed with a shrug, "There're like a hundred different kinds, how the hell should I know what they all look like…?"

"You know, even for a human you seem to know very little about Pokémon!" the Piplup said, as the Lucario jumped a little.

"Uh… Yeah" he answered nervously, "I… Grew up in a village where there were no Pokémon. At all."

"No Pokémon!" the Piplup said out loud, "A place like that really exists!"

"… I guess" Lucario said, before suddenly jumping even higher than before and immediately stopped walking.

"What's wrong?" the Piplup asked, as Lucario looked behind them with a troubled face.

"You know how I warned you about eight times that you'd die if you followed me around like this?" Lucario muttered menacingly while gritting his teeth, "… Well, now you get to find out why." Looking back the way they had come, the Piplup saw a large figure forming at the horizon, rapidly increasing in size. Something was approaching them very quickly!

"These two assholes again…" Lucario mumbled to himself, "I was hoping they'd given up by now…"

"W-What's that!" the Piplup asked with a startled voice.

"Heaps of trouble. Here's a last minute tip: The big one manipulates water and can freeze it solid at any time" Lucario said loudly as he spread his legs to gain better footing, "… Survive this, and I'll be more than proud to call you my partner."

"R-Really!" the Piplup yelled in excitement, "You really mean that!"

"Pfft, don't get any ideas…" Lucario said bitterly as the figure got nearer, "Dodge everything, and if you against all odds manage to find an opening… RUN LIKE HELL!"

The large creature hastily closed in on them with giant leaps across the grassy field. The Piplup ran to the side as the beast stopped itself about twenty feet away from where Lucario was standing. The new arrival appeared to be a teal lion with a purple mane flowing from its head, and two tails that curved around and looked like white bandages floating by its sides. In the miniature sea of purple fur sat a trainer, riding on its back. The trainer was an adult with spiky white hair, a green bandana and a look of insanity on his face that one rarely finds outside a mental hospital.

"Eya ha ha! I told you fleeing was useless!" the white-haired trainer cackled madly, "You'll never escape me as long as I have Suicune!"

"You're nothing but an ugly boil attached to the back of a pansy horse!" Lucario shouted, fully aware that the trainer couldn't understand anything he said. He did see Suicune twitch a little at his remark, though.

"I am Champion Brendan!" the trainer continued gleefully, "Remember the name of your master as you become part of my collection!"

"The only thing you'll be collecting once I'm done with you is your teeth!" Lucario yelled, letting his rage get the better of him as he dashed towards the intimidating duo. The last time he had tried to keep his distance, which turned out to be a big mistake… And he simply could not wait to knock the boastful bastard off his high horse.

"Diamond Dust, now!" Brendan laughed as Suicune crouched down a bit.

"This time, you're mine!" Lucario screamed as he jumped towards the shining creature, getting ready to deliver a strong kick to its head. Suicune suddenly hopped back, as a puddle below where it had previously stood exploded into a mass of droplets.

"Solidify!" Brendan shouted as all the tiny bodies of water froze into tiny shrapnel of ice. Still in midair, Lucario did as best he could to defend himself from the explosion. Covering himself, he didn't notice that Suicune came running at him, ramming him hard and sending him flying back.

"Impale!" Brendan yelled, as Suicune spat out of a long trail of water towards Lucario. Predicting the pattern of the attack, he punched the stream of water right before it hit him, knocking away the icicle spear that quickly formed from it.

"Gah!" Lucario coughed as a crashed to the ground, quickly flipping himself upright to get ready for another attack.

"Piercing Rain!" Brendan yelled, making Suicune shoot a large wave of water diagonally into the air towards Lucario. As the wave broke off into smaller pieces at the top, they froze and became sharp javelins instead. Lucario saw them falling down from the sky, and in a daring move decided to attack Suicune once again.

"You left yourself open!" Lucario shouted as the ice crashed down behind him and he ran up to Suicune, keeping himself on the ground this time. When he was hardly three feet away from it, Suicune spat out a beam of water at his head, which he just barely managed to dodge. Taking his first swing at Suicune, it formed a passage of ice on the ground and slid on it to swiftly glide away from him. Having his stubbornness fueled by rage, Lucario ignored this and kept chasing after the legendary dog. This proved to be a mistake however, as the slippery ground made him lose his footing and a large block of ice collided with him, pushing him back through the air.

"Splitting Crush!" Brendan yelled as Suicune shot out yet another boulder of ice, hitting the previous one and making it break in half, sending powerful shockwaves into Lucario and stunning him as he hit the ground.

The Piplup was beyond amazed at this display. It was exactly like the show she had grown to love so much, only far more realistic. Even though Lucario's adversary seemed to have the upper hand this time, she knew that he would soon get serious and trash the large, blue Pokémon and his strange rider.

"You can do it!" she cheered with admiration as Lucario struggled to get up, "I believe in you!"

"Dumbass, keep quiet!" Lucario responded angrily when Brendan quickly turned his head towards the previously unnoticed Pokémon.

"Oh, hey! Will you look at this?" Brendan said to himself as a broad smile formed on his face, "That's a… A Piplup!" The Piplup realized her mistake and made an audible gulp.

"That's a rare one! Oooh, I always wanted one of you…" he continued in a dreamy voice, "That punk Lucas started with one of you, I think… I'm kind of jealous, because I started with a Torchic, myself… Only to find out Hoenn was nothing but water everywhere… Man, water types are the only way to go, really…" Lucario and the Piplup stared at the strange person as he continued his monologue while scratching his chin frenetically as if it had a rash or something.

"Heh, Lucario AND a Piplup! Must be my lucky day!" Brendan cackled as he suddenly pulled a purple Pokeball from his belt, "You're mine!" The Piplup stumbled back in horror at the sight of the fearsome machine, and felt terrified at the thought of being captured by this maniacal trainer. But in the corner in her eye, she saw her hero not far away.

"T-Try anything and y-you'll be sorry!" she stammered as her courage was regained, "L-Lucario, s-show them what happens when someone messes with you!" Lucario looked at her, and then quickly looked back at Brendan.

"Brace yourself!" Brendan yelled as Suicune suddenly rushed towards the Piplup, who fell on her backside in fear.

"H-Help me, Lucario!" she cried as she covered her eyes, shaking frightfully.

The Suicune had barely taken a step towards the scared Piplup before Lucario focused all his power into his legs and started running… In the opposite direction. As he fled, he heard Brendan laughing madly as the Piplup screamed desperately behind him.

"Like I'd risk my life for a stinkin' animal…" Lucario mumbled to himself, still feeling a twinge of guilt in his heart. The guilt didn't last long as it was replaced by joy when he remembered that he would no longer have to put up with her incessant chattering.

Even so, he knew that running away would only be a temporary solution, and that he would have to face the fearsome duo again soon. He was no stranger to battle, but had no idea on how he would even go about fighting a giant dog that keeps shooting ice and water at him. The dog had turned out to be surprisingly nimble, and the guy riding it never seemed to run out of new tricks and ways of attacking him. He realized that unless he comes up with a good plan very fast, he would eventually run out of luck and finally be captured… Or killed.

* * *

><p><em>It was a quiet night when Deoxys descended from the heavens.<em>

_Believed to not be of this world, it went on a rampage, leaving death and destruction in its wake._

_Finally defeated by an unknown force, the tragedy of unparalleled magnitude it created remains in the heart of every human._

_To make sure that something like this will never happen again, every wild Pokémon powerful enough to cause such mayhem must be captured, controlled or killed._

_Needless to say, this year has been a bad year for Legendaries. This year has also been a bad year for Champion Trainers._

_But my year… Has been… **THE WORST!**_


	3. Eccentric Champion Brendan

Having fled the scene and with no trace of anyone following him, Lucario finally slowed down to a jog so that he wouldn't burn through all his stamina at once. Hardly ten minutes had passed since his encounter with Suicune before he suddenly was hit in the face by the first snowflake of the evening.

"No bloody way…" Lucario groaned in disbelief, wondering how any sort of ecosystem could function with such a rapidly changing weather. It started snowing harder and harder, making it go from a minor annoyance in the form of a fine powder covering the ground to a thick sludge hindering his every step. He trudged through the white sea, the cold creeping between his unprotected toes and splashing up his legs. In his misery he noticed another mountain range in the distance in front of him. His hope was regained as he thought about reaching it where he could hide himself.

It was then that Lucario once again sensed the aura of Suicune, not very far away. Lucario did not have time to ponder on how it could track him so accurately, as he noticed that it was moving a lot faster than he was. Seems it wasn't hindered by the snow even the slightest.

"Damn it…" Lucario cursed to himself, knowing that he would not be able to outrun it anymore, and he was definitively not ready to fight it. Realizing that he would be forced to anyway, he stopped running so that he could catch his breath before the encounter. Desperately trying to come up with a battle plan, the best thing he could think of was digging a pit and covering it with snow as a clever trap… But even he knew that would not work.

"My final battle…" Lucario chortled to himself, stretching his arms and legs, "Yeah, right… Who needs a plan? I'll just beat the shit out of 'em…" He remembered that he had been in unfavorable situations many times before and come out standing with nothing but his guts and limitless battle spirit to thank for it.

Suicune came running very fast, moving on top of the bed of snow and not leaving a single footprint behind it. Even as it instantly stopped itself the snow around it lay still, completely unaffected by its velocity.

"Impressive…" Lucario couldn't help but whisper as an annoying cackle once more filled his ears. Brendan was laughing heartily as he scanned the area around them.

"What? You don't have any more Piplup for me?" he asked jokingly while looking at Lucario, who did not even know that the penguin from earlier had been a Piplup.

"One's plenty, I guess… Wouldn't it be delightful if I had the two of you fight each other right now?" Brendan smiled as he held the purple Pokeball from earlier into the air, "… But I had to soften it up a little, so I don't think it's ready to fight quite yet…"

"Hey! Blue one!" Lucario shouted as Brendan was busy with another one of his monologues, "I know that guy on top of you can't understand me, but I think you can!" Suicune looked at him, remaining silent.

"Why are you chasing me? Why are you listening to his orders!" Lucario continued, in a last ditch effort of disrupting the duo's teamwork. However, Suicune remained as quiet as ever, understanding what Lucario had just said but obviously not caring.

"Have it your way, then…" Lucario continued, knocking his fists together as he braced himself for the long, difficult fight ahead of him.

"Now, Suicune!" Brendan shouted as he pointed down to the ground, "Chilling Grip!" Lucario instinctively dodged to the side, only to notice that something held on to his feet. This made him lose his balance, but as something had a very tight grip on his feet he somehow remained standing. He couldn't move his feet even the slightest!

"Your best chance of winning was fighting against us in the sun…" Brendan said in a disappointed way as Lucario stared down at his legs with a confused look on his face, "Not even Suicune can directly freeze the water covering you, because of your body heat…" His feet were covered in snow, so Lucario could not see what had happened, but started getting a bad feeling.

"With all this snow around, that's no longer a problem!" Brendan continued as he started sounding a bit more cheerful, "Your body melts the snow, and Suicune here freezes the water! While resisting us was a foolish idea right from the start, fighting us in the snow is downright retarded!"

"Shit!" Lucario exclaimed as he bended over to smash the ice covering his feet. It was tough, but cracked after a few blows from both his fists.

"Hah!" Lucario chortled successfully, before he ran towards Suicune and suddenly tripped as something grabbed a hold of his right foot.

"EYA HA HA HA! The snow is our jurisdiction!" Brendan cackled madly as Lucario lay face down in the snow, "And it's all around you! So our jurisdiction is also all around you! Let me show you what I mean… Suicune, use Chilling Makeup!" Lucario tried to scream out in horror as he felt the snow harden around his face, creating a gripping mask of ice. Not being able to breathe or say anything, he braced himself as he smashed his face down on the ground, shattering the mask.

"No… No way…" he mumbled weakly as he rubbed his sore head, "Damn, that's unfair…"

"Can you fight us without ever touching the snow?" Brendan asked, almost immediately answering his own question, "No. No you can't. So, YOU LOOOOOSE!"

Lucario growled angrily as he tried to free himself without using his hands. He realized that he was barely a match for this thing in a normal environment; if he could not even touch the ground without getting caught he truly had no chance of winning. This was it. After all he's been through; he wouldn't even get to go down fighting in a blaze of glory… Even so, he remained steadfast and stared viciously at the insane trainer.

"Or, rather…" Brendan suddenly said in an unusually calm voice as Suicune moved closer to Lucario, "All is not yet lost…"

"You've got that right…" Lucario replied hastily, "It's not over 'til it's over!"

"See, my orders are to either kill you, or catch you!" Brendan snickered in a sugar coated voice, almost giggling with the last few words, "That way, you can be my Pokémon! You teach me and I'll teach you as we travel across the land!"

"Shut up!" Lucario shouted back, realizing that is he was able to reach the madman in front of him, he would never stop punching him.

"… But honestly?" Brendan sighed out loud as he looked up into the sky, "I don't think I can control a wilder like you… And I have a new method of execution that I have just been DYING to try out… So, let's do it like this - Either you bow in submission, and you will serve as my Pokémon and my Pokémon only… Or you die, right here."

Normally Lucario would at least consider his options, but somewhere between being chased down like a dog, being treated like a weak fool and being forced to listen to yet another one of Brendan's monologues he had lost all sense of reason.

"FUCK YOU!" Lucario bellowed defiantly, not lowering his eyes even for a second.

"Hmpf…" Brendan muttered disappointedly as the Lucario stood tall, "Did you mishear me? I said 'bow', not 'bark'…"

"You and that azure cocksucker can rot in hell!" Lucario continued, unable to comprehend the fact that his death was at hand, "I'll be there waiting for you, and I'll kick your ass every day!"

"I hope you don't mind that I take that as a 'no'" Brendan said, not understanding a single thing Lucario had just said, "Just so you know, this suits me just fine!" He patted Suicne's head, making it jump back to create some distance between them and Lucario.

"Ice Totem!" Brendan yelled as Suicune shot water at Lucario's feet, causing a thick pillar of ice to protrude under him and push him upwards. Lucario struggled to get free as he rose higher and higher into the sky.

"Ice Crescent!" Brendan shouted, causing the Ice Totem to stop rising in height and instead form a half moon on the top, covering Lucario's sides.

"Once more!" Brendan kept shouting, another crescent forming to cover Lucario's front and back. Surrounded by bended ice in every direction, he had a strong feeling that he was already screwed. He stopped trying to free himself and instead closed his eyes, preparing himself for the worst.

"DO IT!" Brendan bellowed, "Icicle Maiden Bloody Fountain Piercing Stab of Death!"

Silence. Lucario opened his eyes slowly and looked around him, as if time itself had stopped. Had the attack already passed, or…

"… Deltoid" Brendan suddenly whispered with a big smile on his face. Immediately a sharp spike formed in the crescent to his right and cut into Lucario's right shoulder, making him yell out in pain.

"… Trapezius" Brendan continued, another spike appearing as Lucario heard a crashing sound beneath him. Suddenly, needles shot out from everywhere to pierce him, but as the pillar he was standing on crumbled he fell down to the ground instead.

"NOOOOOOOO!" Brendan howled in both anger and anguish, "Who dares!"

A strange figure in a brown cloak was standing in the snow between Suicune and Lucario. The cloak was covering its entire body from head to toe, and Lucario could not even tell if it was human or not. As the cloak tugged in the wind, he saw that it at the very least had a humanoid form. The only thing that could be seen apart from the cloak were several blades sticking out from where its arms appeared to be, slightly frosted from all the snow.

"Are you alright?" a surprisingly feminine voice sounded as the creature turned around, Lucario seeing nothing but darkness below the hood.

"Not really, but I'll take any help I can get!" Lucario responded, tightly clutching his right shoulder as warm blood poured down his arm.

"The legendary Suicune, in my own backyard…" the mysterious figure spoke loudly as it seemed to finally notice Brendan, "… With a human rider, getting ready to execute someone? What is going on here?"

"You…!" Brendan growled angrily, grabbing a tight hold of Suicune's mane, "You'll pay for ruining my triumphant moment!"

"Huh? No!" the cloaked being burst out in shock, "I just want to know what's happening!"

"… Apparently, you're gonna pay for ruining his triumphant moment…" Lucario said sarcastically as the open wound nipped in the cold, "Thanks for that, by the way."

"No, I just…" the feminine creature said, before sighing and raising her voice, "Hey! Suicune! I mean you no harm! I just want to know-"

"Chilling Grip!" Brendan interrupted, as Lucario gasped and the new arrival stopped herself. They all stood quiet for a few moments before Suicune gave off a strange whine that was unintelligible to both human and Pokémon.

"Oh?" Brendan exclaimed, leaning forward and staring at the creature in the cloak, "Quite interesting…" Lucario looked at her too, wondering what all the fuzz was about. He tried to see if her feet had been frozen, but couldn't see anything since the cloak reached all the way down to the snow. He did notice that there were no footprints of her anywhere…

"Quite interesting, indeed!" Brendan finally burst out, "Fine, I've had it with being the nice guy here! Time to erase you! If you survive this maybe I'll catch you, if not then it's still a job well done! Yeah, let's do this the old fashioned way! Blizzard!" Suicune leaned its head back for a moment before spitting out a vertical twister at the two of them.

"Look out!" Lucario shouted as he threw himself to the side, landing in the freezing snow. A loud cracking noise was heard behind him as he looked back and saw a massive formation of ice where he had just been standing.

"Yes! Perfect!" Brendan howled as Suicune ran up to the large formation, "Now, you die! Tidal Wave!" The huge chunk of ice began to soften as Suicune twisted itself in a whipping motion, hitting it and sending the whole mountain up into the air.

"Surf! Ride it, baby!" Brendan laughed, making Suicune jump up into the newly formed mass of water, turning it into two giant waves splitting off in two directions, aimed at Lucario and the cloaked being.

"Oh, shit!" Lucario exclaimed as the massive wave loomed over him. It was so large that he knew he would be crushed like a bug if hit by it. Sadly, he also realized that he had no chance of dodging it. Again his only plan amounting to digging a hole to somehow escape, he defended himself and awaited the mighty tsunami.

But instead of washing him away like a sick plankton, the tsunami turned into ice. Lucario was certain that this was just another stage of Suicune's viscous attack, but changed his mind when he heard Brendan cursing loudly on top of the frozen waves.

"Stop that!" he yelled while flailing his arms around, "I'm warning you!" Lucario finally saw what had happened - A strange white cloud was coming out of the creature in the cloak, presumably extremely cold wind freezing the waves in midair. Lucario felt relieved, but remembered Suicune's ability to easily make it all water again. A nasty thought hit him as he decided to run around the waves, over to the cloaked creature.

"Alright, you fucking asked for it!" Brendan howled madly as he reached down his belt and pulled out two Pokeballs. Throwing them into the air, they opened up and shot out two beams of red light to his sides, creating very intimidating creatures on top of the wave.

Meanwhile, the being in the cloak was busy exhaling freezing air as she stared at the rapidly approaching Lucario, not sure what to think. She knew that if she stopped blowing wind the waves would unfreeze and they would both be dead, and had no choice but to stand her ground and continue.

"Keep at it!" Lucario yelled as he ran around her to avoid getting hit by the blizzard and then grabbed a hold of her waist, almost making her choke on her own ice. Then, he started running as fast as he could in the opposite direction, as the waves were still being kept in check.

"I figured you couldn't move while doing that" Lucario said while running and holding her behind him, "So, I'll be your legs!"

"Idiot! Let go!" the thing in the cloak yelled as the giant blocks of ice slowly lost their consistency, "I'm too far away now, I can't keep them frozen!"

"You…" Lucario stammered before hearing a loud crashing noise behind him, "… You what?"

"Ahh! Here it comes!" the cloaked being screamed, "Run like you mean it!" A deep sloshing sound raged behind them as the water flowed in their direction. While not a lethal threat anymore, Lucario knew all too well what would happen if his feet were covered in water… Suddenly he began wondering why the Suicune hadn't just locked him into the snow again.

"Alright, alright, you can stop…" the cloaked being said in an annoyed tone as Lucario stopped and instantly dropped her. He looked back and saw that the waves were gone, and that some of his blood had smudged itself on her cloak.

"Listen, this thing has been chasing me for days, and I have no idea why…" Lucario said with exhaustion in his voice, "I can't move around at all in this snow… Can you beat it on your own?"

"… That's a legendary, you know" she replied depressingly, "Honestly? I don't think we stand a chance."

"Damn…" Lucario muttered, "… I'm sorry I got you into this." The being in the cloak wanted to respond, but was interrupted as Suicune came running at them, carrying a furious trainer on its back.

"Assholes!" Brendan roared in rage, "You just made me knock out two of my favorite Pokémon!" Lucario stifled a laugh, imagining the two intimidating creatures from earlier almost drowning in the tidal wave.

"I want to take my time torturing both of you! Don't you DARE self-destruct on me!" Brendan cackled madly. At the sound of this, the creature in the brown cloak seemed to enter her own world for a moment as she lowered her head.

"I see…" she whispered to herself before looking over at Lucario, "That's it. I'm out of here. Do you need a rescue?"

"Pfft! Me? Rescue!" Lucario scoffed, as every fiber of his being fought against him as he felt like hurling at what he was about to say.

"… Yes" he whimpered shamefully, feeling like a little girl.

"Alright, grab on!" she shouted, as she suddenly dashed towards Lucario who threw his hands up in surprise. The next thing he knew, he was being spun around in a flurry of snow. Disoriented and dazzled, he felt something in front of him, and grabbed on to it as instructed. It was soft, but very cold and gave him an odd sensation. The moment his arms found their target, he felt himself being pulled forward by a strange force. As his eyes got used to the whirl of snow around him he looked down and expected something really cool to be happening, such as him riding on the wind or something. He was very disappointed when and saw that the cloaked creature was just carrying him on her back and running away.

"You're lighter than you look!" she snickered, moving gracefully on top of the snow.

"W-What's going on!" Lucario stammered as a path of blood from his wounded shoulder trickled behind them.

"I'm using my ultimate attack, the Stormy Wind of a Thousand Breezes!" she responded, trying to sound serious.

"R-Really!" Lucario asked in a rather childish manner.

"No, we're running away like little bitches" the creature in the cloak laughed, "But it sure beats dying, doesn't it?"

Lucario held on to her in shameful silence. He noticed that the strange sensation came from the cloak he was holding on to, which appeared to be made out of a different material than leather. However, the cold he felt actually seemed to be emanating from underneath it… He was now rather curious as to what was hiding underneath the cloak.

"Like, thanks and all…" Lucario mumbled in his best attempt to sound grateful, "… But what's your name?"

"Me?" the being under the cloak asked before giving off a short laugh, "Call me Zerobi!"

* * *

><p><em><strong>"I refuse."<strong>_

_"What?"_

_**"I will not do it. Find someone else."**_

_"… You'd abandon humanity in its time of need!"_

_**"Hmpf… Don't bother. I know the situation. Your kind will not be satisfied until the corpse of every strong Pokémon lay strewn across the globe."**_

_"You could always just catch them all, of course… A term you should be more than familiar with…"_

_**"…"**_

_"See, after the cataclysm of Deoxys, people have been asking themselves… 'Where was Master Red?' 'Where was the eternal champion?' 'Where was the one trainer that we could always count on to protect us?'"_

_**"… I am… Too old. I can no longer battle like I used to. You must put your hopes in the new generation…"**_

_"You know that no trainer alive matches your expertise! The world is facing a crisis like never before!"_

_**"…"**_

_"Please! I am begging you… No, all life on this planet is begging you… Only you can prevent this catastrophe!"_

_**"… What would you have me do? Chase down Mewtwo again?"**_

_"No, not a legendary… Only one specific target that you have to el- I mean, subdue."_

_**"… Is that so? What kind of Pokémon is it?"**_

_"... A Lucario..."_


	4. Remorseful Vampire Zerobi

"Welcome to my home!" Zerobi said triumphantly as she and Lucario entered a fairly small room. She had carried him all the way to the mountains he had seen in the distance earlier, where he dismounted her and promptly gave up on any plans to act macho. She had then led him into a cave and where they went through a very long and complex system of paths within, making the room they had just come across almost impossibly difficult to find. Looking over the room, Lucario could hardly see anything because there was only a very small source of light. With what little he could see, he was able to make out a bed in the corner and what appeared to be magazines thrown all over the place.

"Hehe…" Lucario snickered sarcastically, "Must be hard keeping the place clean with the constant stream of visitors you're getting."

"It's a cave, there's really not much you can do about it…" Zerobi sighed as she at long last shed the cloak she was wearing. Lucario stared eagerly, having been curious about the creature that lay hidden underneath it ever since he first saw her.

Lucario had never seen anything like it before - She was standing on two legs and had two arms, but the similarities to a human being ended there. Very fine black fur covered her entire body, so thin it could easily be mistaken for skin. Her figure was both slender and elegant, but Lucario didn't even notice that as he was busy staring at a set of strange red feathers sticking out of her head, neck and tail. She also seemed to be holding on to a couple of very sharp-looking blades with her hands, but at closer inspection Lucario noticed that they actually WERE her hands!

"Ah… Huh?" Lucario couldn't help but say as he tried to take it all in, "What the… Are those…!"

"… I'm not that weird!" Zerobi yelled in embarrassment as Lucario gasped, just having noticed a yellow crystal between her eyes.

"Whoa!" he exclaimed while pointing at it, "Right between the eyes, what a scary place to get an implant!"

"I-Implant!" Zerobi stammered and was taken aback by his confusion, "I got this when I evolved into a Weavile! It grew out of me!"

"… Holy shit, it's organic!" Lucario yelled in disbelief as he reached out to touch it, "No way!"

"Whoa, whoa! Don't touch me!" Zerobi shouted as she took a step back from the approaching paw, noticing some dried up blood on it. Lucario halted himself and let his sight slowly shift down the body of the Pokémon in front of him. His eyes stopped between her legs as they suddenly saw something that made them widen in shock.

"Y-You're a girl!" Lucario gasped while visibly flinching.

"Just where the hell are you looking!" Zerobi shouted as she was getting really mad at him, "You couldn't tell from my voice!"

"Well…" Lucario mumbled to himself, not having thought about it sooner since simply getting used to hearing animals talk had been strange enough.

"You oaf! You ungrateful jerk!" Zerobi kept going, slowly remembering why she rarely had guests over in the first place, "Is this how you treat your savior!"

"Sorry! Sorry!" Lucario apologized, deciding to keep his curiosities to himself before they get him into more trouble.

"Hmpf…" Zerobi exclaimed before tossing her cloak behind her, making it land gracefully on the bed.

"You know, I'm appreciative and all, but…" Lucario said in an embarrassed way as he looked her in the eyes, "… Why did you save me?"

"H-Huh?" Zerobi stuttered as she was taken off guard and quickly came up with a lie, "… Surely you don't need a reason to save someone's life?"

"Hmm?" Lucario said, so surprised by her answer that he bought it without a second thought, "You're surprisingly reasonable for a Pokémon."

"… What do you mean?" Zerobi asked before mentally telling herself not to press her own lie.

"Nothing…" Lucario sighed in disappointment, for some reason thinking back to the little penguin that he had left behind, "I was just hoping that you'd be a bit more… Human."

"Human…?" Zerobi mumbled, still mad from earlier, "Alright then, let's go back, you seemed to be getting along just fine with that trainer…"

"No, I don't mean it like that!" Lucario replied quickly, not thinking of what to say next, "I just… Well…" Gathering his thoughts, he remembered that so far the only human he had encountered had been a bastard maniac, while Zerobi and that penguin had actually been helpful and nice. Suddenly, he realized that in his desperation he had not only fled like a coward three times in a row, but abandoned someone to a fate neither animal nor man deserves and still had to get himself rescued to even survive.

In the heat of the chase and battle that followed he had not really thought about it. Now, the remembrance hit him like a stack of bricks as shame welled up in his stomach and he began to feel sick, his head spinning as if he was going to faint. He kept himself from collapsing on the ground in defeat, but it was more difficult than he had imagined it to be as he for the first time in his life truly felt like a pathetic loser.

"Damn it… What have I been playing at…!" he whispered as he slapped himself across the face. He barely felt it, the wound on his right shoulder already far more painful, but somehow it made him feel a bit better. Like he still had a chance to turn things around if he just put some effort into it.

"Um… You need any help with that?" Zerobi asked awkwardly, not having noticed his inner fight as she had been too busy staring hungrily at the blood seeping out of the wound the icy spike had left on him.

"With what?" he snapped back while looking at her sharp claws, "Making it wider?"

"… Smart" Zerobi mumbled, trying her best to quench her thirst. Five long years had passed since she was even in the same room as blood, and she had promised herself to resist any urge that might pop up.

"Listen, you should probably know something about me…" Zerobi suddenly said while looking down at her own body in disgust, "Don't ever let any blood get on me. I can assure you that bad things will happen."

"Like, the blood types will mix?" Lucario responded, for once trying to jump to his own conclusions instead of being oblivious to everything, "Yeah, that'd be bad."

"Huh?" Zerobi exclaimed, realizing that Lucario had just somehow lied to himself in her place, "No… I mean…"

"Don't worry!" Lucario told her with a new resolve, "From now on, thing will be different! I'll fight seriously this time around!"

"… By the way…" Zerobi muttered while slowly falling back on the bed, "Why was a weakling like you being chased by a legendary like Suicune?"

"W-Weakling!" Lucario gasped, scoffed and spluttered at the same time, "Man, you're SO wrong! I'll have you know I've been fighting and training all my life!"

"Sure didn't seem like it, out there…" Zerobi said, leaning back and enjoying the soft feeling against her back, "Why didn't you use some of those fancy fighting-type moves?" Lucario chuckled sarcastically at this, thinking back to how hard it was for him to simply walk with his new body at first.

"How the hell am I supposed to suplex a six foot tall canine!" he shouted, making Zerobi sit up in surprise, "I mean, apart from punching or kicking it, there's really not much else I can do."

"Wow, are you really that inexperienced?" Zerobi asked, thinking back to what she had read about fighting-types back in school, "What about the Aura Sphere, or the Aura Stor-"

"Damn it, why does everyone keep saying 'Aura'!" Lucario interrupted her while throwing his arms up into the air, remembering the Piplup from earlier. The wound on his shoulder hurt a bit, but not as much as before.

"Well… You ARE an Aura Pokémon, right?" Zerobi asked even though she already knew the answer.

"Am I?" Lucario responded.

"… You're kidding me, right?" Zerobi said, staring at the wolf-like creature in front of her in disbelief. Lucario suddenly stopped himself. For some reason, telling Zerobi that he was actually human did not seem like such a good idea. So far he had told everyone he had met about it, and everyone seemed so surprised by it… It must be as unnatural as he first feared. Earlier he did not care what animals thought of him, but Zerobi was different. She was… Cool. She also seemed to have some kind of grudge against humans, what if she started hating him all of a sudden? For the time being, he decided to dodge the subject.

"The last time I checked, I was a blue wolf on two legs" Lucario said confidently, "What do you expect me to be able to do, anyway?"

"Like, shoot blue spheres of energy and stuff…" Zerobi replied as her chest and back started itching a lot, "… I've had bad personal experiences with it, myself…"

"Blue spheres…" Lucario snickered to himself, but then realized that in a world of monsters and magic, he might not be all that different. Thinking back to the Combusken he fought, right before knocking it out it had produced some sort of strange light that melted the snow and burned through the ground.

"Oh, cool!" he suddenly exclaimed, "You mean I'm able to do all sorts of awesome stuff, too?"

"You would be less of a dead weight in battle, that's for sure…" Zerobi mumbled, lying down on the bed again. She was really quite tired from running so much.

"Wait…" Lucario said and quickly looked over himself, "How? How do I do it?"

"How should I know?" Zerobi shrugged, which felt weird as she was in a vertical position, "I'm an Ice and Dark-type Pokémon. Try finding the aura first, and then shoot it out of your hands."

"Find the aura…" Lucario said as he crossed his arms and thought hard, "… Ha! I get it!"

"… Y-You do?" Zerobi stammered, surprised that her aimless advice had any effect.

"Yeah! That thing that makes me sense creatures around me…" Lucario exclaimed happily and tried finding the strange sensation that had been lingering in him ever since he switched bodies, "Hmm… I must have that in me, too… Now, to focus it…"

Staring intently at his right arm, Lucario had no idea on how to go about it and simply tried to push every inch of his being into his hand. This proved to be as a mistake, as his hand suddenly exploded in a ball of blue flames, making both Lucario and Zerobi gasp.

"GRAAAAAAAHHHH!" Lucario screamed, his right hand feeling like it had been blown off and set on fire at the same time. Falling to his side, he went from convulsing in pain to wiggling pathetically on the ground as the blue flames slowly died off by themselves. Zerobi sat up quickly and ran up to him to see what was going on. The flames had dissipated by the time she made it there, as Lucario was clutching his badly burned left hand and groaning.

"Hah…" Lucario coughed, his voice hoarse from screaming so loudly. Turning around so that he was on his back, he held his left arm up into the air. Zerobi saw that his left hand still had all its fur on it, but the involuntary twitching told her it was actually very damaged.

"Hahaha! HAHAHA!" Lucario laughed as he was lying down, "I did it! HAH! TAKE THAT!"

"That wasn't exactly a sphere" Zerobi said with an impressed tone in her voice, "But it sure looked like aura!"

"Heh! I'll get it right this time!" Lucario said as he quickly leaped up on his feet and held out his left arm, "Or should I say, left!" Zerobi took a step back to see what would happen, worried that the whole Pokémon might explode into a sea of blue flames this time. Instead, Lucario was just standing completely still while gritting his teeth.

"Huh?" he said after a while, "Why's nothing happening…?"

"You're gonna strain your arm if you-" Zerobi started, but was interrupted as a torrent of blue flames shot out of Lucario's left elbow.

"AAARRGHHHH!" he bellowed as he once again fell down, this time stopping his descent on his knees. His elbow was burning brightly as he tried covering it with his right hand, but only succeeding in burning it even further. This time, Zerobi was prepared and started freezing his left elbow in hopes of dousing the fire.

"AAAAHHHHH STOOOOOP!" Lucario wailed as his arm became frozen, but the blue flames still burned within the ice, "GRAAAHH MAKE IT STOP DAMN IT!"

"I… I don't know how!" Zerobi stuttered helplessly as the ice melted and the flames once again died off. Lucario collapsed forward as she thought about saving him, but remembered the dangerous blood on his shoulder and let him land on his face instead.

"B-Bastard…!" Lucario growled accusingly as he entered a coughing fit.

"Hey, it's not my fault!" Zerobi said, getting a bit worried as Lucario was struggling with getting up this time.

"Not you…" he mumbled, not being able to decide which wound to clutch anymore, "Damn… I'm never doing that again…"

"Huh?" Zerobi exclaimed surprised, "Wait, what happened with your determination?"

"You have NO idea how much that hurt" Lucario said as he finally rose to his feet and shook his head violently, "… It's like my insides were set on corrosive fire."

"That bad?" Zerobi asked, not sure if he was being serious or not, "That'd make it a pretty good weapon should you learn how to use it."

"Yeah… I think I'm gonna lie down for a while" Lucario said weakly as he wobbled towards the bed as a strange sensation suddenly hit him, "… By the way, are you expecting any visitors?"

"No" Zerobi replied as she thought about where she would sleep if the bed was occupied, "You're the first one in five years. Why?"

"Just that I can sense the aura of something right outside the cave…" Lucario kept going with exhaustion in his voice, "Something pretty big…"

"Hah! Don't worry!" Zerobi laughed while crossing her arms, "You know what a labyrinth this place is! They'll never find it, I've been hiding here for-"

Zerobi was interrupted as the two of them heard a loud crash somewhere above them. They both stared up into the ceiling as another crash was heard.

"Oh shit, it's coming right for us!" Lucario suddenly yelled, "It's punching through the walls!"

"What!" Zerobi shouted, as the room they were in exploded in a cloud of dust as something dropped down from above, smashing so hard against the ground that they could feel it shake. Lucario tried hard to stay on his feet and wiped some of the filth off his eyes as the cloud settled, revealing a large beast carrying a trainer on its back between himself and Zerobi. The airborne grime dissipated from the top, and made it so that the first thing they both noticed was a certain color emanating from the trainer on top…

**Red**

* * *

><p><em><strong>"Dad!"<strong>_

_"S-Son... Run..."_

_**"No! I won't leave you behind, dad!"**_

_"No... You need to-"_

_**"I-I'm not scared... I'll stand my ground, and-"**_

_"Listen... To me... For a second..."_

_**"D-Dad?"**_

_"... Get Pikablu..."_

_**"H-He's not here, dad..."**_

_"Run... And get Pikablu..."_

_**"But... but what about you?"**_

_"I'll live. You... Know... I will..."_

_**"D-Dad...! Alright, j-just... W-Wait here a moment, and I'll... I'll get Pikablu and Mom and Sis and the Gallade and we'll save you!"**_

_"... Please... Not... That last one..."_

_**"... Oh no! Here they come again!"**_

_"Son... Know that your old man will always be proud of you."_

_"Dad..."_

_"Now, RUN!"_

_"..."_

_"..."_

_"... You?"_

_"... I have a wife… And two children…"_

_"... So do what you will..."_

_"... For my lineage... Will still carry on..."_


	5. Aged Master Red

"… So close, yet so far away…" Lucario muttered to himself as he looked unhappily at the inviting bed next to him, before erasing every thought of taking a quick nap. He faced the giant monster, preparing himself for battle.

The beast was similar to Suicune in form, but had a yellow tone to its skin as well as black stripes. Its tail was twisted with hairy spikes stretching out in every direction, its face adorned with what appear to be a small iron helmet as well as a sky blue beard with two large fangs sticking out of it. Lucario immediately labeled it as a saber toothed tiger, having trouble taking all the extra details. The greatest similarity to Suicune was the long, purple mane that flowed behind its back like it had never experienced the sharp coldness of a scissor.

The trainer on top looked like a very old man, with a beard almost greater than that of the furred creature he was sitting on. He was wearing a red cap on his head, which Lucario thought was quite unfitting for someone his age. While the aged man failed to strike him as half as intimidating as the cackling madman known as Brendan, he knew better than to understate the monster underneath.

"R-Raikou!" Lucario could hear Zerobi stammer from behind the big tiger, "Have all the legendary dogs been captured!"

"Grr…" Lucario growled while gritting his teeth, "There are more?"

"… Lucario" Red finally said, his voice both dignified and grave as he crossed his arms and looked down.

"Tch…" Lucario exclaimed in annoyance, "Why does everyone know my name?"

"No spikes. There is no doubt about it..." Red said as he uncrossed his arms, "I am afraid I must capture you."

"Yeah, figured as much" Lucario replied with a nod, looking the old man in the eye.

"… You seem quite intelligent" Red said as he reached out a hand in a friendly gesture, "Will you come quietly?"

"Hah! As if!" Lucario shouted, striking a battle pose, "I'm through with running away! It's time I man up! Just take it easy, and don't get a heart attack when I start getting serious!"

"Hey!" Zerobi yelled accusingly as both Red and his steed seemed oblivious of her, "Are you crazy! That's a legendary Pokémon! You couldn't even HIT Suicune!"

"Don't worry!" Lucario yelled back as his confidence overtook his fatigue, "The problem with fighting Suicune was that it had too much room to run around, this thing won't escape me! Not to mention that this trainer's already halfway down the grave!"

"Oh, for crying out…" Zerobi groaned while seeing that Red and Raikou had for an unknown reason not begun fighting, instead remaining completely still for some reason, "Well, if you're gonna attack, better do it before they can react!"

"Of course! I'm not taking any risks this time!" Lucario said before he quickly dashed toward the motionless legendary, quickly trying to figure out if he should attack it like usual or try a new aura-based strike right off the bat.

He had not taken a single step towards the enemy before Raikou leaned back on its hind legs and Red crouched beneath the purple mane on its back. A massive electrical current instantly filled the entire room, making the bed and magazines on the ground crumple up and catch on fire. Neither Lucario nor Zerobi had even the tiniest chance of dodging as both their brains shut down and their legs folded on themselves.

When the paralyzation subsided, it was replaced by a searing pain coursing through both of them as they twisted and turned in agony on the ground. Zerobi screamed out loud, but Lucario's voice was already spent and he instead gave off a tormented wheeze. Yellow bolts of lightning shot out of them and struck the walls as well as Raikou, who seemed to be completely unaffected by them.

As quickly as the thunder had struck, it was gone. Raikou stood tall above the two shaking cripples and saw the small papers around them turn into ash.

"Far too easy…" Red sighed to himself as he emerged from the purple mane, "Not even a battle anymore, just a single attack and it is over…"

"… UGH!" Lucario cried as he held his stomach and felt like barfing. He was on his back, staring up at the open sky through the broken ceiling.

"Good work, Raikou" Red said in a kind way while scratching Raikou who made an odd purr-like sound in return, "Pikachu would have been proud of you."

"B-Bastard…" Lucario stammered weakly, struggling to get up. The powerful shock had stunned his body, but more than that it had made him realize just how exhausted he really was. His legs cried out in pain after having been running for so long, and the previous experiments with aura had crippled his arms with a lingering burning sensation that even the electricity could not compare with. The way he was, there was nothing he could do… Except…

"My…" a sorrowful voice sounded from the other side of the room, "My occult magazines… All gone…"

"Z-Zerobi… Run…!" Lucario shouted with the last of his strength, "He wants me!"

"I can't…!" Lucario heard Zerobi respond from behind Raikou.

"No, I got you into this…" Lucario kept going, thinking that at the very least he would not have her life on his conscience, "You must leave me behind, an-"

"I said, I can't!" Zerobi yelled back with an angry tone, "I'm paralyzed!" While they were talking, Red had turned around and finally noticed the wounded Weavile behind him.

"Oh…" Red said sadly as he stroked his beard, "… You were there all this time? Forgive me for involving you in this… We will be on our now shortly." As he finished apologizing, he pulled a Pokéball from his belt at a speed comparable to Raikou's lightning, turned around and threw it at Lucario. Barely mobile, Lucario saw it coming and somehow managed to roll to the side in order to escape it. The Pokéball hit the ground, before instantly flying back. He thought it might be a boomerang-like attack and kept his head down, but instead it simply returned to Red's outstretched hand.

"This will be a lot easier if you just let yourself get caught…" Red sighed again, putting the Pokéball back in his belt.

"I will n-never be caught!" Lucario wheezed defiantly, even though he himself was having a hard time finding another way out of this.

"Listen closely" Red continued as he leaned forward and spoke as clearly as possible, "Either I catch you right now, or I will just have to use that electric attack again until you are completely immobile… And that is something neither of us want, right?"

"D-Don't think you can…" Lucario kept going, trying to sit up but failing and falling on his back again.

"Do not be afraid…" Red said calmly, "As my Pokémon, you can be assured that I will let never let any harm come to you."

"Screw you! I'm…" Lucario growled as he finally managed to sit up and tried standing up before falling on his knees in exhaustion, "… I belong to no one!" Before he could react, Red pulled out another Pokéball and threw it at him from his hip. Half of Lucario's brain told him that such an absurd throw would never hit, while the other one was registering the fact that the green and white ball was slowly filling up his vision…

Lucario flinched as the contraption hit him right between the eyes, not really feeling it between the gaping wound on his shoulder, the burning sensation lingering in his arms and heavy damage everywhere else from the electricity. The ball fell down to the ground and started rolling away into a corner of the cave. Lucario tripped forward in shock expecting to turn into a red light, but noticed that his body remained solid and stopped himself with his arms halfway down.

"This is…" Red said with a pause as he stared at the collapsed wolf, "… Most unusual." Time seemed to stand still for the three of them as Red thought about his next move, Zerobi and Lucario too stunned to think or act. After a long while, Red sighed deeply as he reached down to the backside of his belt and drew yet another Pokeball, one that was purple and white with large pink spots on it as surrounding an insignia of the letter 'M'.

"The Master Ball - Quite a rarity" Red said to himself while adoring the machine in his hands for bit, "Even someone like me has trouble getting hands on one. It is precious, and really should not be used in a situation like this…" Zerobi knew all too well what he was talking about and begun scrambling away in terror, but Lucario was still wondering how he had managed not to get caught earlier.

"You… You gonna bludgeon me to death, or what?" Lucario said slowly, getting up on his knees again.

"Hmpf… It is not like I can take it with me once I am dead" Red continued as he clutched the master ball in his hand and turned his cap backwards in a determined manner, "Currently, my duty to capture you to ensure the safety of the future generations... And I will do everything I can to do so!"

The master ball escaped Red's hand with a powerful throw and was sent spinning at Lucario with precise aim and amazing speed. For a moment Lucario thought about letting it hit him between the eyes again, but instead held out his hands in an attempt to stop it. He managed to catch it between his paws in midair, completely stopping it.

"The Master Ball… Failed…?" Red gasped in disbelief, "This… This cannot be!"

"Looks like… The one to catch something…" Lucario said with a smile feeding off his opponent's surprise, "… Was me."

"The only way that you cannot be caught by a master ball …" Red continued in an attempt to gather his thoughts, "… Is if you are not a Pokémon."

"Heh…" Lucario chortled as he held the master ball in one hand, imitating Red from earlier, "Lucky me, then."

"I never thought it would come to this…" Red kept going, having completely lost his cool as impossibility stared him in the face, "I cannot capture you, does that mean that I have to…" He suddenly became quiet and hunched over, seemingly in a battle of morals with himself.

"… No" he finally said out loud, sitting upright again, "Absolutely not. With the description I was given… But there are two of them… And this Lucario is…" He looked at the Weavile behind him, before looking at the Lucario in front of him, and finally lowered his head in a hopeless gesture.

"… You win" Red finally said as he scratched his beard, "If I cannot capture you, I am unable to become victorious."

"I…" Lucario said as his vision grew foggy.

"Listen closely. I could end your life right here and now, but I will not. I only ask you for one thing in return…" Red said in a deep, serious voice as he stared at Lucario with gentle eyes, "… Please, do not make me regret it."

Giving off a faint smile behind the beard, Red held on as Raikou howled and jumped through the hole above them, leaping on the walls to get outside.

"Take… That… You… Dull… Old…" Lucario stammered cockily, before exhaling and collapsing on the floor. The two Pokémon lay pained and immobile, and within seconds the cave was silent once more.

* * *

><p><em><strong>"I had five months of vacation stored up... And you take me to a place called 'Snowpoint City'?"<strong>_

_"Cerulean City never gets any snow, I thought you'd like it!"_

_**"Are you implying that I have never seen snow before? I can assure you that it has never been a pleasant experience, including right now"**_

_"It'll be worth it once you see the Snowpoint Temple!"_

_**"... Temple? Make that especially right now..."**_

_"Yeah! It's really old, and quite the sight from what I've heard!"_

_**"OK, this has gone on far enough. Tell me, what part of me EVER gave off the signal that I would want to spend my vacation visiting a bloody temple!"**_

_"B-But... I..."_

_**"I was looking forward to sipping berry juice by a pool somewhere while making snide remarks to people passing by and annoying the clerks by pretending that I'm deaf..."**_

_"... I'm... Sorry..."_

_**"I hereby permanently revoke your permission to pick vacation spots"**_

_"... No!"_

_**"With all the work I've had to do lately, I can't afford something like this. I need a master of being lazy to pick out a good spot. Like that Croagunk... He always seems to find the best places to lurk around..."**_

_"Um..."_

_**"What?"**_

_"Look to your right"_

_**"... What, did I miss a particularly snowy tree? One where the snow has the branches weighed down to join its brethren on the ground? Wait, you're not going to slap me or something, right?"**_

_"Just do it!"_

_**"Because if you do, I WILL have you arrested for assaulting an officer of the law!"**_

_Just turn your head around!"_

_**"Fine, but there's absolutely no possibility anything could make up for..."**_

_"..."_

_**"... Holy crap, is that...!"**_

_"Mm-hmm"_

_**"N-No way! That is... I can't..."**_

_"I-I thought you'd like it..."_

_**"LIKE IT! Way to play me for a fool with that whole innocent screw-up thing!"**_

_"I learned from the best, after all!"_

_**"C'mere, you... Heh, this is NOW a vacation! Nothing could possibly ruin it!"**_

_"Ah! Don't say that, or something'll happen for sure!"_

_**"What, you still believe in all that occult stuff? Haha! Don't worry, nothing bad is going to happen... Now, let's enjoy ourselves for once!"**_


	6. Downtime: Epilogue of Episode I

The atmosphere was cool as the two Pokemon lay on the ground of the cave, staring up through the hole in the ceiling. Neither of them felt like talking, instead preferring to lie still and recover as best they could. The only one with a question positively burning in her mind was Zerobi.

"Why?" Zerobi groaned after a few minutes, breaking the silence, "Why didn't the Pokéball work?"

"… He said so himself, didn't he?" Lucario groaned back since he was already sick of not being able to give a straight answer, "I'm not a Pokémon."

"… What…?" Zerobi whispered as if she had heard him wrong.

"I'm human" Lucario continued while trying to ignore a sudden sharp pain in his shoulder, "Grr… I was human up until just recently, when I suddenly woke up in this strange body."

"… Huh…?" Zerobi mumbled in a confused way.

"I don't remember how it happened, but I was a blue wolf being chased by the police dog squad" Lucario tried to chuckle, but simply could not through all the pain, "Then I met you."

"Wait, you're serious?" Zerobi asked, before giving off several rapid coughs. It sounded very painful and Lucario became worried, but was too weak to even bend up to see how much damage she had taken.

"… So?" Lucario said, "Have you heard anything like it before?"

"No" Zerobi replied with her dazedness apparent, "I mean, there's a classic movie series dealing with it, but I've never heard about it actually happening."

"Pokémon watch movies?" Lucario asked as he noticed the heavy scent of ash in the air, "Hmm… Well, seems you read magazines, too…"

"... My magazines…" Zerobi said sadly, before they both went quiet for a while. Fresh air entering from outside had already begun to replace the smoke as well as the dankness that had filled the cave for so many centuries. Dreading the next rainfall, she wondered if there was any way to fix it.

"… We can't stay here" Zerobi said after many moments of silence and coming up short of ideas, "It's not much of a hiding place with a direct pipeline leading outside above us."

"It wasn't much of a hiding place to begin with!" Lucario said loudly, "They found us, didn't they?"

"And that's not even the strangest thing that happened today…" Zerobi sighed as she noticed her paralyzation diminishing and finally sat upright, "So, what are you going to do now?"

"… Do?" Lucario replied, for the first time in his life feeling envious of not being able to sit up.

"Yeah" Zerobi kept going as she added a hint of sarcasm to her voice, "Mr. Human-Pokémon-That-Cannot-Be-Caught?"

"… Stick with Lucario" Lucario mumbled quietly, "Well, I'm probably still being chased by Suicune and a bunch of other jerkoffs, so I guess I've got to get on the run again."

"Where?" Zerobi asked bluntly.

"… Away?" Lucario responded, trying to out-blunt her.

"Ugh…" Zerobi kept going, as she fell on her back again in exhaustion, "Do you have any supplies?"

"I don't have anything but the clothes I'm wearing…" Lucario said depressingly before wanting to lighten up the mood a little, "… You know, my pants. Guess that's more than you."

For the next couple of minutes, they were both quiet. Zerobi was lying immobile on the ground, which Lucario thought was peculiar seeing how she was obviously able to sit up now. At first he did not question it as he felt relieved that he would get a chance to rest undisturbed, but as time passed he started to get worried. She had also been hit by the immense attack from Raikou earlier, and if she was not as resilient as he was…

"Hey… Are you still alive?" Lucario asked, trying to pick up any sign of life from his vertical position.

"… Fine" Zerobi suddenly said out loud.

"… Fine, what?" Lucario asked.

"I'll come with you" Zerobi said, sitting up again.

"Uh…" Lucario exclaimed in surprise, "No, 'alive' means 'not dead' in human language."

"Hmpf, I know what I said…" Zerobi muttered, "Either that or I stay here, in this broken hiding place that soon will probably be swarming with nasty trainers trying to bring you to justice."

"… You miss Suicune or something?" Lucario asked as he tried to figure out a way to dissuade her, "This isn't a pleasure cruise, everyone I meet is going to want me dead."

"Don't worry, I'm not exactly wanted by the law as it is" Zerobi snickered to herself, "We'll have a better chance of survival if we stick together."

"No, just…" Lucario continued, not knowing what to say or do, "You're cool and all, but I always work alone. I don't need a partner."

"Obviously you do, since you don't seem to know anything about Pokémon" Zerobi responded quickly and confidently, "In exchange, you can… No, you'd _better_ tell me what it's like being human."

"… Being human, eh?" Lucario whispered to himself. Finally being able to move his arms a little, he felt something next to his right hand. Looked down, he saw the master ball Red had used earlier on the ground, discarded like an useless tool. He was still a bit curious after all the buildup the aged trainer had given, and managed to pick it up in his right hand.

"Oh hey, that's…" Zerobi mumbled as she saw the thing in his hand which suddenly made her stammer, "… A-A master ball!"

"Huh… I don't get it" Lucario said before holding up the ball above him in order to study it in the light coming from outside, "How can such a small thing contain a Pokémon?"

"It's quite complicated science…" Zerobi sighed, relived that the scary contraption was not in the hands of their enemy, "All I know is that if it gets you, you're a slave for the rest of your life."

"Hmm… I kind of want to try it out…" Lucario said slowly, eyeing the room for Zerobi's location.

"K-Keep that thing away from me…!" Zerobi stuttered frightfully as fear welled up in her and she took a step back from him.

"You wanted to be with me, right?" Lucario said with a smile, "How about I catch you right now and make you my Pokémon?"

"W-What!" Zerobi exclaimed, taken off guard by this unexpected turn of events. Lucario held the master ball high up into the air before throwing it away. It hit the bed in the corner of the room, and settled down quietly.

"Nah, just kidding" Lucario said, making Zerobi exhale deeply. He gave up on trying to moving as the mere action of throwing away the ball had used up the very last of his strength.

"Man, do you even know how scary it is, worrying about being captured by something like that!" Zerobi shouted angrily at him, "Don't abuse your privileges, and don't joke around about it!"

"Y-You've got to have a sense of humor… If you're going to follow me…" Lucario said weakly, the world spinning around him as he felt like he was fainting.

"What? Now you'll let me come?" Zerobi responded, failing to disguise the eagerness in her voice.

"… Just… Let me sleep on it…" Lucario mumbled as he turned around and closed his eyes. Zerobi's silence signified that he would finally gain the well deserved rest he had been craving so long. All the anguish and confusion softly faded away as he fell into a deep slumber.


	7. Smug Chief Snivy

Zerobi sighed in relief as both she and Lucario exited the store. Snowpoint City was fairly rural and by no means a large town, located within the harsh climates north of Sinnoh. Most shopkeepers would refuse to serve Pokémon, but as long as they have a good demeanor and most importantly money there will always be a place or two that wouldn't turn them down.

She knew they had been lucky to find such a store so quickly, and couldn't help but feel that her cloak and Lucario's pants had something to do with it. Perhaps it was the fact that he had bought a human backpack to store all their newly bought items in? She sighed once more as they began walking down the street, unhindered by the snow on the ground as it had already been trampled solid by waves and waves of various creatures.

"I'm never going shopping with you again" Zerobi mumbled with disdain.

"Oh, excuse me for prioritizing provisions and transportation in front of some stupid magazine!" Lucario snapped back, adjusting the large blue backpack so that it would sit more comfortably on his shoulders.

"It's not stupid!" Zerobi shouted while giving him an angry glare, "For all we know, it might have contained the answer to your transformation!"

"You can always read this one once I'm done with it!" Lucario laughed, pointing to the charred and blood soaked remains of her favorite paper which had been tied around his upper arm to cover up his wound.

"… I don't want it…" Zerobi wheezed in a disgusted way. Seeing the minute amount of money she had saved for the past years being used up to buy travel supplies made her realize that the peaceful and carefree times she had gotten used to were finally over.

"My entire collection… Gone. My home… Destroyed" she mumbled depressingly to herself, "My cloak is all ruined, too…"

"Uh… Don't you think you should do something about that last one?" Lucario mumbled, not being able to help himself and casting a quick glance between her legs, "… It's pretty dirty, you know?"

"Yeah…" Zerobi sighed, thinking he was referring to the cloak as she took a gander between his legs in return, "You know, I've always wondered… Where'd you get those pants from?"

"Huh?" Lucario exclaimed surprised, "They were on me when I woke up."

"… Can you take them off?" Zerobi continued, too curious to care about any deeper meanings of what she had just said.

"Of course!" Lucario responded confidently before a thought suddenly hit him, "… Hmm, they're not the pants I had as a human, though… Maybe I should be wondering who put them there in the first place…?"

"… You have to ask?" Zerobi asked snidely.

"Hey! Wearing clothes is natural!" Lucario said loudly, realizing that since he was a Pokémon now the question was not that out of place, "To me, anyway… Waking up naked? That would've been a shock!"

"… I don't get it" Zerobi muttered, and was about to ask a follow-up question when they were both interrupted.

"Lucario!" a high pitched voice sounded directly behind them. Halting himself, Lucario was not sure if he should even bother to turn around and see who it was or just spin and strike it down with a roundhouse kick right away.

"Are you Lucario!" the voice sounded again, this time at a lower elevation than before. Lucario slowly turned around to face whoever it was, only to see nothing in front of him. A crowd of strange Pokémon were standing a few feet away, staring at him intently.

"Huh…?" he mumbled before feeling a tugging on his pants. He looked down and saw a few large blades of grass sticking up at him. Looking closer, he noticed that they were growing out of some kind of purple ball with huge glittering eyes. For some reason it was looking back and forth at his hands and staring at his chest, before a happy mouth suddenly appeared beneath the eyes.

"… It IS you!" the plant exclaimed in pure joy, "Lucario! I watch your show every day!" Lucario was instantly reminded of the penguin he had met back when he took shelter from the mighty blizzard, but couldn't help but stare at the strange thing. He saw a set of feet sticking out of the purple ball, but with no legs or arms to be seen anywhere.

"Can I see the aura sphere? Are you two a couple? Say 'Watch the power of aura!'" the grassy being continued endlessly while bouncing up and down in joy.

"Hey… You know this Oddish?" Zerobi leaned closer and whispered to him.

"…Eh? Uh…" Lucario mumbled, completely entranced by the bizarre creature, "No… But yeah, it's pretty… Odd-ish…"

"I apologize for this" a Vileplume giggled delightfully as she moved over to the Oddish, "My son simply can't stop talking about that Wholesome Wanderer Lucario!"

"No, mom! It's 'Lonesome Wanderer Lucario!'" the Oddish corrected with a horrified expression, "Look! No spikes!"

"Hmm?" the Vileplume exclaimed as she too began staring at Lucario's hands and chest, "Why, you're right! People must have the two of you confused all the time!"

"D… Seems that way…" Lucario said in a strange way, not paying any attention as his brain was busy wondering how on earth a creature without legs could hop around so easily.

"Again, I apologize" the Vileplume said while turning around to leave, "Come now, if you don't get home in time you'll miss the show!"

"B-But…" the Oddish stammered before running after her mother, "Mom! It was really him!" The two of them become more and more distanced as Zerobi suddenly jabbed Lucario's side.

"Didn't know you were famous" she said with a sinister smile.

"I'm not" Lucario muttered, "Yet everyone seems to think they know me, for some reason…" He could not stop thinking about how he had been moments away from making a big mistake. At the very least he knew that a roundhouse kick would not have hit such a short target, but even so the shame was something even he could not dodge.

"Well, you do look a bit unique…" Zerobi said while quietly looking him over, "… What happened to your spikes?"

"My spikes?" Lucario asked as an image of his teeth popped up in his head, "Covered by my mouth, like usual."

"No, I mean the ones on your hands and chest" Zerobi continued, pointing at his chest. Looking down at it, Lucario only saw a patch of long yellow chest hair that currently had a sharp claw hovering dangerously close.

"… My fur?" Lucario asked again, not really sure what was going on and getting a chill at the thought of the claw piercing him.

"No!" Zerobi shouted with a hint of anger in her voice, "Lucario usually have big spikes sticking out of them! Where are yours?"

"Must've forgotten to put them on this morning" Lucario snickered, much to Zerobi's annoyance. She was about to keep going with the verbal rant, but noticed that a few Pokémon had stopped as well and were now staring at them.

"Oh yeah…" Lucario whispered as he too noticed the scene they were making, "Is it really OK for us to be walking around in public like this?"

"Nope" Zerobi responded before lowering her arm. They both stood quiet for a while before they started walking again.

Finally alone with himself, many odd thoughts and theories filled Lucario when he walked through the city. There were bizarre monsters everywhere he looked, the second more bewildering than the first. He had no idea how so fundamentally different species could even comprehend co-existing, especially not when he himself had spent so little time in this place and already been hunted and almost killed twice. He once again tried to chalk it up to the humans of this place being evil, but was able to gain faint remembrance of the very first encounter he had when he woke up in his new body…

A sharp defensive mechanism suddenly pushed away the thought from his mind as he once again began staring at the Pokémon passing by. He found it strange that neither Zerobi nor the other Pokémon seemed to pay much notice to each other, like a rhinoceros made out of rock or an animate tree was something they saw every day.

"… Made me use Pay Day over and over again! For cash!" he heard a cat on two legs shout a few feet away, talking to what appeared to be a gathering of animate eggs. He saw that the cat had a large coin lodged in its head, and wondered if it was natural or just a freak accident.

"… Needed a Sun Stone, but he kept insisting that I'd evolve if I just stayed in the sunlight…" a small thing that seemed to be made out of wood with a puffy bush sticking out of its head said to a black horse with white spiky mane. Apart from the color, the mane of the horse reminded Lucario quite a bit of Raikou, and he silently made a promise to himself not to rush into battle the next time as they walked past them.

"… And so I told him that he was twice as annoying as a rash-inducing tickle and only half as worthy of laughter…" a slender yet unusually short reptile carrying a bag said to an equally short cat with brown fur. had a sudden urge to hug nuzzle his face into the fluffy being, but repressed it. Seeing how these were far more intelligent than your average pet it might not purr in response, but instead consider it sexual harassment or something.

The instant the reptile and cat passed them by, a powerful chill ran through the air. Zerobi muffled a startled sound and looked like she had just swallowed dung. The reptile received a similar effect that moment, barely casting a glance at them as he kept on walking.

Lucario was lost in his thoughts and did not notice that Zerobi was slowing down. Behind them, the reptile suddenly stopped, making the cat stop as well.

"Impossible…" the reptile whispered to himself in anguish, as his partner looked at him with confused eyes. Then she noticed the black creature that they had just passed by. She made a soft whimper and began hyperventilating.

"Z-Zerobi…!" she stammered with panic, feeling like her heart would stop at that moment or at the very least be crushed by the pressure building up in her chest.

"No…" the reptile said in disbelief before turning around with a furious look on his face, "… Umk, that blundering fool! I knew he couldn't be trusted with anything!"

"You must have me mistaken with someone else…" Zerobi said in a far more depressing voice than any of them had ever heard before. It sounded like the sorrowful wails from beyond the grave of a coldhearted killer, completely unlike her usual demeanor.

"I have seen your face in my nightmares for the past seven years…" the reptile muttered before shaking his head in an attempt to comprehend the situation, "Don't tell me… During all this time…"

"… No! You can't still be alive!" the cat shouted in terror, making Zerobi flinch. The words pierced her heart and her head begun spinning as she was once more reminded of that horrible time of her life when the blood of others were flowing through her.

"… Eve…" she whispered sadly as she looked at the cat, revisiting their time as friends a short time before seeing her defeated form cringing in terror before her blades.

"… And Snivy…" she continued before looking over at the reptile, and once again she was in the storm of sharp leaves cutting at her from every direction while her mind was fogged by a red cloud of warm blood and insanity. For a moment her entire body began itching as from an acidic substance before being replaced by the wonderful feeling of life rushing through her, unwittingly fueling her existence, _looking for an escape, **pleading for a death that would not come-**_

Fulfillment collided with suffering. Pleasure with disgust. Acceptance with loathing. Her mind shattered and her world collapsed as she fell to her knees, crying.

"I…" she stuttered while tears from in her eyes, "I'm… I'm so… So… Sorry!"

"You freak…!" Snivy spat reviled, "You think you can-"

"It wasn't me!" Zerobi kept going, the tears now flowing down her face as she looked at two Pokémon in front of her, "I… The blood made me insane! I'm normal again!"

"Hmpf…" Snivy huffed while crossing his arms, "Apparently, you're still as crazy as ever… If you think there's any hope for redemption after what you've done."

"I-It was the blood, it…" Zerobi continued futily, searching for forgiveness but already knowing that she would find none, "… It controlled me! I became addicted to it!"

"… All the more reason to end you right now!" Snivy shouted as he gave up on keeping things cool and threw the bag he was carrying to the side, "Eve! Run! Get backup!" Eve instantly turned around and ran as Zerobi helplessly reached out a hand to try and stop her. Meanwhile, the leaf at the end of Snivy's tail was growing larger, as he suddenly did a backflip causing the giant leaf to detach from him and fly spinning vertically at Zerobi. It roared like a buzz saw as she noticed the attack coming, but seeing Eve fleeing in fear and the angry Snivy ready for the kill in front of her she simply could not bring herself to avoid it. Instead, she lowered her head and closed her eyes, prepared to face her long overdue judgment.

While she had expected to be cut by the leaf, she was instead hit by a blunt strike. Opening her eyes momentarily she saw an elbow leaving her face, knocking her back on her ass. Standing in front of her was Lucario, gripping the sides of the large whirling leaf between his hands.

"Yeah. That's not going to happen" he said confidently as the leaf stopped spinning and Snivy's mouth dropped in shock.

"Y-You protected her!" he yelled in utter disbelief, "Who the hell are you!"

"I don't know what went on in the past between you two…" Lucario said calmly while seeing the brown cat disappear around the corner of a house far away, "… Or three… But if you think I'm going to just stand by and watch you execute a crying girl…"

"Girl! That word has never been less fitting!" Snivy shouted before pointing at the stunned Weavile, "She's a complete monster!"

"Hah! Coming from someone like you, that's an insult!" Lucario scoffed, "Then again, I'd expect nothing less from a slimy reptile!"

"MOVE!" Snivy bellowed and took a step forward, "I don't have time for this! She must not be allowed to live!"

"Like I already said, that's not going to happen…" Lucario snickered before realizing what he had just said, "I mean, that's going to happen. She's going to live. I owe her my life, after all…"

"N-No, Lucario…" Zerobi whispered, feeling suicidal at this point, "You don't understand…"

"Just stay there" Lucario said triumphantly with his back facing her, "It's time for me to repay the favor."

Lucario's highly clichéd behavior took Zerobi by complete surprise and hit her like a truck, momentarily bringing her out of her shell of self-hatred. She had been willing to die just a few seconds ago, but after being struck by his ridiculous behavior she couldn't help but give off the faintest of smiles. Meanwhile, Lucario was feeling very cool and prepared himself for battle as suddenly a very loud noise echoed through the sky.

"CITIZENS OF SNOWPOINT! A POWERFUL POKÉMON HAS BEEN DETECTED WITHIN THE CITY BORDERS!" a strangely metallic voice said in a calm yet decisive manner, "PLEASE RETURN TO YOUR HOMES AND AWAIT FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS!"

"Oh…" Snivy said as a faint smile began developing on his face as well, "Looks like they'll be the ones to beat you up. This is going to be fun to watch…"

"What the hell was that!" Lucario shouted angrily while covering his big ears, "Argh! Damn that was loud!"

"… No!" Zerobi said as she suddenly stood up in panic, "The detectors! But how!"

"Hey! Are you OK?" Lucario said as he turned around to meet her face and noticing that signs of tears were still present on it.

"No time!" Zerobi yelled while searching for an escape route, "Crap, we're in big trouble… We have to run before _they_get here!"

* * *

><p><em>… And so begins episode II of the story known as "The Human Species". Told you it'd be long!<em>

_You know how I also told you that while waiting for the next chapter you should read "Occult Magazine: Evolution's Gate", "Forever Legendary" and "Mew's Christmas Carol"? This is why. While reading them is still not necessary to follow "The Human Species", the same does not apply the other way around. This story will definitively spoil the climax of those other stories sooner or later, so you should read them before it's too late!_

_Questions? Comments? Enough spam to overload my computer and make it explode in my face turning me into the phantom of the opera with lacking talents when it comes to playing the organ but superior talents when it comes to not killing people or hitting on little girls? E-mail me!_


	8. Fearsome Four Mienfoo

With Zerobi still recovering from her mental breakdown and Lucario's brain having been scrambled from the loud noise, Snivy finally felt that he had gained control of the situation.

"Don't bother running, there's no escape…" Snivy snickered as he raised one of his extremely small arms menacingly, "Give up now, you've made a lot of friends on the police force that want to meet you personally! And when they're done, you might run into a few more in the afterlife!"

"Damn it! We just got to run!" Zerobi shouted in a panicky voice before she suddenly dashed off while shooting Lucario a quick glance, "Come on!" Lucario didn't have time to think, instinctually following her.

"Stay a little longer!" Snivy yelled as he tossed himself forward, shooting out two vines from his hands that hit Lucario's back. Lucario kept running, but the vines quickly crawled around his back and wrapped around his torso.

"How'd you know I needed a belt!" Lucario laughed before he felt a jerk in his abdomen as the vines threatened to halt his movement. Instead he started running harder, and Snivy's light body caused him to be pulled along. Lucario looked back and saw the slippery lizard dragging on the ground behind him, still keeping a strong hold.

"Let go, you slimy… Scaly…" Lucario yelled as he noticed the vines were crawling down his body.

"No! Don't let them constrict you!" Zerobi shouted, but it was too late as Lucario suddenly felt his legs tighten up. He tripped and crashed on the ground as Snivy swiftly slithered up to him. As he was creating more vines, he sensed danger and made a leap backwards to avoid the fast punch that whisked by him.

"A fist?" Snivy asked with a snide smile, "What's wrong? I thought you liked my blood!"

"I liked it a lot more when you were keeping your mouth shut during battle…" Zerobi mumbled before hunching over and quickly severing the vines around Lucario's legs.

"Hmpf!" Snivy scoffed loudly as he leaped towards the two of them, holding two vines in each hand and getting ready to seal them both. However, his plans were interrupted as Lucario stood up and turned around at the same time, extending his right leg in a spinning motion and hitting Snivy square in the head with a roundhouse kick. He was sent flying and was about to hit a pole of some kind of pole sticking out of the ground as he suddenly twisted around it and grabbed a hold with his snake-like body.

"Y-You…" he stammered as several leaves spread from his body, making Zerobi flinch while Lucario remained unaware and unaffected. However, Snivy's vision began to darken as he passed out from the powerful blow to his head, and fell down to the ground.

"Huh…" Zerobi said as she looked at Snivy and remembered how much trouble he had given her seven years ago, "He must be getting old…" She blinked twice in rapid succession before they started running again.

"About time one of these things went down!" Lucario shouted triumphantly while they ran past a few startled onlookers, "Roundhouse kicks to the head are super effective! I should write this down…" Zerobi didn't even smile as they kept running in silence, Lucario noticing that her eyes were a bit more emptier than usual, as if her earlier tears had cleaned them out. He had been too busy in his own thoughts to hear the conversation she and the lizard had earlier, but thought that things would be fine as long as he beat it up. Seeing her like this made him realize that something had left a deep lasting impact on her.

"Hey, you don't look so good…" Lucario started before suddenly noticing a strange sensation all around them, "Speaking of not-so-good, I sense a couple of strong beings approaching us."

"… What?" Zerobi asked in a worried voice as she snapped out of her inner cocoon, "A couple? Four of them! WHERE!"

"Uh…" Lucario mumbled while trying to make sense out of the weird feeling he had, "Not really sure. Here, there… Everywhere?"

"We don't stand a chance if they find us!" Zerobi shouted as she took a sharp turn past a large house, "Come on! Let's run faster!"

"Warn me about the turns!" Lucario responded as he stumbled in the wrong direction, struggling to keep up. He suddenly felt the odd sensations converge somehow, and saw that Zerobi had stopped a few feet in front of him. He ran up to her before stopping as well, seeing that something ahead of them that were blocking their way.

"Fearless! Fit! Formidable! Flawless!" one of them yelled. It had the appearance of a humanoid ferret with fine fur in soft yellow and wine red colors.

"Fearsome! Ferocious! Frantic! Forceful!" another one continued. It appeared that they were all the same kind of Pokémon, perhaps even twins due to their many similarities.

"Feisty! Festive! Fuzzy! Friendly!" the third one kept going. Their voices went from strong and masculine to meek yet full of determination, so Lucario quickly gave up on determining their genders.

"… Uh, forgetful…?" the fourth one whispered in a low tone, making the other three stare angrily at him.

"The Fierce Fighting Force has assembled!" they all shouted in unison, each striking an individual pose.

"… As you can see, they're insanely silly, but-" Zerobi groaned with a bright blush appearing on her face, resisting the urge of slapping her forehead despite her dangerous claws.

"Don't worry, I can tell" Lucario interrupted as just being near them made him tingle all over, "They're damn powerful."

"The four Mienfoo…" Zerobi said quietly as they eyed her intently, "I saw them take down a Dragonite and Flygon in a heartbeat once…"

"Uh… You don't have some long-lost ally that's going to jump in and bail us out of this?" Lucario asked jokingly, "You know, just to save me the surprise?

"Heh… I guess this is it…" Zerobi chortled as her sanity started decreasing, "First Kojondo, and now I'll be taken down by four fighting-types… What a way to go!"

"Fighting… Types…?" Lucario mumbled questioningly, "They're unlike all those others things we fought… How?"

"Come on!" Zerobi shouted as her impending doom whittled away her patience, "You're a fighting-type!"

"I sure am!" Lucairo responded cheerfully, "Not only that - I'm a winning-type, too!"

"I assume that you are not willing to come with us quietly!" one of the Mienfoo said loudly, the four of them still remaining immobile.

"You assume correctly!" Lucario shouted back as he struck a battle pose of his own, "Now, let's get started!"

"Uh…" Zerobi said as she took a step away from the eager Lucario, "This Lucario does not represent me… I'll go quietly."

"Affirmative! Take out the brute!" another Mienfoo yelled as it suddenly dashed towards the Lucario who was busy staring at his partner in disbelief.

The Mienfoo delivered a punch as fast a lightning directly at Lucario's face. Quickly yet lightly pushing its arm to the side, Lucario made the punch miss him completely as he hit the Mienfoo's leg with a short kick, making it stumble a bit. Suddenly Lucario began pounding away, attacking with a flurry of hooks to its head and ending with an uppercut that made it soar up into the air. Not wasting a moment, Lucario jumped up and kicked the Mienfoo straight forward, sending it flying past its stunned friends and crash into the wall of a nearby house.

"B-Bro! You'll regret that!" the second Mienfoo yelled as it ran towards Lucario. Also preparing to simply punch him in the face, Lucario ducked and spun around to deliver a leg sweep. The Mienfoo lost balance as both its legs flew up in the air and it fell on the ground. Instantly, Lucario raised his own leg high above his own head before dropping it on the head of the Mienfoo in front of him, burrowing it into the dirt.

"W-What the…" Zerobi stammered at this unexpected turn of events.

"Hah! What kind of fighting style was that? Dumb fuck-fu?" Lucario laughed as the Mienfoo clutched the back of his head in pain and the others simply stood and stared at them.

"Far stronger than the detectors said! Surround him!" the third Mienfoo shouted as the two remaining split off in different directions and was in front of Lucario as well as to his side.

"Pathetic! You're gonna surround me with only two people?" Lucario chuckled as the two of them began approaching him. The one to his side suddenly made a small leap towards him, preparing a jump kick.

Lucario took a step toward the Mienfoo in front of him, making the jumping one miss. The Mienfoo tried to ram him with his entire body while Lucario struck a powerful blow at the side of his head. The Mienfoo bumped into Lucario, but soon collapsed from the trauma to his head as Lucario saw the other one jumping at him again.

"You like staying airborne, huh?" he said, crouching down as far as possible. Waiting until the Mienfoo was directly above him, he sprung up and grabbed it from beneath, pushing it up into the air. He quickly realized his mistake as he didn't manage to get a grip of the Mienfoo's right leg, and it came down and struck him across the chest. Lucario became temporarily stunned as the Mienfoo used him as a foothold and jumped away. Lucario was thrown down to the ground, but quickly regained his footing as the Mienfoo once again jumped towards him.

"Using the same attack three times in a row! Seems that you have mastered dumb fuck-fu!" Lucario yelled defiantly before jumping slightly higher than the Mienfoo. The moment he was directly above it he struck down with a mighty stomp. The Mienfoo tried its best to remain conscious, but combining the hit from the Lucario's feet with the hard ground proved to be too much for its head.

Lucario did not have time to celebrate as he sensed a large amount of aura rushing at him. Sidestepping instinctively, he saw a large orange sphere of some kind fly past him from behind, hitting the side of a building further away and causing a great explosion. Knowing how close it was for him to be at the center of it, he spun around and saw the Mienfoo he had sweeped still lying on the ground, but holding out his arm in Lucario's direction.

"You… Shall… Not…" the Mienfoo stammered with a furious stare.

"Hahaha…" Lucario snickered with an agitated tone, "… You call that an Aura Sphere? No… THIS IS AN AURA SPHERE!" Lucario thrust his right hand forward as an explosion of blue fire engulfed it. The Mienfoo kept staring as Lucario crouched down, screaming in agony.

"Oh, for the love of…" Zerobi groaned while the Mienfoo slowly rose to its feet.

"AAARGHHHH!" Lucario wailed, knowing that he would not be able to keep fighting like this, "STOP HIM! CUT HIM! GRAAAHHH!"

"I can't!" Zerobi shouted with a panicked tone, "I'll get blood on me!"

"SUCK IT UP!" Lucario screamed as he saw the Mienfoo charge up another attack, "DO SOMETHING!"

"I-I don't want to become your accomplice…" Zerobi kept going, shaking in terror as she saw the attack that had once burned through her back and chest in action.

"BITCH, I'M **YOUR**ACCOMPLICE!" Lucario bellowed. Something finally gave way within Zerobi, and she quickly ran up to the Mienfoo. It gave her a silent glance before being completely frozen by the cold wind she exhaled.

"Geez, finally…" Lucario growled as the most excruciating pain in his hand subsided."

"I'm sorry…" Zerobi said softly as she approached Lucario, "After seeing Eve and Snivy I guess I'm still a bit… Shattered…"

"… So?" Lucario asked as he stood up like nothing had happened, "Are we going to keep running, or what?" Zerobi responded by gulping loudly before the two of them began running once more, leaving four failed fighters behind them.

"I don't get it!" Zerobi shouted as they ran through a long alley, "Those four are famous around these parts for being extremely powerful! You even said so yourself!"

"Sure, they were strong…" Lucario shouted back, "But I'm stronger! Not to mention they fought like drunken sailors…"

"… Where the hell did that strength come from!" Zerobi asked in anger spawned from confusion, "Why didn't you use that against Suicune!"

"I told you, I never even had a clue on how to fight something like that!" Lucario replied, "When it comes to blocking punches and countering kicks, you'll never find anyone better!"

"You… I don't know what to sa-" Zerobi stared before interrupting herself, "HEADS UP!" An odd figure was standing in front of them at the end of the alley. Lucario dismissed it as another humanoid creature, but slowly began to notice something odd about it as they got nearer. Apart from having brightly yellow fur in contrast to his deep blue, as well as a chest noticeable due to three large things sticking out of it… It looked just like him!

"W-What's going…" the creature stammered with a very soft and silky voice.

"You're… Me!" Lucario blurted out as he stopped himself, Zerobi following his lead.

"We have no time for this, the police will be back any moment!" Zerobi yelled desperately, pushing the frozen Lucario forward, "Snap out of it, it's just another Lucario!"

"Are you being chased by the police!" the other Lucario asked in a startled way.

"Yeah! Sorry we can't stay and chat, but-" Zerobi continued before being interrupted by the new Lucario grabbing a hold of her arm as well as Lucario's.

"Quick! In here!" it said, dragging the two of them to a nearby house where the door stood open. They entered it quickly as the Lucario slammed the door behind them, shutting them off from the rest of the world and closing them in pitch black darkness.

* * *

><p><em>"C-Chief Snivy! Are you OK?"<em>

_**"... Ugh… What… Zerobi…?"**_

_"Zerobi and her accomplice are currently engaging the fighting four, they will soon be apprehended! Can I get you an icepack, or…"_

_**"... One kick and I was down…"**_

_"… Excuse me?"_

_**"… No, not even a kick… He spun around… How the hell did he go from lying down to kicking me with perfect aim…?"**_

_"Snivy! Are you alright?"_

_**"… Shut up! Do I look alright! That kick was like being hit in the neck by a concentrated boulder, damn it!"**_

_"… Chief?"_

_**"I fear Zerobi's accomplice might be a bigger problem than Zerobi herself… Who is currently stationed here?"**_

_"Uh… The fighting four… The Scoleri brothers… 'Living Legend' Ry-Ann… And me, of course."_

_**"... That's it?"**_

_"With the fighting four, that's more than enough!"_

_**"... No. No, it isn't. Send everyone."**_

_"… Everyone?"_

_**"EVERYONE!"**_


	9. Hopeless Romantic Rukario

"I'm dumping this thing…" Zerobi muttered as she tore her cloak off and threw it away, "Stupid thing did nothing but hinder me the entire time…" For an instant Lucario felt like doing the same to his backpack, but his thoughts were interrupted as the other Lucario began moving towards him. He was frozen in place and could do nothing but stare at their savior while Zerobi slumped down next to a wall. He could tell that they were the same from head to toe, with one or two minor differences that just barely separating them. It was like he was staring at a twisted reflection. The form of a Pokémon was not something he had gotten used to, but that did little to lessen the surreal sight of a slightly alternate version of oneself.

Firstly, he determined that the other Lucario had to be female, if her voice and protruding chest was anything to go by. Secondly, the word 'protruding' stuck in his mind as his eyes fixated on a giant spike sticking out of her torso, before shifting over and seeing two similar spikes stuck on the back of her hands. Even their clothing was similar, although her shorts seemed to be slightly more detailed and in better condition than his. It also seemed like the color of her fur had been inverted somehow, meaning that her chest was blue while her arms and legs were yellow, but it was hard to tell. Long strings of light seeping in through cracks in the walls and ceiling was the only thing keep the room from complete darkness.

Those few holes came at the cost of warmth, as everyone except for Zerobi felt uncomfortably chilled. Even so Lucario barely paid any notice to it as he was still heated up from the earlier battle, and the female Lucario seemed to be far too occupied with eyeing him intently to notice something like that. He was starting to get uncomfortable, and felt that he should probably be doing something.

"… Thanks…?" Lucario said, to which the other Lucario's ears twitched. Suddenly, she gave off a beaming smile that made her face noticeably brighten up, even in the darkness.

"I knew it! I knew it was your aura I sensed!" she burst out happily, "Oh, Cyon… I-I was so worried!" The yellow Lucario cried tears of joy as she ran up to Lucario in the hopes of embracing him. However, Lucario noticed the giant spike sticking out of her chest, and sidestepped her instead. Zerobi couldn't help but look at the whole situation with amusement, as she felt quite at home in both the darkness and the cold.

"Y-Your words don't match your actions!" Lucario stammered with a startled voice as the female Lucario turned around to face him. Her eyes were dimmed from tears as she was looking at him with confusion.

"Cyon…? What are you…" she said slowly as her voice became more and more worried, "… Why are you looking at me like that…?"

"… Like what? I've never even seen you before!" Lucario replied. The moment the other Lucario heard this she inhaled deeply in shock, her face instantly contorting into a mixture of surprise and sorrow.

"B-But…" she stammered as she took a step closer so he would see her better, "It's me! Rukario! I'm your wife!"

"My… WHAT!" Lucario blurted out as he took a step backward in dazzlement. Now his face was also one of confusion as he looked around, his eyes suddenly locking with Zerobi's.

"Uh, you don't have to pretend for my sake…" she mumbled, waving her hand in the air.

"What? NO!" Lucario replied, struggling for an explanation, "I just got here, how on earth could I have a wife!"

"Cyon…" Rukario whispered softly as she moved closer, "Why are you doing this? Please stop…!"

"Stop calling me Cyon! My name's…" Lucario shouted in annoyance before suddenly trailing off for a few moments, "… Lucario." He looked at Zerobi for a moment before looking back at Rukario, not really sure who he least wanted to try and explain everything to.

"Cyon…" Rukario repeated sadly and moved even closer, the spike on her chest almost touching him at this point, "… What happened to you? I-I… I was so worried when you didn't come home…"

"Listen…" Lucario said as he decided to man up and not back off anymore. He looked straight at her and tried his best to ignore the tears forming in the corner of her eyes.

"You've got the wrong Pokémon, lady" he said bluntly, not even blinking.

"Don't be silly! I'd recognize your face and voice anywhere!" she replied hopefully as she squeezed her hands to her chest in a praying motion, "Not to mention your… Lack of spikes…"

"I think you're confused - I'm just another Lucario without spikes" Lucario continued while shaking his head, "This is stupid. Zerobi, tell her!"

"Hmm… She seems to know you a little too well to be a complete stranger, though…" Zerobi muttered with a hint of doubt in her voice, "You sure you didn't just hit your head and forget about her or something?"

"Grr… Not you too!" Lucario growled as he felt betrayed, "I told you! I'm a human! You don't just _get_ memories from amnesia!"

"… Is… Is that what this is about?" Rukario asked quietly while lowering her head, "… The human thing?"

"Yeah!" Lucario responded quickly as he felt the situation turning in his favor, "No offense, but I could never get married to something like you!"

"You always said that you wondered what it felt like to be human…" Rukario whispered before looking up at him again with tears seeping out of her, "Oh, my poor Cyon… What happened to you?"

"Ugh, won't listen to reason…" Lucario mumbled as he shrugged to himself, "I guess being a typical woman goes beyond being human..."

"Listen to me!" Rukario shouted straight in his face as she had a sudden stroke of determination, "You are not human! You are my husband! I am your wife! I have been searching for you all this ti-"

"You found the wrong person, then!" Lucario interrupted while suddenly remembering the situation they were in, "Thanks for showing us this place - Now quiet down, or they'll find us."

"Good idea" Zerobi suddenly chimed in, "Otherwise you can ask the police to find your missing husband while the two of us are being shipped off to some disciplinary camp…"

"Wait… That's all that happens if we're caught?" Lucario asked as he turned around to see the Weavile sitting down in a corner of the room.

"For you? Sure" Zerobi snickered darkly, "Me? They'll probably reinstate public executions…"

"Considering how I've been treated by the humans so far, I'm pretty boned as well" Lucario chuckled while turning around to ignore the yellow Lucario, "Maybe they'll make it a double-feature?"

"Please! Just… Just look at this picture!" Rukario pleaded as she reached into a pocket in the front of her pants and pulled out a small card with an image on it. Zerobi sighed, rose and walked over to them as they carefully bended over to look at it, Lucario feeling a little jealous that his pants had no storage facilities and thus were inferior to hers.

The picture displayed two Pokémon with their arms around each other, on a large field of flowers with some kind of mountain behind them. It was of high quality, so the faces of two Pokémon were visible and easily identified as Lucario's and Rukario's. They were both smiling delightfully, Rukario looking as if she had just been told a good joke. While her face was recognizable, but it seemed as if it had become somewhat bleaker and lost some weight in comparison to the time this picture had been taken.

"It is…" Zerobi stammered in disbelief, "It is really you. There is no doubt about it."

"… It can't be!" Lucario said out loud while shaking his head, "It's like you said, just another Lucario!" A dreadful feeling came upon him when he started to realize that he faintly remembered what the environment in the picture looked like, from beyond the frames and from a completely different angle.

"You fought too hard… You must have lost your memory somehow…" Rukario whispered as she looked up from the picture, a sorrowful and haunting smile across her face.

"N-No!" Lucario stuttered as a lingering pain began forming in his head, "I… I haven't lost anything!"

"Please… Just… I don't know what made you like this, but I promise…" Rukario continued while wiping one of the tears from her face, "… I promise that I will do whatever it takes to make you normal again!"

"Shut up! I _am _normal!" Lucario shouted, keeping himself from clutching his throbbing head since it would make him look very suspicious. Looking at Zerobi, he was met with a face of both betrayal and anger.

"Come here…" Rukario whispered as she walked up to the agitated Lucario, "I know something that might help you remember me…" She carefully took a hold of one of Lucario's reluctant hands, and then placed it on her left breast.

"You always said our hearts are intertwined… Can't you feel it?" she continued as she lifted her head to the ceiling and closed her eyes, "My heart… Crying out for you…?"

"Cut the bullcrap!" Lucario said as he quickly pulled his hand away from her and started getting mad, "My heart's my own, and I'd never… At least not with someone I've never even seen before!"

"No, that picture is irrefutable…" Zerobi said with a furious tone in her voice before turning around and facing him, "… Lucario, did you lie to me?"

"You want me to lie to you! FINE!" Lucario shouted as he clenched his fists, thoroughly fed up with being treated in this manner, "I'm a goddamn wolf on two legs that is being chased by everyone for no good reason, and I like constantly getting into trouble over not knowing SHIT about anything!"

"I-I didn't mean…" Zerobi said out loud as she was taken aback by his rage.

"You saw the master ball! You saw it!" he bellowed while pointing accusingly at her, "I'll recite the fucking period table right here right now if you want me to! I'M A MAN, DAMN IT!"

As if on cue, the door to the house flew open with a bang. Lucario became blinded by the light as several strange entities stormed in, and at the head of them was the lizard he remembered kicking in the head not long before.

"Correction - You're a loud idiot" Snivy said with an almost disappointed tone. Behind him was a slightly greener humanoid Pokémon with flat hands colored in blue and red, as well as one of the Mienfoo from earlier.

"Snivy!" Zerobi exclaimed in surprise before sighing, "Aw, great…"

"Yeah, great!" Lucario shouted as he took a furious step towards the new arrivals, "I'm fucking livid, and I'm gonna beat the ever living crap out of everyone here! Zerobi, you with me or what!"

"I-I'm with you!" Zerobi quickly responded as she took a step towards him, "The master ball not working was-"

"NOW!" Snivy interrupted with a shout as he suddenly threw several vines at them. Zerobi swiftly leapt forward and cut them in midair as Lucario ran past them, kicking at Snivy who jumped back through the entrance of the house and made the attack miss. The Mienfoo came up and took a swing at his head from the side, but Lucario didn't even bother dodging it as the aim was slightly off.

"Damn, you suck! Have a taste of my Aura…" Lucario yelled as a chill ran through his aching hands, recalling his previous attempts at manipulating the aura, "… My Aura Punch!" Lucario backhanded the hairy creature across the face. The moment his fist connected, it blew up into a ball of blue fire. The Mienfoo stumbled around and fell on his back while Lucario crouched over due to the pain emanating from his burning right hand.

"MY FACE! MY FAAAACEEE!" the Mienfoo screamed in agony while writhing on the ground.

"Watch the Roserade!" Zerobi suddenly yelled, Lucario looking up and seeing the green humanoid creature from earlier right in front of him. Its oddly shaped hands made it look like it was holding a pair of bouquets. It moved towards the weakened Lucario and slapped him across the face with one of its strange hands, making him yell out in pain as he felt his face being prickled by tiny spikes.

"Duck!" Zerobi shouted before exhaling a great cloud of chilling wind. Lucario hunched over even more as the Roserade was hit by it, and Lucario felt a chill run over his back as the walking flower fell over.

"She's poisoned you!" Zerobi yelled as Lucario began picking off thorns that had somehow gotten stuck on his face, even though they were nothing compared to the aching of his right hand that was still present.

"Like I give a shit!" Lucario yelled back in rage before sensing an aura approaching him from behind.

"Cyon, I can't let you do this! I-" Rukario shouted, but couldn't finish as Lucario suddenly spun around and struck her across the face with the back of his left hand. She was struck even harder by the shock that followed as she fell to the ground in a devastating motion.

"Unless that Cyon was a wifebeater, this should make you understand!" Lucario bellowed in anger, "You mean NOTHING to me! Piss off, or DIE!"

"Hey… Don't you think you're being too rough?" Zerobi asked as she looked down at the crying Rukario.

"Hypocrite!" Snivy yelled as he jumped through the entrance once more and landed on his stomach, quickly slithering around the room in a random pattern while leaving a trail of leaves behind him.

"T-The leaf storm…" Zerobi stammered as she felt a prickling sensation all over her body and she started shouting, "Lucario! We've got to get out of here!"

"You daft!" Lucario shouted back as he tried stomping the slippery snake but kept missing, "We're finally winning, and I'm sick of running!"

"Trust me on this!" Zerobi kept going while she ran towards the exit, "In eight seconds, this room is going to be a portal to hell!" Lucario hesitated for a heartbeat as he thought of how much trouble it had gotten him into so far, but decided to follow Zerobi anyway. She jumped over the collapsed Roserade and writing Mienfoo, but when Lucario did the same he felt the same pricking sensation from earlier striking the underside of his body as well as his back. It didn't hinder his movement in any way, so he ignored it and kept running.

"Fucking assholes… Man, I'm getting hungry…" Lucario said as he began calming down a bit while they were running past building after building, "How about a quick stop at a restaurant?"

"Look!" Zerobi shouted, signaling him to look forward where he saw that the houses were thinning out, "We're almost outta here!"

"Then what? We keep running?" Lucario continued, running ahead of Zerobi to get a better view of their destination.

"Pretty much, but not for…" she replied, but trailed off when she suddenly saw several purple spines sticking out of his back, "… WHOA! When did you get those!"

"Get what?" Lucario asked before remembering the pricking sensation, "Oh… Right now, I guess. That flower-sales thing must've hit me on the way out."

"It's poison!" Zerobi continued with a disgusted look on her face, "Man, you're going to get SO sick from that!"

"Yeah, whatever…" Lucario responded since he was too concerned with their current situation to worry about the future, "By the way, since I trusted you this time, you owe me your trust in return!"

"What? Because you followed me?" Zerobi muttered as they ran past a few Pokémon hiding in an alleyway, "Like I care! Hey, you could've stayed in there if you wanted to be chopped into little pieces that much…"

Zerobi suddenly stopped herself from speaking and slowed down her running. Lucario looked ahead expecting a comeback from another one of the Mienfoo, but instead saw a tiny creature right at the edge of the city. He recognized it as the brown cat that had been walking next to Snivy, before everything came down upon them.

"What do we do?" Lucario asked Zerobi who just slowed down even more, until she was simply walking towards the small being. She didn't give an answer, her gaze transfixed upon her old friend.

"Z-Zerobi…" the brown cat stammered quietly.

"Eve…" Zerobi whispered in return with a saddened voice.

"… I can't…" Eve mumbled before shaking her head and shouting out loud, "I can't let you g-get away!"

"Please, Eve…" Zerobi continued while feeling as is something had caught a tight grip of her heart, "I know it's hard to believe, but I always treasured our friendship-"

"Shut up!" Eve shouted angrily in return, "You… You're the most evil thing in this world! I regret ever meeting you!"

"I…" Zerobi said, the painful feeling in her chest increasing, "… I understand why you would think so… But it's been seven years, and we are both much older and wiser. Forgive… And forget…?"

"N-No words…" Eve mumbled to herself before suddenly lowering her head and starting to rush towards Zerobi, preparing to tackle her. Eve had barely taken five step forward before Lucario leaped forward, kicking her upwards in the chin so hard that she was thrown up into the air for a few seconds.

"Hah! What a lame way of attacking!" Lucario laughed while getting ready to hit her on the way down as well. Instead, Zerobi jumped up behind him and banged him hard on the head with her closed fist.

"OW! Wrong target, damn it!" Lucario growled in pain, clutching his head as the lifeless body of Eve crashed down on the ground in front of them.

"HEY!" Zerobi screamed with fury, "That's my best friend! Don't you DARE hurt her like that!"

"She wants you dead!" Lucario shouted back, "If that's your _best_ frien-"

"Never mind, we don't have time for this" Zerobi interrupted and huffed angrily, "Snivy'll be here any second."

"Alright…" Lucario sighed in defeat as he approached Eve's body, "So, what do we do? Do we bring her, or-"

"Leave her!" Zerobi interrupted again as she began fleeing, "Just run!"

"… Never see it coming…" Lucario mumbled to himself before following Zerobi once more. A few seconds later they had passed the last building of Snowpoint City, and began their escape through the never ending sea of snow…

* * *

><p><em>"Heheh… You're as fast as always…"<em>

_**"… Brendan? What do you want?"**_

_"That Lucario… It must be mine! I'll fight you for it!"_

_**"I have no interest in settling such an old score, Brendan."**_

_"… Then I'll trade you for it! That Tauros you always wanted…"_

_**"… While that is quite tempting, I am afraid that I cannot hold up my end of the bargain. I was unable to catch the Lucario."**_

_"… What! Even you? Quit playing with me!"_

_**"By 'unable' I meant 'physically unable'. I used the Master Ball, and it did nothing."**_

_"Have you finally gone senile! Not only did you use a Master Ball, but it DIDN'T WORK!"_

_**"Not senile to the point that I know that is impossible."**_

_"Even the Master Ball could not catch him… Have you told them about it?"_

_**"No."**_

_"… WHAT! Why!"_

_**"You know what our orders were. Catch or kill. I will not let an innocent Pokémon die for their cause."**_

_"… You're still far too soft! I always told you it'd be your downfall, now it seems it's become the downfall of us all!"_

_**"…"**_

_"You know what is at stake here, and you LET IT LIVE!"_

_**"… How do we know that killing it is the only way? There might be another solution…"**_

_"Withered old fool… Tell me, are you willing to risk it?"_

_**"…"**_

_"… Fine! It's about time that you fail where I succeed! I'll crush that impudent bug, and I'll be revered as a hero!"_

_**"Listen to yourself, Brendan. You sound… Insane."**_

_"… Yes. You're right… As always. Even so… It seems that the task ahead is too much for you, old man."_

_**"…"**_

_"Go work on your requiem, pray I succeed and give you enough time to finish it."_

_**"…"**_

_"… Nothing? No witty retort? No 'you're wrong and I'm right, now here's why?' You really are bygone."_

_**"… Fine."**_

_"…?"_

_**"I will not kill it… But I will find a way to stop it."**_

_"Hah! Go ahead and try! Just don't think you're going to beat me to it!"_

_**"… A challenge?"**_

_"You bet! But I'm not getting any younger, either… Let's make it our last… And best!"_


	10. Travels: Epilogue of Episode II

After only a few hours of wandering, the snow had completely disappeared beneath their feet. It had been replaced by grassy plains in the wide open and sandy soil whenever there was a mountain nearby. It was as if they had walked directly into spring, leaving winter behind them.

"This damn climate, it…" Lucario said to himself as he looked around, "It boggles the mind!"

"Ahh, I'm going to miss the refreshing northern cold" Zerobi said with a longing sigh, "It's much too hot everywhere else…"

"Hey, you're the one who decided on going south!" Lucario pointed out, "We don't even have a real destination, we can go north if you want to!"

"… Don't you think we've overstayed our welcome when it comes to those parts?" Zerobi replied, looking behind them and noticing that Snowpoint City was no longer within visible range.

"Dunno" Lucario mumbled as his stomach growled, "Sure could've gone for a bite somewhere. We could always just, you know, go past it. See what lies further up."

"That would be a bad idea" Zerobi said, "Mostly because there's nothing up north."

"… Nothing?" Lucario asked as he looked up with a bewildered face, "How could there possibly be nothing? Isn't the world round?"

"Alright, correction" Zerobi rectified with another sigh, "There's water, and lots of it. Feel like starving to death on a raft?"

"Starving to death on the sea, starving to death on land…" Lucario muttered as his stomach growled again, "All the same to me."

"Just eat a couple of berries, already!" Zerobi suddenly shouted, pointing to the backpack he had been carrying around all this time.

"… I bloody hate those things" Lucario kept muttering and ended with a shudder, "I'd kill to get some real food before I die… And I just might!"

"If you stop eating, there's no doubt about it" Zerobi snapped back while telling herself to be more reasonable, "You just need to find a taste that you like. Have you tried dry berries before?"

"Dry is not a taste, damn it!" Lucario yelled much louder than necessary, "Surely Pokémon can eat rice, curry or something you actually cook!"

"Yeah, I've heard of those before" Zerobi continued in her normal voice, "Do they grow on bushes?"

"… Uh…" Lucario whispered, thinking it was a trick question, "Even when compared to everything else in this world, I think that would be a bit farfetched…"

"So is Farfe-" Zerobi said as a reflex before intentionally stopping herself, "I mean, that means you're not getting any. Unless you can find it in nature, you're going to come up empty."

The two of them became quiet for a while, as Lucario ended up in a foul mood and started walking faster. As soon as Lucario passed Zerobi, she noticed the stingers from their last battle remained on his back.

"… And do something about that poison!" Zerobi shouted while pointing at the thorns covering his back, "Man, why do I have to be your caretaker all of a sudden!"

"Simple - You're a worrywart" Lucario replied while shrugging, "I'm OK so far. Why would I need any help?"

"Are you sure?" Zerobi asked as her eyes fixed on his backpack again, "We bought an antidote for just this occasion, after all…"

"I'm telling you, I feel fine!" Lucario said with a big, forced smile.

"You're fine now, but you're going to be in big trouble later!" Zerobi pointed out, "At least let me pull the stingers out of your back!"

"… With those?" Lucario asked while looking at her sharp claws, "No thanks. I don't need _more_holes in me…"

"I promise I'll be careful…" Zerobi said quietly while looking down at her body, "Guess what you'll be if I _don't_pull them out? Dead weight… Followed quickly by simply 'dead'."

"… Hmm…" Lucario muttered as he looked more carefully at the lethal hands of his partner before shuddering, "Still, I think I'd rather take my chances with the poison."

"It's not like it's not risky for me either!" Zerobi yelled angrily, "One slip and there'll be blood spraying all over the place!"

"… OK, let me rephrase that" Lucario said sternly as his face turned white in horror, "You are NEVER, EVER allowed to do any form of medical work on me."

"Come on! It's the only way I'll ever learn!" Zerobi shouted as she moved closer to him.

"No! Stay away!" Lucario yelled while shooing her away. As he did so, he couldn't help but feel a bit bad. She was just trying to help him, it's not like it was her fault she had giant knives for hands.

"Hey, I'm sorry" Lucario said while putting a hand on Zerobi's shoulder, making her twitch.

"About what?" she replied, eyeing his arm carefully to make sure there wasn't any blood on it.

"I mean, it can't be easy, having claws like that…" he said with a sympathetic voice, looking down at the long and slender blades sticking out of her limbs.

"You kidding?" she responded as she tried to put the whole thing in a positive light, "Do you know how many times they've saved me in battle? Sure beats just having normal hands, like you…"

"… You're right!" Lucario blurted out, suddenly feeling a pang of jealousy when he imagined how easy his battles up until now would have been if he claws like that, "But I guess I could just use a couple of swords or something."

"Sworn'd?" Zerobi asked in a confused tone, "Wait… You have a few allies, after all?"

"Huh? No, I said 'sword'" Lucario tried to correct her, "You know… A long weapon…"

"Oh. Well, you can't expect me to know the name of every move, can you?" Zerobi snickered while waving her hand around, "Which kind of Pokémon uses it?"

"Actually, it's a weapon for humans" Lucario said, still dreaming about how he'd be cutting off limbs left and right if his nails had been a bit sharper.

"A weapon… For humans?" Zerobi asked questioningly, "Why would humans need weapons?"

"… Eh!" Lucario exclaimed in surprise as a thought suddenly hit him, "That reminds me, why didn't the police just grab a couple of guns and shoot us if they wanted us both dead?"

"Gun…" Zerobi whispered to herself while crossing her arms, "… Projectiles? I think that Kojofu used one of those, but you dodged it."

"Wait, wait, wait…" Lucario said slowly and held out his arms in a stopping motion, "You mean to tell me there are no weapons in this world? You know, that humans use?"

"… Why would they need that? They can catch and train Pokémon just fine!" Zerobi explained while desperately trying to understand what her partner was talking about, "Sure, some fight and stuff… But I've never heard of a human actually defeating a Pokémon."

"… Hmm… Yeah, I see your point" Lucario mumbled before scratching his head, "In a world of monsters, I doubt bullets would be good against anything weaker than a bear."

As the wandered, they came across a small waterhole in what seemed to be the middle of nowhere. Lucario remembered something about water in nature sometimes being poisonous, to which Zerobi pointed out that he was already poisoned and started drinking. After making sure that she hadn't gone blind after a few moments, Lucario started drinking as well.

"Those two back there really hated you" Lucario said as he wiped some of the water away from the sides of his mouth, "What happened to make them want you dead?"

"I… Really don't want to talk about it…" Zerobi said, Lucario noticing the emptiness from earlier making itself apparent in her eyes and voice, "What's done is done."

"That's… Surprisingly content" Lucario said, not wanting to make her depressed yet still not willing to drop the subject, "I saw you have a complete breakdown not that long ago."

"I've already spent several years worrying that someone deceived me and feeling sorrowful over past sins" Zerobi sighed deeply, "Living a life like that… I think I'd rather be dead."

The two of them finished up by the waterhole and decided to keep moving. Zerobi looked at the digital map they had bought, checking the built in compass to make sure that they were on the right track.

"By the way, how did they even find us?" Lucario asked as Zerobi opened up the backpack he was carrying and put the map back, "You said something about 'detectors'…"

"Oh yeah…" Zerobi responded in an attempt to shake away her depression, "They somehow sense the presence of strong Pokémon."

"… What? That's kind of like what I can do with the aura!" Lucario said, recalling his newfound ability to sense creatures near him, "Wait… That means we were the only powerful Pokémon in town?"

"Uh, I guess…" Zerobi said quickly before lowering her pace slightly, "I'm a Dark-type, so psychic types can't sense me. I don't think the detectors can either. Must've been you."

"Well, I AM pretty strong…" Lucario smiled, unintentionally flexing the muscles on his upper body.

"That's what got us into this mess…" Zerobi muttered, "I thought you were weak, so I never expected those things to notice us."

"… Took 'em a while though, didn't it?" Lucario chimed in, remembering how much time he spent in the store persuading Zerobi to buy actual food instead of a bunch of occult magazines.

"They're honestly not that reliable" Zerobi continued explaining, "They malfunction all the time, and take forever to lock on a target."

"Good news for us, then" Lucario laughed before noticing that true to her words, he had been unable to sense her presence with the aura up until, "I mean, me. Just me. Anyway, what are they? Machines?"

"I have no idea" Zerobi answered while shaking her head a little, "Every city got one after that whole thing with Deoxys…"

"… Dexo-sys?" Lucario asked, the word feeling very unfamiliar to him, "Some kind of viral outbreak?"

"… Wait, you don't know about that either!" Zerobi suddenly shouted in surprise, "I've literally been living in a cave for the past seven years, and even I know about it!"

"Bah, that's nothing!" Lucario replied with an annoyed tone, "You just got surprised over me not knowing anything! What is this, the eighteenth time that's happened?"

"Still, to now know anything about that…" Zerobi mumbled in disbelief before crossing her arms, "I mean, I don't know too many details myself, but supposedly the entire world was coming to an end." Lucario looked at her strangely, getting somewhat tired of having to take in so much new information all the time.

"A creature called 'Deoxys' appeared out of nowhere and ran around, killing everything in its path" Zerobi explained bluntly without batting an eye, "Calling it 'strong' would be the understatement of the century. From what I heard, the combined forces of entire cities could not even touch it."

"… From what you heard?" Lucairo asked, "Sounds like a massive exaggeration to me."

"Well, information about Deoxys was not so strangely limited, seeing how everything within a mile's radius of it died" Zerobi answered as she continued explaining, "The occasional camera was all that 'survived'. At any rate, it was unstoppable. Cities from every continent were reduced to rubble as it wandered the earth, and every challenger was instantly killed. Everyone lived each day in fear of dying… It was pretty much judgment day."

"… Man! I sure am glad I wasn't around here for that!" Lucario blurted out in a worried tone, "Wait… What happened? How'd it stop?"

"Hmm… Uh, I'm not sure" Zerobi said with a shrug, "I think someone killed it. A legendary, probably."

"S-Someone killed it!" Lucario stammered as he almost tripped after stepping in a small hole in the ground, "Someone killed a creature so powerful that it was bringing about the apocalypse!"

"It's always like that" Zerobi said slowly as she peeked up in the sky with a dreamy look, "A single hero stands up to the evil monster and defeats it…"

"… Bullshit!" Lucario suddenly exclaimed, "More like the army sends eighty guys with machineguns and blows it to bits! I mean, there aren't any weapons here… But still…"

"There are like fifteen articles about it in every Occult Magazine released after the incident…" Zerobi muttered in annoyance, "… In other words, your answers lie in that bandage."

Lucario looked at her with a confused face. Zerobi then pointed to his right shoulder, where he had tied up the remains of one of the magazines charred by Raikou to cover up a wound created by Suicune. He lightly tapped it a little in hopes that it could still be read, but gave up within seconds.

"Ugh… It's all torn up… Burnt… And drenched in dried up blood!" Lucario mumbled with a disgusted voice.

"Not to mention MY magazine… You jerkoff!" Zerobi growled angrily, "Maybe that'll teach you not to ruin my possessions!"

"… Like that's my fault!" Lucario snapped back, "Still quite absorbing for a magazine… I mean, absorbent!"

They continued talking, bickering and laughing until nightfall, during which Lucario pulled out two sleeping bags from the backpack. They had been searching for a cave to rest in, but the plains they were in the middle of seemed to go on forever, and in the end they had to settle for an open sky and grassy floor.

"Hey, maybe we should have tried these out before buying them?" Lucario mentioned as he sat down next to the fairly bland and unimaginative bed.

"… It's a sleeping bag" Zerobi responded bluntly, "They'd have to actually be trying to screw it up."

"Only one way to find out…" Lucario told himself while carefully opening it up and moving inside of it. He made it all the way in and felt the soft insides caressing his body, making him sigh in relief as he slowly leaned back.

"YIKES AND GAZOOT!" Lucario screamed as he flew out of his bag, making Zerobi look at him with a curious face.

"Damn it, my back…!" he whined and turned around, making her catch a glimpse of the poison thorns from earlier, still stuck in him.

"Told ya" she said smugly as she got up and walked over to him, "You ready for an extraction?"

"… Don't kid around, It's much too dark for that!" he groaned while futilely trying to locate and pull out the stingers himself, "I'd like to spend the night in a sleeping bag, not a body bag…"

"I can see fine in the darkness" Zerobi said quietly.

"I said no! This is insane!" Lucario responded loudly, "Gouging them out is not going to help at all!"

"Actually, I was planning on using my claws as pincers…" Zerobi said as she held up her claws in front of her.

"Pincers…" Lucario whispered to himself as a faint memory resurfaced. He was looking at his finger, doing his best to claw out the painful splinter lodged within. Suddenly, a pair of sharp objects appear above the wound. He tries to twist his hand away, but something is preventing him! In an instant, the pain flares up before vanishing altogether, a tiny object caught between the two…

"… Alright" Lucario muttered as he laid down on the sleeping bag on his stomach, "I'm placing my back in your hands… Literally."

"About time!" Zerobi replied cheerfully, leaping up and crashing down on Lucario's pants, making him jump slightly in terror.

"Are you crazy! Don't just sit down on them!" Lucario yelled, trying to look at the creature both above and behind him.

"They're on your back, not backside…" Zerobi muttered before quickly looking at her current seat and shuddering a bit, "… I hope…"

Looking down at his back, she noticed that several spikes were sticking out among the large hairs growing out of his torso. Zerobi used her hands to lightly brush aside some of the hair on the back, just to make sure where the fur stopped and hair began. Instead she was met by a sight far more horrifying than she had expected.

"… Scars… " Zerobi whispered as she stared at the misshapen body beneath her. Even though no hair was growing out of these parts, the large gashes across his back had been all but invisible until now, hidden under the yellow fur.

"… What!" Lucario shouted, oblivious to what she was referring to, "Those thorns were lodged in that deep!" The scars were closed now, but she was certain that no one could just forget wounds that massive. Simply looking at them brought her back some unpleasant memories from her time in Cerulean City.

"No, I mean… I'm not a doctor, but these look old" Zerobi mumbled as she winced, "… Man, they look painful, too…!"

"You mean to tell me you're NOT a doctor?" Lucario chipped sarcastically, "You… At least you've done something like this before, right?"

"As if! One little slip and blood'll…" she said before stopping herself, "… I mean, just don't move around too much."

"Uh, you know, maybe I could just sleep on my stomach…" Lucario whispered frightfully, "… Actually, that's a great idea! Let's do that!"

"Are you sure about that?" Zerobi asked with an unusually calm tone, "I've already extracted six of them."

"… Really?" Lucario replied hopefully as relief washed over him, "Whoa! I didn't feel a thing! You're good at this!"

"Yeah, I know…" Zerobi snickered, "I'm lying." Instantly she grabbed the first of the thorns and pulled it out, making Lucario yelp in surprise.

"ARGH!" Lucario shouted as he once again tried to turn around and look at her, "Damn you! That's SO not cool!"

"What?" Zerobi asked with a sinister smile, "Is it too much for the little crybaby?"

"… Just get it over with" Lucario mumbled. The pain of having it pulled out had been bad, but nothing compared to his battles against Suicune, Raikou or the aura that lay dormant within him.

As he lay there, he realized that so far trying to use the aura had ended up in a catastrophe each time. He knew that if he wanted to learn how to use it, he would have to try something different. The female Lucario from earlier popped into his mind and he thought about asking her for pointers, though a more pressing matter suddenly came upon him…

"… You still believe me, right?" Lucario asked after a while, "That I'm human and that Rukario wasn't my wife?"

"Well, the way you treat women I doubt you could ever land a sh…" Zerobi started before suddenly converting her snide remark into an explanation, "… That was a shiny Lucario back there, you know."

"Oh… Uh…" Lucario mumbled as while closing his eyes, "If you compared her to what she looked like in that picture, she was actually a bit meager."

"Shiny is a term used to describe Pokémon with different colors than what's usual" Zerobi explained, mentally telling herself to do that right away the next time so that she wouldn't have to listen to his nonsensical replies.

"Oh…" Lucario mumbled again, "So it's like racism?"

"Ra… Huh?" Zerobi asked with a confused tone, before remembering her earlier plans, "Anyway, they're extremely rare and constantly sought after by trainers. The fact that she even showed herself… Well, let's just say she's going to be heckled unless she quickly hides again."

"… So IT IS like racism!" Lucario continued as a particularly painful thorn was pulled out in the middle of the sentence, "She and that Cyon were some kind of inter-racial couple, then?"

"Now _I_don't have a clue what you're talking about" Zerobi groaned, "Just… Forget about it. Also, I'm done."

"… Oh?" Lucario mumbled for a third time, "… Why aren't you getting off me, then?"

"… Alright, you got me" Zerobi said with a mischievous smile as she pulled out the final prick, making Lucario twitch, "NOW it's done!"

"DAMN YOU!" Lucario shouted in fury, "Why you gotta do that!"

"Because you were so stubborn, and wouldn't let me help you unless I practically begged" Zerobi said with annoyance as she lectured him, "Don't be such a hardass, or there'll be hell to pay in the future."

"Fine… I don't know what you're expecting, but you've made your point" Lucario replied as he wiggled around a bit while trying to get up, "Speaking of ass, would you mind separating yours from mine?"

"I don't know, I kind of like it here" Zerobi snickered as she leaned back and tried getting comfortable, "You wanna sleep together?"

"… Great, I get the spikes replaced with a Siamese twin…" Lucario muttered to himself before slowly rising up, making Zerobi fall off him. She landed on her back as Lucario walked over to his sleeping bag and picked it up.

"… But really, you seemed reluctant back there" Zerobi said as she got up and walked back to her own sleeping bag, "She was so kind! What kind of girl do you like, anyway?"

"Human" Lucario said bluntly as he uncurled the sleeping bag, and in a quick, fluent motion slipped into it. He sighed of relief as his back hit the soft underside of it. Even though it still hurt, it was nothing compared to earlier.

"Hmm… Figures" Zerobi replied as she also decided to lie down, lying down on top of her own sleeping bag.

"You aren't going to crawl into it?" Lucario asked while turning his head in her direction, "It feels damn good, you know!"

"That will be much too hot for someone like me" "I tried telling you this, but you just HAD to buy two sleeping bags…"

"Weirdo…" Lucario mumbled as he leaned his head back on the pillow and looked up at the heavens. It was fairly cloudy, but nothing that could completely cover up the infinite blackness of the sky that peered at them.

"… Pokémon don't get married, you know" Zerobi suddenly whispered.

"… Huh? Where'd that come from?" Lucario asked in a whispering tone as well.

"She said she was your wife" Zerobi said, "I've never heard a Pokémon call themselves that. It's strictly a human thing."

"And me knowing this is going to save our lives in the near future… How?" Lucario asked while sitting up and looking over at Zerobi, who was busy staring up into the sky.

"Hey, I'm trying to solve the mystery here!" Zerobi replied with a short snicker, "Help out a little, will ya?"

"There's no mystery" Lucario sighed as he lay down on his back again, "Listen, the last thing I want is psychotherapy that'll convince me that I'm a stinkin' Pokémon. Show me a way to turn back, or forget about it."

"Even so…" Zerobi said slowly, "You've yet to tell me anything of what it's like being human…"

"We've been kind of buys not dying, remember?" Lucario chuckled, "I'll tell you now. What do you want to know?"

"Well…" Zerobi mumbled as she thought, "Anything, I guess. You're the only creature that has been both human and Pokémon, what's different?"

"I eat berries for sustenance" Lucario responded bluntly, "And I'm talking to something not human."

"… That's it?" Zerobi asked with disappointment in her voice.

"I'm still human within, so mentally I was never a Pokémon" Lucario said.

"Come on!" Zerobi exclaimed loudly, "You've met with Pokémon and talked to them! There must be something!"

"There is, but… How do I explain…" Lucario sighed as he thought very hard of a way to explain what was on his mind, "… Like… What do you see when you look up at the sky right now?"

"… Clouds…" Zerobi mumbled an answer, "The moon… Stars…"

"Heh…" Lucario smiled, "All I see are gigantic rocks and balls of fire, swirling around in a great big void."

"… Huh?" Zerobi exclaimed, not understanding him at all.

"See it like this - We are both less than a dot on a speck of a planet in a tiny little solar system in the edges of a galaxy, that there are millions of" Lucario explained in a depressing tone before lightening up, "But we're not worthless! Every time we close our eyes in a blink, we give birth to new life in the form of cells, only to kill them off the moment our eyes open."

"… Whoa…" Zerobi whispered to herself, "Deep."

"That means that depending on our perspective, we are both an almighty god..." Lucario continued, "… And barely even nothingness."

"So that's how a human thinks, eh?" Zerobi said quietly, somewhat disappointed in his answer, "Alright, something less… Existential… What did you look like as a human?"

"This is going to sound weird coming from a canine" Lucario chuckled, "But I was actually pretty ugly."

"That's… An unexpected answer" Zerobi replied, again feeling disappointed, "Feel free to lie, it's not like I can prove you wrong."

"Nah, that's just the way things were" Lucario kept going, "Constant fighting does that to you."

"Huh… Funny to think that someone so handsome was once…" Zerobi started but suddenly trailed off after realizing what she had just said, "… Uh, human!"

"Handsome?" Lucario said with an uninterested tone, "I can't tell… And I really don't care, either."

"You don't care?" Zerobi asked with surprise in her voice, "… Really? Not even a little?"

"I'm a freak, either way" Lucario mumbled and wished he could shrug more naturally when lying down, "To any human, at least… I don't think I'd be real popular as the dog-man with no job, money or viable future."

"Alright…" Zerobi mumbled as she was getting tired of all the boring answers, "I'm done. Goodnight."

"Aw, come on! Ask me something more!" Lucario said excitedly.

"… We'll have plenty of time tomorrow…" Zerobi yawned while closing her eyes.

"Talking like this is fun!" Lucario exclaimed, "What, you're immune to fun?"

"Go ahead. Talk to yourself" Zerobi muttered as she turned around, facing him with her back.

"… Fine" Lucario said as he closed his eyes as well, "Just know that out of all the odd things I've met since I got here… You're the best."

Zerobi felt a bit insulted at being called an 'odd thing', but nevertheless fell asleep not long after that. Lucario's head was still spinning with all the new information it had taken in, and his blood was rushing from the battles earlier in the day. All of it finally collided in him, as exhaustion kicked in and he was instantly overtaken by sleep…

* * *

><p><em>… Hmm? Oh look, it's… It's a Lucario! Wait a minute… Proper colors… No spikes… Am I seeing myself in third person? How is that even possible!<em>

_"…"_

_Did you say something? Speak up!_

_"… R…"_

_Wait, am I the one talking? What am I, anyway? I'm over there, yet I'm seeing myself from over h… I… I'm human? YES! I'M HUMAN AGAIN!_

_"… Ru-u-uuu… K-k-k-K-k…"_

_Alright, you can quiet down now… It's starting to hurt my head._

_**" … RuUUuu… KaAAaa… RiIIIiii…"**_

_I said, SHUT UP! Stop it!_

_**"RUUUUU…"**_

_ARGH! C'mon, stop it! You're… You're tearing me apart!_

_**"KAAAAAAAAAA…"**_

_AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!_

* * *

><p><em>"… Zerobi?"<em>

_Give it a rest, already… It's been seven years._

_"Zerobi…"  
>"Zerobi!"<br>"Z-Zerobi…!"_

_I haven't had a drop of blood in almost a decade. You don't scare me._

_"Monster!"  
>"Ins-Insufferable hick!"<br>"PLEASE DON'T KILL ME!"  
>"WHY!"<br>"Zerobi, everyone already knows you're special, don't do this!"_

_Listen, I really need to sleep. You know I can't appease you, so just why not just leave me in peace?_

_"Not over until you're dead…"  
>"Y-You killed them all!"<br>"I'll haunt you!"  
>"You're… Evil!"<br>"May you rest in peace, wayward soul!"  
>"… Zerobi's supposed to be dead, right?"<br>"You'll never get away with this!"_

_Damn, you're loud tonight. Is it because I met those two? I didn't even hurt them! You should be rewarding me, not torturing me!_

_"Oh, such a shame that you no longer have any blood!"_

_…!_

_"What, this scares you? Are you scared of me now?"_

_… Shut up…_

_"Once I've killed him, I can use his essence to make you a Grass Eeveelution just like your mom! And then BURN YOU UP!"_

_Shut up! Shut up! SHUT THE HELL UP!_

_"Don't kid yourself. That new guy… You've been eyeing that blood ever since you first saw him. You want to feel it, don't you? There is no way you won't as long as he sticks around like this…"_

_It… It's not like that…_

_"Besides, who's to say things will go bad if you just have a little taste? You've matured, you can control it! The slippery slope doesn't exist anymore!"_

_No! I'm not like that! Leave me alone!_

_"He keeps acting so weird, like he's a character or something… What would his reaction be if you cut the tendrils in his legs and left him out in the snow, where he would catch cold and die? If you plunge your claws into his mouth, would he ever be able to smile again?"_

_… I see. You… You're just trying to get a reaction out of me. Typical. I won't listen anymore. Leave me alone with my sleep…_

_"… Leave you alone? Hehehe… Oh, but Zerobi…"_

_"I'm you"_

* * *

><p><strong>"Latias! Latios!"<strong>

"… Azelf!"

_"What a pleasant surprise!" _

**"Oh, I wish it was… Wait 'til you hear about this…"**

"Is it about the gathering, by any chance?"

**"… Huh? Y-You knew!" **

_"Mew passed by a few days ago and told us all about it." _

**"… Really?" **

"Yep! We're heading over there now, as a matter of fact…"

**"… Already! But I'm not even halfway done! It won't be for a long time!" **

"To be honest, it seems to be the only safe place left in this world. We've fought three trainers these past weeks…"

_ "B-Brother! You are going to make him think that we were responsible for that!" _

**"No, I… They've been hot on my trail, too… Lake Valor will never be the same after what they did…"**

_"It's really bad, that's for sure. We haven't had a meeting since Darkrai and Cresselia… Well, back then we were too young to do anything. Now, it is our responsibility to take care of things like this." _

**"That's right! That's why I'm alerting everyone!" **

"Ah… So that's what you're doing?"

**"Yes! Mew told me to tell Celebi, Jirachi and Mespirit, but…"**

"Didn't she know about that thing with Jirachi?"

**"No! I mean, yes! I mean, it's not that, but…"**

"But what?"

**"Celebi wasn't home... A-And all her plants… Were wilted…"**

_"… Wilted! But that means… Are you certain!" _

**"Celebi told me that she'd rather die than let that place wilt… Maybe they got to her, and-"**

"Aw, come on! You're overthinking things! Celebi is one of the strongest Pokémon alive, there's no possibility she would lose!"

**"…"**

_"Celebi… The three of us together would probably not be able to defeat her. Everyone makes mistakes, she must have just forgotten to… Water them, or something." _

**"… Yeah! You're right! I'll keep looking!" **

_"You could try to find that Pikachu, he might know where she is." _

**"I will! Thanks! I really gotta go, so take care, you two!" **

"… Going… Going… Gone. Pretty eager, huh?"

_"The enthusiasm is natural, but he sure is clever for his age…"_

"Maybe that's what happens when you grow up without any parents? Just look at Mew and Celebi…"

_"Please, don't start with that again! You know as well as I do that mom and dad took care of them like they were their own!" _

"… We weren't even born yet! How could we know anything from back then?"

_"Haahhh... You sure get on my nerves, sometimes…"_

"…"

_"…"_

"… Hey, sis… Do you think someone will ever look at us like that?"

_"Like what?" _

"You know, like someone's uncles… In your case, 'uncless'…"

_"It's called 'aunt', and I still don't understand…"_

"Like, Mew's or Celebi's child. Will we be the ones to take care of them?"

_"… Hmm… You mean how they die after they give birth? You're not thinking-"_

"No, what I mean is that we're still practically kids! We're too young to be raising a child!"

_"… I don't think those two will be having children any time soon." _

"… That woman's intuition thing again? Can't fool me with that, we're twins! I know there's no such thing!"

_"More like… You wouldn't want to die, would you? Their species die in childbirth, so why would they ever want go through with it?" _

"That's true… But mom says that's what always happens in the end, anyway."

_"Not for a long while, I hope." _

"Yeah… We're still too young, after all…"

_"I meant so that they can live long, healthy lives!" _

"Oh… Oh! Yeah! Definitively!"

_"…"_

"…"

_"… Brother?" _

"Yes?"

_"Will we be together forever?" _

"What's this, all of a sudden? Of course we will! We're family!"

_"… Even if I… Get caught…?"_

"First of all, I'll protect you, so no one's ever going to catch you in the first place! And even if, I'll be there to rescue you right away!"

_"… Why?" _

"WHY! Because I'm your brother, of course! Seriously, where did all this come from!"

_"Well… I'll talk to you about that later." _

"What? No fair! You get me all stoked up and then leave me hanging? We're twins! Tell me!"

_"…"_

"Tell me! Tell me! Tell me! Tell me! Tell me! Tell me!"

_"…"_


	11. Prehistoric Tomboy Kabuta

It took the duo several days of travel before they came across a forest. This made Zerobi elated as she referred to their surroundings as a "buffet", Lucario secretly hoping she was talking about game and not berries. He also started missing his trusted pair of shoes as many sharp pinecone-like things were strewn over the road, forcing him to constantly look down and avoid them with his every step. At any rate, they both felt that it made for some nice variety, something they had not experienced in quite a long while…

"Alright, here's one…" Zerobi said, before putting extra effort into her pronunciation, "Adrift upon the barren plateaus, I wander endlessly… Protecting none but myself… And fighting no one but the wind."

"… That's poetry?" Lucario asked with a cocky tone, "I don't see any 'barren plateaus'… Besides, it didn't rhyme or anything."

"It's not supposed to!" Zerobi explained with exclamation, "Poetry can be anything!"

"… So, while we're on the subject of 'lame', why not tell me another riveting tale from that kooky magazine of yours?" Lucario snapped back, looking to his side with a bored face.

"There was this one story about a Lucario that didn't shut up" Zerobi replied with an underlying growl, "It's rated M for extreme violence. I'm not seeing you coming up with a better idea on how to pass the time!"

The two of them became quiet, both very tired of each other. Not having had anyone else to talk to for the past week had gotten them in foul moods and at each other's throats. Realizing whose throat would be the one to experience one of Zerobi's claws, Lucario decided that it was time to parlay.

"You know… Not fighting for your life every day kind of takes the edge of things" Lucario said, not knowing whether to sigh or snicker at their predicament.

"No kidding?" Zerobi responded sarcastically, "Do you think they've given up?"

"They were relentless right up until we left Snowpoint" Lucario mumbled while his shoulder hurt and back stung a bit as a quick reminder, "I would've bet the farm on us getting attacked since then."

"Don't forget that we're in the middle of nowhere, the odds of them finding us…" Zerobi explained, before silencing herself after realizing a fallacy, "Then again, they DID find my hideout rather easily…"

"I mean, I have been able to 'sense' life as of late, through walls and everything…" Lucario said as he made a short leap on to a large rock on the road instead of walking around it, "But, you know, it's got pretty short range. Plus, I can't sense you."

"That's because I'm a Dark-type" Zerobi said as she calmly walked around the huge stone, "That aura thing, or whatever they call it? We don't have that."

"You keep talking about types" Lucario said while jumping down from the rock, landing securely on both his feet, "… I don't really know what that is."

"That's… Going to be a problem" Zerobi said while thinking to herself, "It's pretty much the ABC of Pokémon. You'll need to know them if you want to stay alive, and there'll be a lot to learn"

"Yay…" Lucario exclaimed sarcastically, "Well, I DO plan on stayin' alive… So, better get started, eh?"

"Hmm... The question is where…" Zerobi mumbled as she quickly looked over Lucario body, "I guess… In your case, your major weakness would be to fire."

"… Weak against fire?" Lucario asked before giving off a snicker, "Who isn't? Wait, you mean there are Pokémon out there that breathe fire!"

"Breathe… Kick…" Zerobi started counting up her previous experiences, "… Punch. Basically, if it can be done, it can be done with fire."

"That makes no sense!" Lucario shouted in surprise yet also with a hint of admiration, "I mean, it's cool as all hell, but how's that even physically possible!"

"You'll have to ask one of them, but I think they have a flame sac somewhere in them that creates something flammable…" Zerobi answered while remembering her days in school, "… And they use their claws and teeth or whatever to ignite it."

"Great, now I can probably pass biology and science with straight A's…" Lucario groaned before putting on a strange impersonation with his voice, "See, professor, that's why drinking oil is actually good for you!"

"Grr! I've had it up to here with all your nonsense!" Zerobi suddenly growled as she pointed accusingly to her partner, "Alright! I'm pressing you on this! Tell me! What's this 'oil' you just mentioned?"

"Flammable substance" Lucario responded quickly, "Actually, it's more like a bunch of dead plants and animals condensed into a black sludge."

"It's… It's WHAT!" Zerobi exclaimed with a startled voice.

"Full of energy too, we use it to operate machinery" Lucario kept going, deriving pleasure from finally being the one surprising Zerobi with information.

"You…" Zerobi stammered as she tried to grasp what he had just said, "… You use corpses to operate machinery!"

"No, no, no…" Lucario repeated in a calming tone, "They're several million years old, and have been put into so much pressure that they've turned into a… Well, a black sludge."

"… That's sickening!" Zerobi burst out in disgust, "I think it's sickening! Do you have ANY idea what it would take for ME to be sickened by something!"

As if on cue, three very strange figures appeared from behind a hill further ahead. They were chatting both loudly and happily. The first figure was short as well as brightly yellow, a Pokémon Zerobi recognized as a Pikachu. Lucario was still torn between calling it a rat, mouse or possum. The second figure was tall and extremely slender, even more so than Zerobi. It was a Gallade, and a shiver ran through Zerobi as she remembered what she had to do the last time she met one of those. To Lucario, it was the only one of them that appeared to be somewhat human in shape.

However, the third creature was the one that both their eyes fixated on, trying to make sense out of. It was walking forward on two legs with a brown, rocky shell covering its body and face, and had two giant scythes sticking out of its body. It also appeared to have a special sort of white protection on its torso, shaped like abdominal muscles but clearly not.

"Whatever it is, it's not far from us now…" Lucario mumbled with disdain as the second party came nearer and they were able to listen in on their conversation.

"It's not fair!" the rocky creature said with a surprisingly soft and high pitched voice, "So if I kill him, it's bad, but if you do it, it's good!"

"We're not planning on killing anyone!" the Gallade spoke with yet another surprisingly girly voice, "Just giving you a heads-up that if it's really really REALLY necessary…"

"So what! We just kick the living hell out of his Pokémon and then let this idiot off the hook?" the brown one responded angrily, "He'll be back!"

"Pfft, don't be so sure about that…" the tiny yellow thing huffed with a deep voice, "Remember the story about the Dragonite? Sometimes, all it takes to break the mightiest warrior is a single loss."

"That's crazy!" the one with the scythes snapped back, "He totally screwed over pops and bro, I'm gonna beat him good!"

"You're gonna be sent straight home if you don't act more maturely!" the Pikachu yelled in a much more menacing tone than before, "And stop cursing, damn it!"

"Who gives a crap if I curse or not?" the walking rock huffed, "'Act more ladylike'… If you've got time to worry 'bout that… There's got to be more important things to worry about!"

"More important than keeping Kabutops calm and pleasant? Hell no!" the Pikachu burst out while keeping the earlier tone, "He says it's my fault, because you hung around with me so much!"

"Well, to be fair… That's totally what it is" the Gallade chimed in with a large smile, "You know, if I ever have a daughter… Yeah, she's never even meeting you. I might have one right now that you don't know anything about!"

"… You probably have several that YOU know nothing about!" the yellow one responded, making the brown one burst out in laughter.

"AHAHAHA!" the one with the scythes roared while raising one of its oddly shaped arms at the white one, "Burned you good, uncle sissy!"

"HEY! I was there for your birth!" the white one shouted with annoyance, "Show some respect, will ya!"

"No, you weren't" the small mouse said bluntly, "You got smashed and passed out in a hotel room."

"H-HEY! I… I was celebrating, you know!" the thin humanoid stammered as the brown one laughed even harder, "Damn it, why'd you have to tell her that! You really are a meanie!"

"Honestly, I'd never seen Kabutops so happy. I asked him whether it was Kabuta's birth or the fact that you weren't there, and he just went…" the small creature said as he suddenly made his voice monotonic and started speaking slower, "… 'What do you think'…?"

"Whatever. We're tight, he just likes to act like we aren't, for some reason…" the slender, white Pokémon said calmly as they finally were right in front of Lucario and Zerobi. For a split second, a true legend stood face to face with a human transformed into a Pokémon, accompanied by the founder of the cult known as evolution's gate. A spark of undetectable tension formed in a triangle between these three, as if three parts of something much bigger had been united at long last.

The two teams shot each member a quick glance, but kept walking and finally moved past each other.

"Man, what the hell was that?" Lucario whispered curiously to Zerobi as soon as the others were a couple of feet behind them.

"Good practice… Hopefully" Zerobi whispered back, "Tell me, what types did you think those Pokémon were?"

"… Not my type, that's for sure!" Lucario laughed while keeping his voice down to a whisper, "A fat rat, a walking vector and a mouthless, faceless, charmless rock. With legs… I think. Might've been stalagmites for all I know…"

"Lucario…" Zerobi mumbled.

"I mean, what the hell was that!" Lucario continued laughing, "The green thing looks like it was out skiing on its hands and fell into 'the pit of unfitting triangles', where it must've had quite a few of them lodged into it!"

"… They can still hear you" Zerobi muttered bitterly.

Lucario's smile faded quickly as he turned around and saw that the three peculiar Pokémon had stopped and become quiet. The ears of the yellow rat twitched back and forth.

"What, did I, like… Offend them or something?" Lucario asked innocently, analyzing his previous statement.

"… Stalagmites!" Kabuta growled brashly as she turned around with an angry shout, "You piece of crap!"

"These 'triangles' are a piece of ART, you f… Fu…" the Gallade stammered while also turning around, but started trailing off as he saw the foul-mouthed Kabutops in front of him, "… Jerk!"

"… Fat, eh?" Pikablu said with previously unsurpassed annoyance, refusing to even make the slightest move, "Yeah, I guess… Never mind that I've fought and trained every day of my life, asswipe."

"Ooh, scary" Lucario mocked boastfully, never having been one to back down, "I'll have you know, I'm an outlaw. Chased by the police and all. Now, beat it before I do something outlaw-ish to you all!"

"… Right" Pikablu muttered, finally turning around with a bitter stare on his face, "Alright, who wants to beat him up first?"

"Me! Me!" Kabuta yelled quickly with a short jump, "It'll be great warm up!"

"No killing!" the Gallade yelled back with a worried tone, "Like, I want him dead too, but just-"

"I'm not gonna kill him, I'm just gonna emasculate him!" Kabuta interrupted before taking a few steps away from her companions, towards Lucario.

"Ugh, look what you got us into now…" Zerobi groaned, slowly backing away from Lucario.

"Uh, listen, guys…" Lucario said as his rationality suddenly returned from its long vacation, "I'm sorry for what I said. No need to get violent."

"Hahaha! What a coward!" Kabuta laughed while obviously trying to make her voice sound gruffer, "No wonder he's wearing pants, he probably hasn't got anything down there!" Both Pikablu and the Gallade looked down shamefully.

"You know, if Kabutops WAS here, he'd be killing you right about now" the Gallade mumbled to Pikablu.

"I don't know where the hell things went wrong with this kid…" Pikablu responded, not being able to help feeling a slight twinge of fatherhood with Kabuta's every curse word.

"Cool voice, sis" Lucario said to her, striking a battle pose while once again giving up on settling things peacefully, "Even I wouldn't mistake that for manly."

"You two, just sit back and watch!" Kabuta said while giving a gesture to her partners, "I'm about to teach this lame-o a lesson or two about lame-oville!"

"POPULATION: YOU!" Kabuta yelled as she dashed towards Lucario, giant scythes held out in an attacking stance. Even though he had trouble telling what was up and down on the odd creature, Lucario leaped forward and pressed down on where all the shouting was coming from, assuming it was her head. Her advance was immediately halted as she almost tripped forward, and suddenly she felt a heavy weight fall down on her back as Lucario made a small hop above her and sat down on her. She was about to throw her scythe-like arms above her when suddenly the Lucario's legs came down upon those as well, effectively trapping her underneath him.

"Welcome to lame-oville!" Lucario said as he could no longer contain himself from laugher, "Please, enjoy your stay!"

"LEMME GO, YOU PIECE OF CRAP!" Kabuta screamed, wriggling helplessly on the ground like an earthworm.

"Huh…" the Gallade said as he put his elongated arms behind his head, "I honestly didn't see that one coming."

"Like hell you didn't…" Pikablu mumbled angrily before yelling loudly, "Hey! Lucario! You've got exactly five seconds to unhand my niece… Or bad things WILL go down!"

"No deal!" Lucario replied confidently as the Kabutops struggled beneath him, "Best massage chair I've ever had."

"ARGH!" Kabuta roared with indignation, never ceasing to try to break free.

"It doesn't have a 'mute' button, does it…?" Lucario mumbled to himself before taking a closer look at the scythes he had pinned under his feet. He became noticeable colder as he saw just how sharp they were, realizing that if he hadn't stomped down on their flat sides his feet probably would've split in two.

"Hey Zerobi, these hands kind of remind me of yours!" he shouted back to the Weavile behind him, who had once again gotten impressed over how the competent fighter before her and the guy she had jerked around with all week was one and the same Pokémon.

"… Zerobi?" Pikablu said to himself, the name sounding somewhat familiar. Something from long ago, yet still something that had always been with him… And most definitively something he had not expected to hear.

"C'mon! Help me out here!" Kabuta yelled from her pathetic position, obviously not in a pleasant state of mind.

"Stay back, Pikablu" the Gallade suddenly said with a serious tone as he took a determined step forward, "This one's mine."

"Wait, don't-" Pikablu started as something about the situation rubbed him the wrong way, but was interrupted by the Gallade raising one of his arms.

"No, I've had it with being called a sissy all the time!" he said angrily, "From Kabutops I can take it, but his bloody daughter! It's time for 'uncle sissy' to show you what he's really made out of!"

"No, I mean…" Pikablu tried to continue, but too disoriented to continue. He couldn't tell whether it was his niece's panicked shouts, or the puzzling name that had been uttered earlier.

"Don't even try it, you've sucked up the glory long enough!" the Gallade shouted, interrupting him once again, "Finally, it's my turn! I'll beat him up, rescue the little girl and do a victory dance of epic proportions!"

"… Stop acting like you're saving the world, showoff!" Pikablu shouted back, losing track of his train of thoughts.

"YOU GONNA HELP ME OR WHAT!" Kabuta screamed with a couple of violent twists against Lucario, who almost fell off her.

"Just lie down and relax…" the Gallade whispered as a subtle smile formed on his face. Without any hesitation, he walked up to Lucario who had a bored expression on his face and Kabuta who at long last looked up to him.

"Remember the show you're about to see" he said with a wave of his left arm, "It will be… _Beautiful!_"


	12. Beautiful Dancer Gallade

"So, you're finally going to fight?" Pikablu asked. For as long as he had known the Gallade, he had avoided battles whenever possible.

"Yep" the Gallade answered, taking a few steps to his right.  
>"… You? Volunteering to fight?" Pikablu asked again, shocked at what he was hearing.<br>"Yeah, I just gotta… Hmm…" the Gallade mumbled as he circled Kabuta's defeated form on the ground, his eyes never leaving Lucario.  
>"You know they're over there, right?" Pikablu said mockingly, confused over the Gallade's sidestepping.<p>

"… Perfect!" the Gallade suddenly exclaimed, instantly crouching over and placing a strange rectangular object on the ground. He angled it so that it was facing Lucario, who tensed up and got ready to jump out of the way in case it launched an attack at him.  
>"Wait…" Pikablu muttered as he finally realized what the strange object was, "What the heck… You're actually going to film this!"<br>"Hey, my fans are going to wonder what I've been up to all this time…" the Gallade replied smugly while standing up and shrugging, "Besides, I don't have anything else to update the blog with. This'll be new."  
>Lucario immediately decided that this Gallade was the least intimidating Pokémon he had met so far, ending up somewhere beneath the Piplup, the Eevee and the purple ball with legs.<br>"Yo, is this guy for real!" Lucario yelled at Pikablu who put a paw to his face in shame. For an instant, he wished the Lucario the best of luck in the approaching battle.  
>"If we make it into a movie, I'll make sure to cut you two in on it!" the Gallade said cheerfully before pointing at Lucario, "In your case, you'll need it to pay your hospital bill!"<br>"You idiot…" Pikablu groaned to himself and looked at the frozen expression on Kabuta's face, "… What happened to saving Kabuta?"  
>"I'm doing better than that!" the Gallade said, "I'm saving her, AND making her famous at the same time!"<br>"YOU BLOODY MORON!" Kabuta roared angrily from underneath Lucario, "STOP SCREWING AROUND!"  
>"… That's an M rating, right there…" the Gallade mumbled to himself disappointedly, "Oh well, maybe I'll ask the gals to edit it out… Add some music… Effects…"<br>"… There's no way he's for real, right?" Lucario asked Kabuta, but she was too filled with rage to pay him any notice.  
>"Lucario!" the Gallade suddenly shouted, pointing accusingly at him, "Even though you are of the wilderness, let us have a gentleman's duel! Let go of your hostage!"<br>"Hostage…?" Lucario repeated slowly as the Kabutops he was lying on top of calmed down a bit, "Sure... But cut me on the way up, and you'll regret it." Lucario quickly realized that she every intention of doing so as she started struggling again, and spent no time dawdling as he leaped off Kabuta's back, landing a few feet behind her. She instantly sprung up to her feet, shaking from indignation.

Sensing a killing intent unlike anything before, Lucario decided to try to cool her down.  
>"Oh…" Lucario said as the rocky beast turned around and faced him with an angry glare, "Sorry 'bout the stalagmites thing. Up close, you're actually pretty cool."<br>"YOU B…!" Kabuta started, but stopped herself as she realized what he had just said, "Uh… What?"  
>"Well… At least compared to that guy" Lucario continued with a snicker, nodding his head towards the Gallade.<br>"Step back, Kabuta!" the Gallade yelled triumphantly with the most heroic stance he could muster, "Leave this scoundrel to me!"  
>Kabuta looked back at the Gallade, before looking at Lucario again. For some reason, she found herself speechless.<br>"Come on, let 'em do what they want…" Pikablu suddenly said, making her vision snap back to him.  
>"… Y-Yeah…" she stammered before heading back to Pikablu, who was taken by surprise with her odd behavior.<br>"Psst! Take care of the camera if it tips over!" the Gallade whispered happily as Kabuta ran past him.  
>"Let me save you the effort" Lucario said loudly to the Gallade with a crack of his neck, "Unless the title 'My apocalyptic beatdown at the hands of a Lucario' sounds good to you, this recording isn't going to do you much!"<p>

Zerobi, Pikablu and Kabuta stepped back as a battle seemed inevitable. The two fighters stared angrily at each other, both wearing sinister smiles on their faces.

"Heh… To be frank, this battle has already been decided" the Gallade said confidently, "I have the ability to measure a Pokémon's strength, and… Well, yours is not enough to defeat me."  
>"Oh really?" Lucario asked mockingly, "I can sense your aura, and I'd say we're about even. Nice bluff, though."<br>"No, what I mean is…" the Gallade explained before taking on a surprised face, "… Wait, you can measure strength, too? Anyway, what I mean is that even if our power is the same, you cannot measure skill."  
>"… Which gives me the edge, wouldn't you say?" Lucario kept going, striking a fighting pose as he felt like the battle could start at any moment.<br>"Heheh… Underestimating me? Aren't you a confident one?" the Gallade snickered as his oddly shaped arms suddenly started glowing with a white aura, "Worry not, I am a purveyor of beauty. My attacks will hurt, but they will not alter your appearance."  
>"Uh… What's up with your arms?" Lucario asked while getting an eerie sensation, "Hey, I thought we were going to do hand-to-hand combat!"<br>"… Hand-to-hand, eh? Tell you what…" the Gallade continued, the glow on his long arms changing their color to yellow, "I'll let you throw the first punch. Come on, give it your best shot!"

In an instant Lucario closed the distance between them and attacked, the Gallade nimbly avoiding the punch by twisting his head to the side. Another punch quickly followed as the Gallade leaned back gracefully to avoid it. Relentless in his assault, Lucario struck once more, but his blow was parried by the Gallade's right hand. A light tingling sensation came from his arm as Lucario threw himself forward, headbutting the Gallade in the chest and making him quickly jump back

"Ah!" the Gallade coughed as minute pain spread through his chest, "S-Such a brutal way of fighting!"  
>"… You said that you cannot measure skill" Lucario said slowly while striking a new fighting pose, "Guess what? I've already measured yours, and I suggest that you give up."<br>"Y-You're a lot better than I'd have thought…" the Gallade stuttered slightly while still smiling, "And here I had you pegged as a simple brute!"

The Gallade wouldn't show it, but his confidence was starting to wane. Unlike his companions, he had never been a fan of fighting; only resorting to it when he had to or was sure to win easily. It was not that he wasn't a man of action, but more that he wished to preserve his appearance.  
>Before he evolved into a Gallade, he effectively had no face. Growing up as a Ralts was tough, his identity covered up by a helmet-like hair which made people mistake him for someone else all the time. Transforming into a Kirlia did little to improve his situation, as everyone he met thought he was a girl. When at long last he became a Gallade, he wasted no time flaunting his newfound form to everyone, finally having received an appearance and realized with great shock that he was in fact… Beautiful!<p>

"My face… Is who I am…" the Gallade said shakily, his determination returning, "Will you please stop aiming at it!"  
>"I'm not going to lose in hand-to-hand combat" Lucario said with equal determination, feeling his body heat up from the battle.<br>"Quit playing around, or you're going to lose!" Pikablu yelled to the Gallade, before seeing the Weavile behind them and suddenly remembering his important thoughts from earlier.  
>"Oh yeah? Well then, feast your eyes on this!" the Gallade said sharply before shouting, "À la seconde, tension!"<p>

The Gallade's arms received a strong yellow glow as he approached Lucario with long, elegant steps. Before reaching him, the Gallade spun around quickly with his arms outstretched to increase the velocity of his strike, but Lucario ducked in order to avoid it. He prepared an uppercut as a counter as the Gallade suddenly spun even faster than before, his arms coming around too quickly and hitting Lucario in the head. The blow was fairly weak, but a strange electrical sensation grabbed a hold of his head while the Gallade continued spinning around and pummeled his head with attack after attack.

With the paralysis slowing down his senses, it took Lucario great effort to hold up his arms in defense. The Gallade kept spinning, and with each blow Lucario felt his arms becoming crippled as well. He raised a leg clumsily in order to kick the Gallade, but the constant onslaught proved to be too much as he stumbled backwards.

"That's it! Time for an electrifying Fish Dive!" the Gallade shouted as he leaped forward, grabbing a hold around the stunned Lucario's waist. Using all his might, he lifted him up into the air, before large streams of electricity ran through his glowing arms into Lucario's body. Lucario shouted as his body shimmered from the heavy voltage, the sensation reminding him of his encounter with Raikou. The pain was far weaker compared to back then, which was because the shocks were not as powerful, and also because he had not already been damaged from using the…  
>An odd sensation suddenly crawled through Lucario, and he was unable to stop himself because of the paralysis. His right arm instantly caught fire, cutting through the yellow glow of the Gallade's arm with a deep blue color. The two of them screamed out in pain, the Gallade letting go of Lucario and stumbling back.<p>

"AAARGH! YOU BAAAAAASTARD!" the Gallade howled as he crouched down, clutching his arm. With a panicked stare he looked down at his arm, fearing the worst from the amount of pain he was feeling. Much to his relief, his arm looked completely fine instead of being horribly mutilated.  
>"… What… can I say…?" Lucario said weakly, unintentionally synchronizing his movement with his opponent, "Play with fire… You get burned…"<br>"Heh… Fire?" the Gallade mumbled sinisterly, "Thanks for reminding me. Lucario are weak against fire, right?"  
>"He's right!" Zerobi suddenly shouted from behind Lucario, "Lucario, watch it!"<br>"Stay out of this, Zerobi…" Lucario replied before standing up and looking directly at the Gallade, "You're skilled, but brittle. Let's see how roundhouse kicks to the face you can take!"  
>"Yikes! So much for a gentleman's duel!" the Gallade exclaimed in a shocked tone, "Fine! Let's do it for real!"<p>

The glow around the Gallade's arms dissipated, while the aching in Lucario's arm also begun to go down. He wondered what was going to happen next - Anticipating the Gallade in close combat was difficult because of all his strange movements, and the paralyzing glow around his arms made blocking a bad idea. Instead, Lucario focused his eyes onto his opponent and prepared himself to dodge the next attack, whatever it was.

His plan backfired. The attack struck him without the Gallade showing any sign of movement. A crushing sensation immediately enveloped Lucario, as if his every pore was contracting. While it hurt, it was nothing compared to the aura his arm had endured or even the thunder strike from earlier. Lucario hunched forward a bit, and merely growled as a response as he tried to find out what was hurting him. However, as suddenly as it had started, it simply stopped.

"… Eh! My Psychic attack did-" the Gallade started before stopping himself as Lucario came running at him. He began charging up his fire punch, but was unable to complete it in time as Lucario was upon him. Twisting around he managed to avoid a few of Lucario's punches, but finally got hit in the stomach.

The Gallade bent over with a cough, and Lucario saw his chance. He put all his strength into a roundhouse kick, aimed at the vulnerable face of his opponent. The Gallade gave off a terrified meep as he saw the strong leg approaching, and Lucario yelled out in pain as he felt his foot connect with something unexpectedly hard. It had stopped right in front of the Gallade's terrified face, a pink barrier having appeared between them.

"Not the face, dude!" the Gallade said out loud as his confidence returned, and clamped his strange arms around Lucario's outstretched leg.  
>"Shocking pirouette!" the Gallade exclaimed in utter glee as he started spinning around again. As his arms were effectively locked around Lucario's leg, he had no choice but to follow as he was being spun around the Gallade like a ragdoll.<br>"WaaAAaaAAhh!" Lucario shouted as the Gallade's arms once again started glowing yellow, and he felt a large amount of voltage creeping up his leg. The shouts turned into screams, the Gallade increasing the electrical output. To the others, it was as if a large electrical tornado had been created, everyone on the sidelines having an impressed look on their faces… Except for Pikablu.

"YOU READY!" the Gallade suddenly yelled, making Kabuta look directly at Pikablu as she knew what was coming next.  
>"Uh… No" Pikablu responded, scratching his head.<br>"… WHAT!" the Gallade shouted, trying to shout down Lucario's terrified howls.  
>"I've got something I want to ask him" Pikablu said calmly, "Put him down, or something."<br>"NO! LE GRAND FINALÈ!" the Gallade kept shouting, sounding more and more annoyed as his arms were starting to tire, "COME ON!"

Feeling everyone's eyes gaze upon his beautiful performance, as well as remembering the camera's unending stare, he simply could not let such a magnificent ending pass by. Stubbornly he held on to Lucario, trying to think of a proper finale while starting to slow down from exhaustion.

As the Gallade slowed down only for a moment, Lucario used the full extent of his abdominal muscles to bend his upper body towards him. Just barely reaching his own leg, he instantly pulled the Gallade's arms apart, holding on to the right one as maintained velocity threw him away. The Gallade as unable to keep his balance while holding on to Lucario with only one arm, and was pulled along. The instant Lucario hit the ground, he kicked off it and sprung forward with the most powerful uppercut of his life, hitting the faltering Gallade directly in the jaw.

The Gallade flew up into the air, and then fell down on the ground. Zerobi and Kabuta both collectively gasped, while Pikablu just sighed.

"Yeah, so anyway, I've got a question" he said, completely undaunted by the whole situation.  
>"Is it… 'Why are you so awesome'…?" Lucario asked while trying to catch his breath, "Because… Honestly… Sometimes I ask myself that, too…"<br>"GAAAHHH! My face!" the Gallade screamed in terror as he leaped up to his feet and looked over at Kabuta, "Is it alright! PLEASE TELL ME IT'S ALRIGHT!"  
>"It's fine" Pikablu groaned, "Now, take a rest."<br>"Oh, heck no!" the Gallade shouted angrily as he faced Lucario, "I told him not to touch the face, yet he did! He will perish flames!"  
>"Alright, just wait a few moments" Pikablu said calmly, "Let me ask something first."<br>"Just ask away, already!" Lucario blurted out impatiently.  
>"Not you" Pikablu said sharply as he suddenly pointed at Zerobi, "Her."<p>

"… Me?" Zerobi asked with a confused tone as everyone turned their faces at her.  
>"Yeah" Pikablu said, "Your name's Zerobi, right?"<br>"… Yes" Zerobi responded slowly, trying to remember if she had met this Pikachu earlier.  
>"Ugh, why am I the one that has to do this…" Pikablu mumbled as he tried thinking of a way to explain everything, "Zerobi… Do you have a family?"<br>"… Sure…" Zerobi mumbled, starting to worry that he knew anything about her sordid past.  
>"Really?" Pikablu asked while struggling hard to come up with a way to go about things without sounding crazy.<br>"If you must know, they were caught when I was a kid" Zerobi answered as a faint image of two Pokémon appeared in her mind, "Haven't seen them since."  
>"Alright, let me rephrase my question…" Pikablu said as he came up with a better approach to the issue, "Do you have a biological family?"<p>

"… Hmpf" Zerobi huffed as she felt everyone's eyes on her, and couldn't help but feel like they were silently judging her every response, "Nope. Orphan, they found me, then orphaned again."  
>"Ah! So you remember something from before the time that they found you?" Pikablu quickly said, relieved to be making some progress.<br>"Not really, no…" Zerobi mumbled, "What's with all these question? You're creeping me out."  
>"You're creeping ME out, Pikablu" the Gallade said, "Why'd you interrupt our battle for this?"<br>"Her's name's Zerobi" Pikablu said as he looked at the Gallade before raising his voice, "ZEROBI!"  
>"… You mean…" the Gallade muttered as he thought back to a story from long ago, "… No, don't you remember? She's dead!"<br>"Uh… Well…" Zerobi said slowly while thinking about her past, "I don't know where you're getting with all this, but… Yeah, I've been dead."  
>"… Wait, what?" Lucario mumbled as he raised his voice in surprise, "W-What the heck!"<br>"I knew it!" Pikablu exclaimed with determination, "You've got special powers, don't you!"  
>"… Maybe" Zerobi said before finally getting fed up with the cross-examination, "Why would you even care! Spit it out, already!"<br>"I happen to be acquainted with a certain Celebi, who has been searching for her sibling Zerobi for a long time…" Pikablu explained as eloquently as he could, "… You are the sister of a Legendary!"

"… No, I'm not…" Zerobi responded bluntly, feeling disappointed over all the time wasted.  
>"Yes, you are!" Pikablu contradicted, "Your forgotten origins! Your hidden powers! The name! It can't all be a coincidence!"<br>"Come on, you're actually using her name as proof just because they sound similar?" Lucario asked with a snort, "That's stupid on SO many levels…"  
>Zerobi stood in silence, but something about her told Lucario that she had something to say.<br>"What?" he asked.  
>"… My parents didn't name me" Zerobi said slowly, "It was… Written on me."<br>"Written…" Lucario repeated before realizing the implications, "T-They carved your name into your body!"  
>"No!" Zerobi shouted back, "Just… You know, pawprints."<br>"Zerobi…" Pikablu said, now more confident of her true identity, "Your sister… She's been searching for you. A lot."  
>"My sister… Celebi?" she mumbled to herself, shaking her head in disbelief, "I'm all for mysteries and excitement, but this is pretty inane. Got any proof?"<br>"… Proof?" the Gallade exclaimed and started thinking hard, "What kind of proof would you expect there to be? An umbilical cord?"  
>"A reason for me to go off with you three strangers" Zerobi said as she decided to act on her earlier fears, "Quick warning - Touch me inappropriately and your head'll fly off."<p>

"… I've got it!" Pikablu suddenly burst out, at long last finding proof that didn't involve any more explanations, "We're on our way right now to rescue Celebi from a trainer, come with us and meet her yourself!"  
>"… Rescue? Aaahh! Now I get it!" Zerobi exclaimed with a relieved expression, "You mean, my sister's someone named 'Celebi'? I thought you meant The Legendary Celebi!"<br>"I did" Pikablu responded bluntly.  
>"… But that's impossible!" Zerobi shouted, "A legendary Pokémon like that, caught? It'd be all over the news! Actually, I guess I wouldn't know about that, but… But… Argh!"<p>

Zerobi groaned loudly in annoyance, crossing her arms as she entered deep thought. The part of her that adored everything occult practically begged for her to pursue the stories this Pikachu was telling her, while a more rational part of her told her to stick to living a life as normal as possible.  
>Her very existence became deeply scarred by the events that unfolded the last time she dabbled with the unknown. Even so, her meeting with Astrid had forever proved to her that strange phenomenon are not as rare as one might think, and her frightening powers had yet to be given a rational explanation.<p>

In the end, it came down to moving on with her life like nothing had happened, or listening to the Pikachu. To chase after a wild, unlikely dream of adventure and romance… Or listening to the Pikachu.

"Listen, this is all sounding kind of… Silly" Zerobi explained when she broke away from her trance, "The Legendary Celebi is my sister? Yeah right. I bet my father's Mew, I'm actually an oracle and my son is prophesized to bring balance to the force."  
>"Hah… Snappy" Pikablu scoffed, "What, you think legendary Pokémon don't have siblings?<br>"Come see her for yourself!" the Gallade chimed in with a cheerful expression dimming out his reddening jaw, "She IS a legendary, after all. It's not like it'll be a waste of time!"  
>"I don't know!" Zerobi said while shaking her confused head, "What do you think, Lucario?"<br>"Like I said, we don't really have a destination" Lucario replied quickly with a nonchalant shrug, "Oh, and I should mention that I have NO idea what anyone's talking about. What, your sister's a celebrity?"  
>"… Are you joking?" the Gallade asked with a condescending tone, "The Legendary Celebi! Mother nature and all that!"<br>"Legendary celebrity or not, whatever happens…" Lucario replied, looking at the mark he had left on the Gallade's face, "… So, like, do we team up now? Or keep fighting to the death?"  
>"To the death…?" the Gallade repeated with a horrified expression, "I-I wasn't even going to hit you in the face, you were planning on killing me!"<br>"… Naaaahhhh…" Lucario drew out the word with a smug smile on his face, sending a chill through the Gallade's spine.  
>"Pikablu! This guy's crazy!" the Gallade turned his head and pleaded with his partner, "We can't bring them along!"<p>

"… Pikablu? Wait…" Zerobi whispered to herself while rummaging through her memory banks to locate the familiar name, "Wait wait wait… I read about that! In Occult Magazine #53!"  
>"Occult Magazine? Hyahahaha!" the Gallade laughed loudly, "You read that garbage!"<br>"I used to live in Cerulean City, and was quite surprised to read about it" Zerobi said, ignoring the Gallade's even more familiar mocking of her favorite magazine. She remembered how she had been worried that it had something to do with Evo's Gate or Astrid, but…  
>"From what I remember, it was a natural disaster…?" she said with a questioning tone.<br>"Nah, that's just what they told the public…" Pikablu said with a confident smile, "Truth is, it was all me!"  
>"… Yeah right. What's in a name?" Zerobi said slowly as another memory popped up "There already was some guy that got named after the incident, some 'legendary trio' that…"<br>"… Was awesome?" Pikablu finished her sentence as she trailed off, an odd thought striking her.  
>"Y-Yes… A trio…" she said with a dazzled voice, trying to make sense out of her thoughts, "A… A Pikachu… A-And…" She suddenly became silent, staring at the three Pokémon in front of her with new eyes.<p>

"… What! You're… You're serious!" she exclaimed in surprise, "You're The Legendary Trio!"  
>"You bet!" the Gallade said with a wink, "Well, two thirds, anyway. Kabuta here's a stand-in."<br>"Might as well tell you what's really going on" Pikablu said, his throat becoming somewhat sore from all the talking.  
>"Oh, goodie" Lucario muttered sarcastically, "Not to sound didactic, but shouldn't you just have started with that?"<br>"This Gallade, Kabutops and I are good friends with Celebi" Pikablu started explaining while giving the Gallade a silent glance, "… Some more than others. As you know, they've been hunting down strong Pokémon, and both Celebi and Kabutops were attacked and caught by a trainer not long ago."  
>"So we're getting them back, simple as that!" the Gallade chimed in as he dragged the attention away from Pikablu, "On a bold adventure of both romance and action!"<br>"Getting them back?" Zerobi asked, now beginning to ignore the Gallade as a reflex, "After they've been caught?"  
>"We'll work out the details of that once the trainer's down" Pikablu continued to explain, "Supposedly smashing the Pokeball to bits will set them free, if not we can just punch him until he gives in to our demands."<p>

"… But not kill him, apparently…" Kabuta muttered angrily, having remained silent for quite a while.  
>"Oh yeah" Pikablu said, interrupting himself to make sure nothing slipped his mind, "This is Kabuta, daughter of Kabutops. Her brother also got hurt pretty badly by trainer, hence why she's in a foul mood."<br>"Bah! Like I care about him!" Kabuta shouted with a dangerous swipe of her scythe, "It was his darn fault to begin with for being such a weakling!"  
>"R-Right in front of Pikablu…" the Gallade stammered frightfully, "Come on! Show your brother some sympathy!"<br>"Don't worry, I've gotten over that" Pikablu sighed, an image of a smiling Pichu flashing through his mind, "I think you're underestimating him, though. You shouldn't forget that out of those three, he was the only one to make it back."  
>"Yeah, and that's why pops is…!" Kabuta roared before suddenly turning her back on them and becoming quiet. Although she was still fuming with rage, she knew better than to push her luck when talking about her brother in front of Pikablu. All her life she had been associated with her twin, even though they were nothing alike.<br>It drove her crazy. Forced to spend her life with a weak, indecisive sibling, all because they were tied together by blood… And nothing else.

"… OK, so what if I am Celebi's sister? What am I to do?" Zerobi broke the silence with a hint of worry in her voice, "Are we going to start braiding each other's hair, or is she going to force me on a journey through time?"  
>"I think she just wants to see you" Pikablu said with sincerity, even though he himself wasn't exactly sure, "Friendliest being you'll ever meet. Seeing how nicely she treated her assailant, I can't imagine how she'll treat her sister!"<br>"… Assailant?" Zerobi asked.  
>"Uh… I'll let Celebi fill you in on that" Pikablu replied, "If anything becomes of this, that is. What do you say?"<br>"Tch…" Zerobi spat, thinking over her decision one last time, "… Alright, fine, but the whole touch-inappropriately heads-rolling thing is still in effect."  
>"We'll keep that in mind…" Pikablu said calmly before fixing a stare into the Gallade"… Won't we?"<br>"Hey, I'm not touching the Lucario's girl" the Gallade said while waving his arms back and forth, "I've fought that guy enough to last me a lifetime."  
>"About that…" Zerobi muttered slowly while looking at Lucario, "We're not a couple, we're just traveling together."<br>"Yep" Lucario said, "I'm married to the law, and I don't want to make it any more jealous."

Lucario paused for laughter as everyone became silent.

"… You know, since I'm on the run…" Lucario tried explaining, the moment for the joke clearly having passed.  
>"I just barely get it" Pikablu groaned as he looked at Zerobi, "We really don't need him. You sure you want him to come?"<br>"Yeah" Zerobi responded quickly, "I'll feel safer to have someone I can trust with me."  
>"… Pah…" Lucario grunted as he felt embarrassed, and a memory of the penguin-like being surfaced, "To think that anyone'd trust me after…"<br>"Alright, you're on the team" Pikablu said bluntly while waving back to the Gallade, "No more jokes, I already have it up to here with this sissy."  
>"HEY!" the Gallade exclaimed with a hurt voice, "I fought, didn't I! I totally kicked his butt, and looked cool while doing it!"<br>"Yeah, you're a real hero" Pikablu snapped back sarcastically, "Don't forget your camera."  
>"Don't forget your genitalia, either…" Kabuta said as she was emulating Pikablu, "… Oh, wait! Way too late for that!"<p>

Everyone started laughing as the Gallade scrambled back to pick up his camera. Even though they were unfamiliar with each other, the two teams joined forces and began their journey towards rescuing Kabutops and Celebi, gaining both new determination and experience in the process.

* * *

><p>What?<p>

The Legendary Trio is evolving!

…

Congratulations!

The Legendary Trio evolved into The Legendary Quintet!

* * *

><p><em>"Oh, Snivy... This is not the way it should be..."<em>

_"Pikablu? He's... Okay!"_

_"A premonition... Kabutops...!"_

_"Cyon, my love... Wait a little longer..."_

_"Pikablu... Where... Are you...?"_

_"Come Back To Me Soon!"_

**"... Eve. One of these days, I will..."**

**"Ast... Take care of them..."**

**"Hmpf. I know I shouldn't worry, but..."**

**"Please, Stay Safe!"**


	13. Mythological Monstrosity Rayquaza

Day 1  
>Afternoon<p>

"… Blech" Lucario grumbled together with his disgusted stomach, glancing disappointedly at the oddly shaped berry in his hand, "Isn't there anything you can dip these thing in that'll make them taste better?"  
>"Nothing's tastier than berries!" the Gallade said while removing some large leaves off his berry, "What do you think could possibly enhance their flavor?"<br>"… I'd take mud, at this point…" Lucario groaned.  
>"Plenty of that to go around…" Pikablu muttered, taking a bite out of a purple berry covered with dull spikes, "You just need to find a taste that you like. Here, try a dry berry."<br>"For the last time, DRY IS NOT A TASTE!" Lucario yelled much louder than necessary, "It's an attribute! Heck, if you dip a dry berry in water, what does it become? Wait, let me try that…"  
>Lucario snatched the berry Pikablu was eating and ran up to the nearby river where he dipped it in. When he took his hand out, the only thing in it was a faint hint of a purplish color as it had dissolved.<p>

"Guess that answers that" Pikablu said coolly, picking up another berry from the backpack, "Normally they just melt in your mouth."  
>"No! This answers nothing!" Lucario exclaimed while scratching his head in annoyance, "That… This… How… Argh!"<br>"… Anyway, when we find the trainer… How do we fight him?" Zerobi asked, ignoring her partner completely for once, "Do we battle one by one or all at once?"  
>"There's five of us, and I'll bet you anything he's got six Pokémon on him…" Pikablu answered the question that he felt a bit ashamed over not having given any thought to, "… So, that puts us at a disadvantage."<br>"Don't forget that two out of those six are Celebi and Kabutops!" the Gallade chimed in, "They'll be on our side!"  
>"Right…" Pikablu said, blinking rapidly.<br>"Wait… How exactly do you know he's got six Pokémon with him?" Lucario asked, remembering his many encounters with Brendan.  
>"It's illegal to carry more than six" Pikablu explained, "Extra Pokémon get sent somewhere… Or the trainer's sent to jail."<br>"… Really? Jail?" Lucario mumbled questioningly, "He doesn't get publicly executed or anything?"  
>"Haha…" Pikablu snickered as Zerobi smacked her forehead, "Nah… I think that'd be a bit too rough."<p>

Day 1  
>Evening<p>

Lucario and Zerobi were preparing their sleeping bags, when the Gallade and Pikablu got their belongings and started walking away.

"Wait, where're you going?" Zerobi asked, looking up from the ground.  
>"To the other side of that hill" Pikablu said and pointed to a grassy knoll a little further away, "No offense, but I'd appreciate it if I didn't wake up with one of you at my throat."<br>"None taken…" Lucario replied slowly, "I sleep light, so don't even think about extracting revenge for earlier, either..."  
>"Oh, I won't…" the Gallade muttered sarcastically, "Mr. Kills-Their-Opponents-For-Kicks!"<p>

A heavy aura began forming between the two of them, a remnant from and reminder of their earlier battle.  
>"… This is setting a pretty bad mood" Lucario mumbled before looking directly at the Gallade, "You, what's your name?"<br>"Not important" the Gallade replied quickly, "What is it?"  
>"Here, punch me in the face!" Lucario said sharply while pointing at his nose, "That'll make things even from before."<br>"… Even! Hahaha!" the Gallade started laughing, "But I totally manhandled you back there! We're far beyond even!"  
>"You two still on that?" Pikablu sighed with disappointment as Lucario clenched his fist, "Can you at least hide your animosity? We're supposed to be working together, you know…"<br>"Give them some time, they'll get over it" Zerobi assured him with a nod.  
>"Kabuta, are things cool between you two?" Pikablu asked, looking at the unusually silent Kabutops next to him, "You've been quieter than your old man since the fight."<br>"… Uh, yeah…" Kabuta whispered back while staring intently at Lucario, "… I'm cool."  
>Lucario was suddenly hit by an ominous feeling, and could not help but shudder a bit.<p>

Day 1  
>Night<p>

"Lucario…" Zerobi whispered while trying to pick up signs of life from the Pokémon beside her, "Are you awake?"  
>"Yeah" Lucario responded, getting pulled back from his half-sleeping state.<br>"… Quite a weird twist of fate, isn't it?" Zerobi said before shuddering bit as the cliché left her mouth, "I mean, not fate, but… You know what I mean."  
>"Gotta say, didn't imagine this happening when I woke up this morning" Lucario sighed, "Which, of course, is what every day's been like since I became a Lucario."<br>"I'm glad you're here at least, so if bad thing go down…" Zerobi whispered slowly, "… You'll be here, right?"  
>"… Yeah. I've got your back" Lucario replied while stifling a short laugh, "You've got my back, back?"<br>"Uh…" Zerobi mumbled as she remembered their last couple of fights and felt an explanation was in order, "Listen, I know I've been on the sidelines a lot lately, but-"  
>"Honestly? I'd prefer it if you stick with that" Lucario interrupted her, "I like it. Teaming up in a fight is such a mess."<br>"Well… Especially for me, with that blood issue…" Zerobi whispered while closing her eyes.  
>"Besides, you're pretty good support" Lucario whispered back, "You know, whacking the living heck out of my enemy when I'm down."<br>"Hmm…" Zerobi wondered for a moment, "… What about the medical care?"  
>"Actually, that ends now" Lucario replied sternly, "After what happened last time, I think I'd rather have that Kabuta thing try her luck."<p>

Day 2  
>Morning<p>

"So, Lucario…" Pikablu asked as he jumped over a small log block their way, "What's the deal with you?"  
>"Nothing much, on the run currently" Lucario responded nonchalantly before a quick shudder passed through him, "Being chased by the stuff nightmares are made out of."<br>"Uh, maybe we should've mentioned that earlier…" Zerobi said, "Yeah, Lucario's being hunted down by legendary Pokémon. Suicune, for instance."  
>"… WHAT!" both Pikablu and the Gallade exclaimed at the same time.<br>"There was that Raikou too, remember?" Lucario jumped in to clarify, "Oh, and some weird bird on two legs, I think…"  
>"Raikou! You've fought Raikou!" Pikablu repeated with apparent shock, "How'd you win!"<br>"We didn't" Zerobi said quickly before Lucario could respond, "His trainer showed mercy on us and let us go."  
>"… Huh. Never heard of that happening before…" Pikablu said as he calmed down, "He must've thought you were too weak to be worth the effort, or something…"<br>"I'll have you know…!" Lucario burst out before suddenly remembering that he wasn't able to land a single hit against either of them, "… I'll beat them, next time!"  
>"Hey, tell me what the trainer looked like" Pikablu said indifferently, "Maybe I'll fight him once this is all over…"<br>"Stick around, I'll bet you it'll be sooner than that" Lucario replied, somewhat relieved to see the Pikachu smiling in return instead of soiling himself in fear.

Day 2  
>Afternoon<p>

"Alright, I think my muscles've finally healed!" Pikablu chanted cheerfully while throwing his arms up into the air, "Let's train!"  
>"Same her, luckily I didn't take much damage from…" the Gallade started, before turning over to Lucario with a question, "… Hey, will you be joining us?"<br>"… Training?" Lucario said in a fairly low volume, "Should I bother training a body that's not even mine…?"  
>"Depends" Pikablu said, not really sure what he meant by 'not mine' but certain it was another joke that simply fell flat, "Do you plan on using it, or should we carry you the rest of the way?"<br>"Guess what? Some of us have to actually work hard to stay in shape!" the Gallade piled on with annoyance in his voice.  
>"You're constantly fighting for your life, and that's even a question?" Zerobi jumped on as well, "If it increases you chance of survival by even 1%, you should do it."<p>

"Fine!" Lucario shouted angrily, "Geez, cut me some slack over here! I'm still in mourning over all of this!"  
>"Sounds to me like you're still in whining" Pikablu said and shrugged his shoulders.<br>"Hey! I've been through heck recently, I've got the right to whine!" Lucario pointed out while gritting his teeth, "Like anything that bad's ever happened to you!"  
>Pikablu and Zerobi couldn't help but stifle a laugh at this, knowing that few things could compare to their sordid past.<p>

Day 2  
>Evening<p>

"A-A spar!" Kabuta stammered while pointing at Lucario, "Let's spar!"  
>"Spar? Still rarin' even after the training?" Lucario asked before jumping up to his feet, "I'm OK with that. It got my blood flowing, too."<br>"I won't go down as easily, this time!" Kabuta yelled confidently, the two of them walking off to the top of a nearby hill.  
>"Go easy on her, now!" Pikablu shouted while feeling that he should probably follow them, but ignored it as resting in the warm grass felt so comfortable after his grueling training session.<p>

A few minutes later, they were both struck by a case of uncanny reminiscence as Lucario was sitting on top of Kabuta once again.

"darn it! I don't get it…!" Kabuta growled pitifully against the ground, "Back home, I never lost a single battle… Especially not when it came to fighting types!"  
>"… You know, if I were to guess…" Lucario said in a calm manner, "I'd say it's because you've got an advantage over most people."<br>"… What?" Kabuta asked, not sure which part of her fighting style he was referring to.  
>"You're pretty eager to fight, and look quite intimidating" Lucario explained, leaning back on his living seat while using his arms for support, "Most people aren't looking for a fight. Already on that level, you've got an edge."<br>"But…" Kabuta said before trailing off.  
>"Me? I've fought many hard battles, and seen stuff that would curve your… You know what" Lucario continued, "To me, you're just another opponent."<br>"Just… Another opponent…" Kabuta whispered to herself, covering up a sad sigh.

The two of them sat on the hill and Kabuta for a few moments, watching the orange sun go down by the horizon.

"… Wait…" Lucario said after a long time of silence, "Could it be that you're fighting just because you look like that?"  
>"Huh?" Kabuta exclaimed, all too aware of what he was referring to, "W-What? No! My twin brother looks the same, and he's a complete lameass!"<br>"Always with the namecalling…" Lucario sighed, "You know, I get the feeling your animosity for your brother beyond sibling rivalry."  
>"Hmpf… " Kabuta huffed, wishing she could cross her arms lying down for extra effect, " Just sayin'… Had it been me, they wouldn't have gotten pops or cell."<p>

Again they became silent, both exhausted from the sparring as well as the earlier training. Both felt that they should be moving, but like Pikablu were simply too comfortable to bother.

"… Hey…" Kabuta whispered after yet another long silence, "Tell me about those battles."  
>"Uh… What battles?" Lucario asked.<br>"You know…" Kabuta said curiously, "The hardest!"

Day 3  
>Afternoon<p>

The wind was blowing across the plains, setting the strands of grass surrounding the quintet in constant motion, almost like a perpetual dance. It was then, out of nowhere that the Gallade suddenly stopped himself.  
>"Finally…" he said to himself, "… I've got one!"<br>"Where?" Pikablu asked hopefully.  
>"It's actually coming towards us" the Gallade responded, exhaling most of the air in his lungs as a strong feeling came upon him, "It's… Extremely powerful."<br>"Huh…" Lucario mumbled as a familiar sensation started creeping up on him as well, "Yeah. I sense it, too."  
>"Finally!" Kabuta exclaimed cheerfully, "Let's beat this thing and go home!"<br>"Wait…" the Gallade mumbled while closing his eyes and focusing harder, "Scratch that, it's ridiculously powerful… And flying!"  
>"… Flying? You sure?" Pikablu asked, rummaging through his memory banks and giving off a short snicker, "It's not Ho-Oh, is it?"<br>"Same level of power, I'd say…!" the Gallade muttered as he suddenly started feeling very hot.  
>"… What!" Pikablu exclaimed in startled surprise, "You're kidding!"<br>"I can attest to that… This one's outrageous!" Lucario chimed in, noticing that whatever it was had already exceeded the power of both Suicune and Raikou.  
>"Are you sure it's the one we're looking for?" Kabuta asked the Gallade, feeling that his word wasn't exactly the most reliable.<br>"Oh, sure, might just be someone taking a mortal god out for a stroll" the Gallade snapped angrily, "By the way, I sense someone on t-"  
>"I see something at the horizon!" Zerobi suddenly said, pointing to their left. Everyone turned their head, barely making out something appearing from behind a nearby mountain.<br>"That's the one!" the Gallade said while squinting his eyes, "I can't… Really see… Wait…"

Slowly the powerful creature began emerging by the mountaintop, slithering above it with a long body like a cobra creeping out of a snake charmer's basket. At first they thought they were seeing the full beast, but as more and more of the monster's body became apparent they could not help but gasp.  
>It was almost as big as the top of the mountain it was passing above. Moving through the sky with twisting movements was something that could not be described as anything other than a gargantuan flying serpent. Its body was shimmering with an emerald color, as well as markings that almost looked like warpaint. Long antler-like appendages stuck out of its head, and giant arms small in comparison to the rest of its body were at its sides.<p>

"W-What in god's name…" Lucario stuttered, barely able to comprehend the size of the humongous beast.  
>"That's…" the Gallade said slowly yet loudly, his ever present smile fading away, "… That's not what I think it is, right!"<br>"… Rayquaza…" Pikablu muttered to himself, "… Unbelievable."  
>"W-We're not fighting that thing, are we!" Zerobi said with a terrified shout, followed by a gasp. They all stood frozen as Rayquaza turned to the left, moving further away from their position.<br>"To be able to defeat Celebi and Kabutops, it'd have to be something like that" Pikablu explained, still staring in disbelief, "… But honestly, I never would've imagined…"  
>"Hurry, he's getting away!" the Gallade yelled, "The trainer's riding that thing! Whatever you're gonna do, do it now!"<br>"Tch, it can't be helped…!" Pikablu growled before becoming surrounded by several lightning bolts. Lucario stumbled back in shock as Pikablu shot out a large pillar of electricity towards the mythological monster.  
>Rayquaza remained on its course, not even noticing the attack before being struck by it. It went from shimmering emerald to lighting up like a beacon in the sky, shooting lightning in every direction.<br>"ARE YOU INSANE!" Zerobi screamed at Pikablu, "LOOK AT THAT THING! We'll be eaten al-"  
>Zerobi was interrupted by an incredibly powerful roar filling the sky, shaking them all to their very core.<p>

"… Hey, wait!" Lucario suddenly exclaimed, "I thought Pokémon couldn't eat each other!"  
>"Big mouth, tiny us…" the Gallade answered while trying his best to force a smile, "Although, I think a casual maiming's more likely."<br>"… He sees us…!" Kabuta whispered slowly, Rayquaza fixing a gaze into them so hateful that they could almost feel it.  
>"There's a trainer on Rayquaza's back…" the Gallade said quietly while listening with all his might, "He's saying something."<br>"Don't keep us in the dark, man!" Kabuta shouted, making the Gallade flinch from the change in volume.  
>"He's saying…" the Gallade muttered with a faint smile appearing on his face, "… He says that the brown one's built like a brick."<br>"… WHAT!" Kabuta bellowed, shaking with rage, "WHAT A BLOODY JERK!"  
>"How about telling us what he's actually saying?" Pikablu asked sternly.<br>"Hey, just trying to get her fired up for the battle…" the Gallade snickered weakly, "I can't hear anything from here, anyway."  
>"I think I know what he said" Lucario muttered with a snarky tone while the enormous adder turned around in midair and began rapidly descending on their location, "… Giant flying serpent aside, we probably should've seen this coming."<br>"Everyone, scatter!" Pikablu suddenly yelled, everyone splitting off in different directions as Rayquaza came rushing down at them. Before they knew it, its massive body was upon them as it swooped by the ground, causing extreme turbulence around it.  
>They all managed to avoid the humongous tackle, but it was so powerful that it was like if the air by the impact site had cracked and split in two. Simply being near it was enough to make the wind currents throw everyone into the air. Everyone managed to land safely, except for Kabuta who was the closest to the impact site and tumbled around after crashing on the ground.<p>

"You OK!" Pikablu shouted at his niece as Rayquaza soared up into the sky again.  
>"darn flying twister-spitting locomotive!" Kabuta responded cheekily while trying to regain her orientation.<br>"Whoa, that was bad!" Zerobi shouted, instantly rising to her feet, "If that thing hits us… How the heck're we gonna fight that!"  
>Lucario growled angrily when they all heard a voice echoing from above them, looking up to see Rayquaza come back for another turn.<p>

"Come on, Pikablu!" the Gallade shouted while keeping his eyes on their enemy, "We don't stand a chance against that thing! Use 50% or something!"  
>"… I can't!" Pikablu suddenly burst out, also staring into the sky, "That trainer's riding on Rayquaza's back! With an attack like that, he'll die for sure!"<br>"This isn't the right time to be going soft!" the Gallade yelled angrily as Lucario and Zerobi looked at each other with fear, "Let's take the risk!"  
>"No way! I'm not killing him!" Pikablu yelled back, glaring at his old friend.<br>"There's no other way!" the Gallade kept yelling as the giant serpent approached, "This is Kabutops and Celebi we're talking about, don't they mean more to you than some stupid human!"  
>"HOW D'YOU THINK SHE'S GOING TO REACT IF I KILL SOMEONE TO SAVE HER!" Pikablu roared with indignation, making both Kabuta and the Gallade twitch fearfully, "I... CAN'T... DO IT!"<br>"… darn it! These three aren't reliable at all!" Zerobi shouted hopelessly to Lucario, trying her best to not panic as Rayquaza was getting even closer, "Retreat!"

"Fine…" Lucario sighed with a bored tone, being the only one unaffected by Pikablu's explosion of rage, "Like usual, I have to do everything myself…"  
>Everyone started feeling to try to avoid the oncoming attack, running past Lucario who instead stood his ground and faced Razquaza.<p>

"LUCARIO! NO!" Zerobi screamed as she looked back and her blood curdled, seeing her miniscule partner quickly become completely overshadowed by the massive beast.  
>"RUN, YOU darn FOOL!" Pikablu roared, to which Lucario responded by running towards the diving Rayquaza. It had its mouth wide open with intimidating fangs showing, making him pray that his timing would not be off by even a split second.<br>Barely a few feet in front of the charging snake, Lucario soared into the sky above it with a mighty leap. The air was once again turn asunder from Rayquaza's tackle, a massive vortex of turmoil and destruction forming with strands of grass ripping out of the ground underneath them. Lucario could already feel the strong wind currents tugging at him, and braced himself as he reached out as far as he could towards his target.

Lucas had a tight grip of Rayquaza as he suddenly saw something unexpected approaching in the corner of his eye. Before he could react, the much larger Lucario slammed into him, forcing him to let go of his trusted Pokémon. The extreme wind current around them suddenly hit, as both him and the Lucario tumbled off Rayquaza's back and fell on the ground, their fall somewhat softened by the grass.

"LUCARIO!" Zerobi shouted, not seeing whether he was still in one piece or not.  
>"W-Whoa!" Kabuta screamed with a startled voice. "H-he attacked the trainer!"<br>"DO IT NOW!" Lucario yelled as loudly as he could, pinning down the panicking trainer underneath him.  
>"Haha, you crazy fool!" Pikablu shouted happily as he charged up, "Keep your head down!"<p>

Zerobi sighed out of relief as she saw Lucario keep the trainer pinned down beneath him, before suddenly getting hit by something from her side and getting pinned down herself.  
>"Stay down!" the Gallade shouted, ducking his head in her chest as Kabuta folded into herself like a Kabuto to create a protective armor.<p>

Closing his eyes, several gigantic branches of electricity escaped Pikablu's body as he sent all his electricity flying towards Rayquaza with a massive lightning strike. Rayquaza was struck by the lightning and lit up in a large thunderbolt, roaring loudly as the explosive noise made those on the ground cover their ears.

The brutal onslaught did not end there, Pikablu constantly sending more and more voltage into Rayquaza until it began losing height. Pikablu strained his every nerve as he kept the attack going, finally stopping himself when the last ounce of electricity left his body.

Rayquaza's body had turned a shade darker, making it look as if it had been covered in soot. Bulging sores formed across its body, but they were too small to be seen by the others from such distance. Rayquaza attempted to remain airborne and recover, but the paralyzing effect from the thunderstrike proved to be too much as it crashed down on the ground, creating a mighty shockwave around the impact site.  
>"Catch! Catch!" Lucas shouted as he hit Lucario reputedly in the face with an Ultra Ball, "Pokeball, GO!"<br>"Ouch! HEY! Stop it, or I'll bite your face off!" Lucario shouted, not caring whether the human could understand him or not.  
>"Why aren't you being caught…!" Lucas whimpered to himself before reaching down to his belt and pulling forward a can of spray, "Have a blast of repel!"<br>"Blast of wh-" Lucario started, but was cut off as he was blinded by a dose of the spray. In an instant, his face felt as if it was being corroded by an acidic substance. Lucario's expression contorted in pain before he fell back, Lucas quickly rolling away from him and started running off into the distance.

"So much for that…" Pikablu mumbled, seeing the trainer stop himself quite far away from them while still shaking from his attack.  
>"OW! YIKES!" Kabuta yelled out with a wince, having transformed back to her regular form, "Right in the face!"<br>"Tell me 'bout it…" the Gallade sighed, a new red mark having appeared on his cheek.  
>"He's not screaming…" Zerobi muttered while thinking back to all the times he had failed to use the aura, "That's a good thing, right?"<br>"… PAIN!" Lucario suddenly blurted out, using his hands to get the liquid off his face.  
>"Come on, it's kind of pointless to let the trainer get away now" Pikablu said, and everyone moved towards where Lucario was lying. Zerobi ran extra quickly, making it there before the rest.<br>"… You almost gave me a heart attack, you know?" Zerobi said while checking up on Lucario to make sure he was OK.  
>"Like I said, I'll always pick the human opponent…" Lucario responded, the corrosive sensation subsiding.<br>The two of them flinched as a gigantic emerald figure rose before them, positively dwarfing them. As intimidating as it had been from a distance, nothing could quite prepare them for the shock of seeing the hulking beast up close. The damage was showing on Rayquaza's body, but that did little to lessen their fear as it once again roared loudly.  
>"darn, it wasn't enough!" Zerobi shouted in a useless attempt to drown out the noise, grabbing a hold of the dazzled Lucario and running away from it.<br>"Never intended for it to be" Pikablu replied confidently, "I had to use up all my electricity in order to go to the next level.

Pikablu stared up into the rapidly darkening sky with a wide smile across his face.

"Now, hold on to your butts!"

* * *

><p>"... ANY wish, you say?"<p>

_"Hihihi! Of course!"_

"In that case... Grant me, Silver, IMMORTALITY!"

_"..."_

"..."

_"... Sorry, I-I'm not sure on how to do that..."_

"... LAME! You said ANY wish!"

_"B-But your body has already started decaying! I can't turn back time!"_

"Hmpf. Some wish-granter you turned out to be..."

_"... I can protect you! Make sure that no one ever kills you!"_

"Whatever, stop wasting my time."

_"No, wait! Make another wish!"_

"Alright. Give me money."

_"..."_

"..."

_"... What's 'money', again?"_

"That's it. I'm out of here."

_"Wait wait wait! I'll grant your wish, as long as I know what it is!"_

"What do you take me for, a sucker! Like I'd really find the Legendary Jirachi out here! It's such an obvious prank!"

_"B-But... I really AM Jirachi! I know I am!"_

"For starters, you can talk to me! No Pokemon can talk!"

_"B-But... I did it because you wished it!"_

"...?"

_"I-I can stop... If you wish it..."_

"... 'Jirachi'... Or whatever you're called... I have a third wish."

_"Great! What is it?"_

"Here. Get into this Pokeball."

_"...!"_

"What's wrong?"

_"... Celebi and Mew always told me to avoid those at any cost... That my life'd be over if I entered one..."_

"Can't do it. Typical. See, if you actually WERE a Pokemon, it wouldn't have been a problem."

_"Stop saying that! I am a Pokemon, Jirachi the wish granter! Let me grant your wish!_

"I wish you'd leave me alone!"

_"..."_

"..."

_"... Uh, save that one for later?"_

"You're the worst wish granter ever! Beat it!"

_"Make a better wish!"_

"NOOOO! Stop following me!"


	14. Young Prodigy Lucas

"To cause so much damage to Rayquaza…" Lucas whispered to himself while examining the burns of his Pokémon's back, "… Surely it couldn't have been that Pikachu!" His right hand thumbed the trusty Pokedex in his right pocket, but stopped when he realized he already knew exactly what it was going to say.

_Pikachu, the Mouse Pokémon, and the evolved form of Pichu. Pikachu's tail is sometimes struck by lightning as it raises it to check its surroundings._

The familiar voice of the computer fills his head together with many questions. Checking the Pokémon in front of him he realized that the only one capable of such an electric attack would be the Pikachu.  
>His thoughts were interrupted as a loud rumbling sounded above him. Looking up, he saw that the sky had been blotted out by several dark clouds that he was sure had not been there before.<br>The term 'struck by lightning' echoed through his head, the ominous clouds and his trainer's intuition forcing him into action.

"This looks bad…" Lucas whispered to himself as he decided to proceed with caution, "… Rayquaza! Use your Air Lock!" Rayquaza reared back and gave off a mighty roar, positioned between its trainer and the shaking quintet.  
>"Damn it, I always forget the earplugs!" Lucario shouted angrily as his eyesight returned.<br>Razyquaza roared loudly once more before sailing directly upward into the sky, leaving several confused Pokémon behind it. It moved at unbelievable speed for such a large body, reaching the clouds above it in a matter of seconds.

"What's it doing…?" the Gallade asked as it disappeared among the dark clouds.  
>"… Charging up now would be a bad idea, I think" Pikablu mumbled to himself, seeing only a faint figure of the massive snake among the clouds, "Everyone, get ready for the worst!"<br>Everyone braced themselves for whatever attack might pop out of the ominous gathering of clouds above them. Some were expecting a massive hyper beam, others fearing that a giant tidal wave would appear out of nowhere.

None of them were expecting that the clouds would suddenly start to fade away, Rayquaza becoming more apparent among them as it sat calmly in the sky.  
>"What the…" Pikablu whispered to himself with an unfamiliar sensation creeping up his back. Something he once would have defined as 'Fear'.<br>"Whew! I thought lightning was going to rain down, or something!" Zerobi said, sighing in relief.  
>"… Crap!" Pikablu shouted as Rayquaza showed no signs of leaving its spot up in the sky, "This is bad! I used up all my electricity, and I can't recharge if there's no lightning!"<br>"Y-You can't use thunder!" the Gallade stammered with surprise, "That's bad! Like, really, REALLY bad!"  
>"Oh…" Zerobi mumbled to herself while remembering teachings relating to electric-types, "… Oh! You were the one summoning the clouds?"<br>"Quick!" Pikablu yelled while turning himself towards Lucario and Zerobi, "You two, can you do something to knock Rayquaza out of the sky!"  
>"Hmm… Don't think I can jump that far" Lucario said slowly while pondering and scratching his chin, "… Or hit that hard. So no, probably not."<br>"Well, guess what!" Pikablu continued with rage, "Until Rayquaza cuts that out I won't be able to use 50%, I won't be able to use any electric attacks, I won't even be able to recharge a damn battery! Find a way to fix it, or fight this moron by yourself!"

"Hmpf…" Lucario huffed with a sinister smile while smacking his fists together, "That's all? Sounds perfect to me!"  
>"Yeah, cool it down a bit" Zerobi said and scratched her left ear, "Dunno what that trainer's got down his pants, but as long as it's not another Rayquaza we'll be able to kick their butts by ourselves."<br>"Hey! I'm in on it, too!" Kabuta jumped in with a confident voice, "Hell, we're all in on it! I didn't come all the way here to not fight, anyway!"

Lucas saw the odd gathering of Pokémon conversing with one another, most likely figuring out a strategy for defeating him. Pokémon strategizing and cooperating were rare, but not unheard of. He wasn't sure exactly what he had done to garnish such hatred from them, enough to have them attack something as large as Rayquaza just to get to him.  
>Knowing that Rayquaza was out of commission, Lucas removed a Pokeball from his belt. His trusted Tremor would have the type advantage against two of them, and probably be more than enough for the rest as well. Even so, he thought it would be a good chance for him to train some of his weaker Pokémon, as well as the extremely rare specimen he just recently caught…<p>

"… Fine. I'm putting my trust in you guys" Pikablu said begrudgingly, rapidly trying to come up with a battle plan beyond the usual 'lightning them until they fall'. It wasn't going good, since he had so little experience in the subject.  
>"… Is everyone ready?" he finally said, at a loss for words.<br>"I was born ready!" Kabuta shouted confidently, striking a battle pose with outstretched scythes.  
>"You were born kicking and screaming" the Gallade snickered while getting himself in position as well.<br>"You wouldn't know!" Kabuta snapped back, an image of a Gallade passed out on a bed flashing through her mind.  
>"… I'll take that as a yes" Pikablu groaned before turning his head towards the Lucario and Weavile, "You two… Are you ready, too?"<br>"I personally became ready during adolescence" Lucario responded with a chirp, "… Maybe a bit later… Doesn't matter now, I guess…"  
>"Hearing these guys talk, I'm as ready as I'll ever be" Zerobi sighed while carefully slapping her forehead, "Although for the record, I'd prefer <em>not<em> dying and winning instead!"  
>"Alright" Pikablu grumbled and gritted his teeth while crossing his arms in a very manly way, "Let's beat 'em up."<p>

As if on cue, Lucas threw a Pokeball into the air, followed by two others. A thick red light escaped the balls as they opened, three strange creatures forming in their wake. A blue Pokémon on two legs with two large fins sticking out of its arms was the first one to appear, directly in front of Lucas. The red color of the Pokeball never quite left its inhabitant, a humanoid creature that looked like a cross between a lobster and a dragonfly with both pincers and wings appearing to the left of the trainer.

The quintet's eyes mostly ignored these two and instantly hit his right, where the red light had grown to incredible proportions. As it disappeared, it left a truly gigantic Pokémon behind it. It was almost as large as Rayquaza, and its body was much like the finned creature's in shape, but much bulkier than either. Spikes protruded from its back and tail, and the body had a weak green color covering most of it.

"A… A Tyranitar!" Pikablu stuttered as his eyes shot open, "Damn it, why's everything going against me today!"  
>"So THAT's how he got Celebi!" the Gallade said while putting his arms together, "It's a Dark-type so I can't sense its strength, but I think it's pretty obvious…"<br>"Alright, I know who I'm NOT fighting" Lucario spoke clearly before looking over at the lobster humanoid, "Dibs on the bug-thingie."  
>"No! The Scizor's mine!" Kabuta shouted with a barely visible smile, "I've been swatting Scyther since I was clinging on to pops' back!"<br>"Damn it, I want to fight something human for once!" Lucario burst out as the stress started getting to him, "You take that landshark or whatever the hell it is!"  
>"Nope!" Kabuta repeated, her neck suddenly extending slightly to strengthen her determination in the matter.<br>"And you!" Lucario kept going while pointing at Pikablu, "What, you're just not gonna fight at all! Are you a mouse or a man!"  
>"That thing's a Dark and Ground type, so that counts out Pikablu and me" the Gallade calmly pointed out while shaking his head slowly, "We won't even be able to scratch it…"<p>

"Alright, here's the deal" Pikablu said, finished with his planning, "Kabuta, go for the Scizor. Cut him up fast. The Garchomp will be troublesome, but nothing compared to the Tyranitar…"  
>"Oh! I'll take that one!" the Gallade shouted happily as he sent a vicious glare to the Garchomp, "It'll be a pleasure to knock the ugly out of it!"<br>"… Anyway, we'll obviously have to leave the Tyranitar to Zerobi…" Pikablu continued.  
>"Wait, what?" Zerobi gasped, "Are you mad! I can't fight something that big!"<br>"We don't have a choice!" Pikablu said with determination, "You're a Dark and Ice type, you've got a better chance of beating it than any of us!"  
>"I'm not cut out for that kind of enemy!" Zerobi clarified, "I'm fast and nimble! That thing's not going to budge even if I land a critical hit!"<br>"Just dodge him, then!" Pikablu argued, "Keep him busy until we're done with our opponents, then we'll gang up on him!"  
>They were interrupted as the three Pokémon finally started moving towards them. The Scizor was flying a few feet in the air while the Tyranitar was walking with long, slow steps that seemed to shake the ground beneath them. The Garchomp was the only one walking almost like a regular human despite its odd appearance.<p>

"Zerobi!" Lucario shouted to his shaking partner, "In case you haven't noticed, we're **all** in a tight spot here! It's time to man up!"  
>"… Fine" Zerobi finally growled after looking over the Tyranitar carefully, "I can do that... Distract him, that is."<br>"Still…" Pikablu mumbled hopefully, "This should be easy."  
>"OK, exactly WHAT part of this looks like it's going to be easy!" Lucario yelled angrily, the opposing three Pokémon picking up the pace.<br>"We'll have an advantage" Pikablu quickly explained, "Three Pokémon, but only one trainer. He won't be able to direct more than one at a time."  
>"Hey, Lucario" the Gallade said while giving him a tap on the shoulder, "Team up with me. Let's lay the beatdowns on the Garchomp and defeat it quickly!"<br>"… Which one's the Garchomp?" Lucario asked, seeing that the Scizor was moving a bit ahead of the others.  
>"The ugly one" the Gallade said.<br>"Gonna have to be a bit more specific, there…" Lucario replied.  
>"Wait!" Pikablu suddenly shouted as a thought hit him, "I've got an idea!"<br>"Too late!" Zerobi shouted back, as their enemies were already upon them. She ran as fast as she could towards the hulking beast behind the others, while Kabuta ran next to her to get to the Scizor. Lucario headed towards the the Garchomp, and the Gallade was about to follow him when suddenly something grabbed a hold of his arm to stop him.

"Get over here!" Pikablu growled with a gruff voice while pulling back the surprised Gallade, "Quick! Use that sissy electric grab on me!"  
>"… The electrifying Fish Dive?" the Gallade asked, instantly forgetting his obligations to Lucario, "Oh, you mean as a substitute for the lightning?"<br>"Your wimpy electricity isn't enough to activate 50%!" Pikablu said with annoyance, "I'm completely empty, give me SOME electricity so I can use 25%!"  
>"Uh… 25% only boosts your speed, right?" the Gallade mumbled while looking at the gigantic Tyranitar and tough looking Garchomp behind him, "You sure it'll help?"<br>"Whatever!" Pikablu exclaimed while throwing his arms up into the air, "I'm not sitting on the sidelines like a bloody cripple!"  
>"… Right!" the Gallade said confidently as his elongated arms received a yellow glow, "Let me fill you up!"<p>

"Could you wait, like, a minute or two?" Lucario asked the Garchomp while looking back at a bolt of lightning suddenly appearing behind him, "My ally must've picked a fight with a mouse… And lost."  
>"No" was all the Garchomp said with a wheezy voice before lying herself down on her stomach.<br>"… I get it!" Lucario exclaimed, "You're one of those opposite-types! That say one thing but mean ano…"  
>Lucario stopped himself as the Garchomp began twisting her body around, slowly sinking into the ground with strands of grass and dirt flying all around her. He gasped as only the dorsal fin of stuck out from the grasslands, about to make another witty remark as she started diving down, disappearing completely as it dug deeper underground.<br>"… There!" Lucario shouted to himself as he sensed the aura of his enemy rapidly approaching from underneath. He quickly jumped out of the way as the Garchomp burst through the ground, sending gravel flying in every direction.  
>"Prepare for a nose dive!" Lucario shouted triumphantly as he leaped towards the Garchomp who was still oblivious to the fact that she had missed. Before Lucario could reach her, something hard struck his waist.<br>"Brace yourself, dipshit!" Lucario heard Kabuta's brash voice yell from behind him as he turned around, seeing that the Scizor had rammed him in midair. It flew off about a meter before getting pelted by several sharp rocks. Having been thrown off course, Lucario was forced to give up on his attack as he slowly fell towards the ground, seeing the gigantic Tyranitar fire off a large black sphere in the distance.

Zerobi spun around and leaped to the side as the gigantic stomp smashed down right next to her. The turmoil and disorientation of fighting a creature so large that it made her look like an insect did little to diminish her determination.  
>"You clumsy oaf!" Zerobi shouted with glee, inhaling and then exhaling a freezing wind that froze the ground beneath them. Joy filled her heart as the Tyranitar began slipping on the ice, but shattered together with the ice as it brought down its massive foot once more.<br>"How's this!" Zerobi yelled, again blowing a cloud of chill aimed directly at the Tyranitar this time.  
>"Tremor! Focus your Dark Pulse!" Lucas suddenly shouted, making Zerobi look his way. The Tyranitar reared back for a moment as the severe cold seemed to affect him, before suddenly spitting out a humongous ball of dark energy at Zerobi, who just barely managed to jump out of the way. Her heart was pounding loudly, instantly regretting having agreed to fight this monster. Her only hope was to wait until the others finished off their opponents, and she decided to take a quick peek at what was going on with them…<p>

"Come on, buzz some more!" Kabuta shouted while she bent over another nearby rock and cut it to pieces. The Scizor gulped audioably as Kabuta sent the sharp shrapnel flying in her direction. She tried to dive underneath them, but ended up getting struck by several of them before reaching Kabuta and punching her. To her surprise, Kabuta didn't even try to avoid the attack as the punch connected with her hard shell.  
>"You ain't got nothin' on me!" Kabuta laughed mockingly as the Scizor settled in the air once more, "I'm a stonewall! Much harder than you'll ever be!" The Scizor had been able to ignore the Kabutops' trash talking at first, but as the insults became progressively worse she found herself involuntarily raging.<br>"I said: Much harder than you'll ever be! Did you just deliver a baby from your earhole, or something!" Kabuta laughed with a horrendously vicious voice, "I'm twice the man you'll ever be!"  
>"You idiot!" the Scizor suddenly burst out, roaring with anguish, "I'm female, too!"<br>"Explains why in a million years I wouldn't wanna be with ya!" Kabuta kept laughing with a mocking tone, "I thought it was just because you were grotesquely ugly!"  
>"THAT'S IT!" the Scizor screamed furiously, landing on the ground and rushing towards Kabuta.<br>"Sarah! No!" Lucas shouted as he saw what was happening, but it was too late. The Scizor struck Kabuta directly in the face with a powerful blow, but she barely even budged.  
>"That hurt… Some" Kabuta admitted before throwing up her arms behind the Scizor, the scythes cutting up the wings on her back. The Scizor fell forward in shock as Kabuta leaned her head back.<br>"Plenty enough for me share it with you" Kabuta said before headbutting the Scizor so hard that she stumbled backwards, her brain shaking to the point where she couldn't stand on her feet anymore as everything darkened before her vision.

Meanwhile, the Gallade watched the many events unfold before him while Pikablu simply stood still with his eyes closed.  
>"So, about that whole 'Not sitting on the sidelines' thing…" the Gallade mentioned with a somewhat amused tone.<br>"… Shut up…" Pikablu growled, "I'm trying to make sense out of your stupid electricity…"  
>"… It's just electricity, right?" the Gallade asked, used to having his electricity get the lowest grade from Pikablu whenever it was used.<br>"A psychic type like you wouldn't understand…" Pikablu explained slowly, "… It's like having a stranger inside of you."  
>"WHOA, WHOA!" the Gallade shouted while rearing back in terror, "THAT bad! Sorry, man! I didn't-"<br>"If you have time to bust my chops, how about YOU assist them for a bit?" Pikablu mumbled angrily, opening his eyes momentarily to stare down the Gallade.  
>"I already am!" the Gallade responded cheerfully. Meanwhile, Lucario was about to be struck in the abdomen with one of the Garcomp's fins when a transparent wall of pinkish hue appeared between them, repelling the attack.<br>"Just so you know!" the Gallade shouted smugly, "If she aims for the face, I'm letting it through!" He was fully expecting another one of Lucario's witty comebacks, and felt just a little disappointed as Lucario jumped back from the Garchomp while seemingly ignoring him.

"T-Time out!" Lucario stammered between heavy gasps, "I n-need to c-catch…" The Garchomp moved closer and suddenly rammed him with her shoulder, sending him flying away from the powerful blow.  
>"Grace! Use Fire Fang!" Lucas yelled, breaking contact with the ongoing fight between Zerobi and tremors as well as Kabuta and Sarah. Lucario knew fully well what was coming when he saw tiny sparks appear in the Garchomps mouth, gnashing her teeth together in a menacing manner.<br>"T-This is bad...!" Lucario stuttered before shouting at the Gallade, "Can I get some help with this reverse Lucario!"  
>"Reverse… What?" the Gallade asked after running up to him, away from the preparing Pikablu.<br>"Yeah! I figured it all out!" Lucario explained with faint signs of insanity in his eyes, "See, it has got fins instead of spikes, and they're sticking out of his arms and back instead of hands and chest!"  
>"First of all, it's female" the Gallade said while the previous comment easily slipped through his mind while barely leaving a dent, "Second of all… What the hell did you just say?"<br>"Just an observation" Lucario said, "Here's another - We're going to have to deal with fire very soon."  
>"Hmm… Play with fire, and…" the Gallade mumbled as he recalled something, "… Oh wait, you're the one who told me that, right?"<br>"SARAH! RETURN!" a voice suddenly sounded from behind the Garchomp, a red beam striking the Scizor and returning it to the Pokeball in Lucas' hand.

"Hahahah!" Kabuta laughed triumphantly, "You fell for it! I was just pretending to be a jerk to get you to attack recklessly!"  
>"… And here I thought Kabutops were super rare…" Lucas whispered sadly while pulling out a new Pokeball from his belt, "Let's have a battle of the fossils!" Without hesitation he threw it into the air, making it open up and bringing yet another Pokémon into the battle. Lucario peeked over to Kabuta to see what kind of Pokémon it was, but had to scratch his eyes as thought he was seeing double.<br>"… Kabuta…?" Kabutops asked silently, surprised to all of a sudden be seeing his daughter in front of him.  
>"Kabutops!" both Pikablu and the Gallade shouted out loud, instantly recognizing their old friend.<br>"P-Pops!" Kabuta stammered in shock and relief, "Don't worry, we'll have this wrapped up in no time!"  
>Kabutops stood quiet for a long time, looking around him. He was a bit dazed from having spent so much time in the Pokeball, but having dealt with the massive disorientation of skipping a centure or two he was able to get a grasp of the situation quickly enough.<p>

"… Pikablu…" Kabutops said questioningly with hidden menace in his voice, "… Why is my only daughter fighting against a trainer strong enough to possess Rayquaza and defeat Celebi…?"  
>"Didn't know about that! Honestly!" Pikablu explained while trying to defend himself, "She was burning with determination, wanting to avenge you and Yakushi! Who was I to turn her down!"<br>"Yakushi…" Kabutops repeated as a glimmer of hope appeared in his eyes, "… Did he make it?"  
>"He's a bit hurt, nothing to worry about!" the Gallade laughed, "We're here to save you! Just stay put and we'll set you free!<br>"… Stay put…?" Kabutops mumbled to himself before brandishing his scythes, "… I don't think so…" His heart started pounding faster as he let off a deep primal growl, feeling himself become lost in a feral rampage. Shooting out a stream of water from his front, he flew backwards heading directly towards his trainer like a propelled jet.  
>"Y-YIKES!" Lucas stammered before quickly shooting a red line at the approaching Pokémon, "Kabutops, return!" Kabutops was hit by the beam and turned into a red light, which continued in its path towards Lucas and went past his neck before disappearing.<br>"Haaah…" Lucas exhaled deeply, almost falling to his knees in shock, "I hate using untrained Pokémon in battle…"  
>"Hey!" Kabuta yelled angrily while staring at the trainer, "You'll pay for what you did to p-"<br>"YOU THREE DONE WITH THAT YET!" Lucario bellowed loudly and interrupted her, "Do something! He's gonna kill her!"

The trio snapped out of their daze and turned towards Lucario. He was holding back the Garchomp's large fangs with his bare hands, bending backwards from the pressure and barely being able to stand his ground. Some of the fur on the left side of his torso had been burned off. More importantly, he was looking feverishly to his right, where the Tyranitar stood tall over a wounded Zerobi. She was crouched down to her knees, blood dripping down from her forehead.

"Gah…!" Zerobi coughed. She needed a moment to wipe the blood away from her eyes, but knew that the Tyranitar would strike the instant one of her hands left the ground. She winced as the thick fluid ran past her eyes, her vision turning hazy and red which reminded her of her blood induced haze from so many years ago. Looking up at the monster's head made it so much worse, as the blood was pouring into her sockets like it was a bucket. She tried her best to see what the Pokémon in front of her had planned, but finally looked down to get rid of the blood and was unable to notice the Tyranitar charging up yet another Dark Pulse.

A yellow flash of lightning passed her by, moving with a zig-zag motion on the ground before suddenly curving upwards. It hit the Tyranitar's jaw, forcing his mouth shut as the Dark Pulse to a stop as he reared his head back once more. Everyone stared at the peculiar scene as the bolt of lightning bounced back from the Tyranitar and landed a few paces away from the stunned Zerobi, a small shockwave of electricity appearing around it.

"I'm back, baby" Pikablu said confidently as the aura of lightning surrounding him slowly dissipated, and the hopes of victory for the quintet was regained.

* * *

><p><strong>"... And that's my plan. What do you think?"<strong>

"That... A-Are you serious!"

**"Deadly."**

"... I should have seen this coming long ago... Ever since those humans..."

**"I'll take your mumbling as a 'yes'. You'll start out as a lower ranked officer of course, but keep at it and you'll make general in no time!"**

"... Such arrogance! Where the hell is your confidence coming from!"

**"I spend the day defeating viscous monsters with my bare hands and sleep with many beautiful women at night. What do _you_ think?"**

"... I think this is a horrifying idea, and I am aghast that came to me about it."

**"You're strong. You know that they'll be coming for you, too."**

"... I am strong, but I bear no resentment towards humans. Leave."

**"Listen, you can either join me or die at my hands..."**

"...!"

**"... Is what those humans are going to tell you when they get here. If even that..."**

"..."

**"Me? I'm offering you a chance. One shot a glory, a triumphant fight for justice against this oppressing society!"**

"... And what if I refuse?"

**"Matters little, quite frankly. Even if you are too lazy to do anything for your brethren, there will never be a shortage of those that aren't."**

"Hmpf. I think you will be quite surprised at how many would label this insanity as... Well, insanity."

**"To a revolutionary, 'insanity' is but another badge of honor created by one's enemies!"**

"... If someone like you were to take advantage of this situation, there is no telling what might happen... The entire world might..."

**"The entire world WILL, my friend! This is the ultimate opportunity for change!**

"In that case... If I cannot persuade your evil with words, I must stop you by force!"

**"... Come on. Don't. It'll just be embarrassing."**

"Before your rise to power... Before the slaughter of a thousand innocent... Before your detrimental dictatorship... I will end it all here and now!"

**"End? Perhaps! It's the end... One that will be followed by yet another beginning! HAH!"**

"G-Gah...!"

**"... But not for you, it seems..."**


	15. Legendary Thunderbolt Pikablu

The ongoing battle between Lucario and the Garchomp came to an abrupt stop as both the combatants stared at Pikablu, trying to comprehend what had just happened.

"Holy sh…" Lucario whispered in disbelief, "That speed's unnatural!" It reminded him of a passing train, but with perfect coordination and much smaller size.  
>"It's called 25%, a technique he uses to…" the Gallade started explaining, but stopped himself, "… Actually, I should keep it a secret in case we need to use it to beat you up later."<br>"Still mad?" Lucario asked mockingly, feeling a bit more confident since Pikablu was on their side.  
>"You've seen better days, by the way" the Gallade chirped while looking over the burnt off fur on Lucario's left chest and shoulder, "Need any backup?"<br>"Nah" Lucario replied cockily, his confidence growing to match his pride, "This one's slow and predictable, I'll have this wrapped up in a few minutes… I've totally got this."

"You…" the Tyranitar finally said, speaking with an unexpectedly light and low voice, "… What are you…?"  
>"In retrospect, I probably shouldn't have wasted all my electricity by going for 50% right away…" Pikablu said menacingly as the aura of lightning appeared and surrounded him once again, "… And in retrospect, you probably should have surrendered five seconds ago."<p>

A trail of electricity followed Pikablu as he approached the Tyranitar at blinding speed. The giant beast remained still, not flinching the slightest while taking several hits from Pikablu across the lower parts of its body.  
>"… Weak…" the giant beast said, Pikablu running several meters away from it before suddenly launching back like a slingshot, ramming the back of the Tyranitar's left leg. He stifled a shocked noise as his leg bent itself, forcing him to land on his right knee for support.<p>

The moment the knee touched the ground, Pikablu ran up the body of the Tyranitar like an arrow of lightning and headbutted his chin. The blow was so hard that the Tyranitar tipped over and fell back, Pikablu soaring up into the sky before landing behind him.

"Skin's tough, all right…" Pikablu scoffed while spitting on the ground, "Let's see if your eyeballs are the same."  
>Pikablu charged himself up by taking a step back, but his valiant dash towards the Tyranitar was abruptly halted as the electricity surrounding him suddenly disappeared, making him trip and land on his face.<p>

"… Oh hell… Already out of electricity…" he mumbled with an embarrassed tone as he rose to his feet and looked back at the Gallade, "Your voltage's pathetic!"  
>"Hey, I'm not even supposed to have ANY voltage!" the psychic type responded, "Why don't you just hit that Tyranitar with an Aura Sphere or something else you can't do?" The familiar term made something click in Lucario's head as he pondered trying to use it once more. The pondering was cut short when he looked over the Garchomp and understood just how badly he would get beaten if it failed this time.<br>"Can't risk it..." he whispered to himself, the Garchomp seemingly preoccupied with staring at Pikablu with surprise.

Lucas exhaled a large amount of stressed air now that the Pikachu's unexpected attack had ceased. He started wondering if the strong being was a legendary Pokémon in disguise, but had to stop himself when he noticed that there was a more pressing matter at hand.

"A Weavile… Dark and Ice…" Lucas whispered to himself while looking at Zerobi, fingering his Pokedex once more without actually using it, almost as if he was draining the knowledge out of it. He realized that out of his three remaining Pokémon, two were extremely weak against this particular duo of types, and the third wasn't a prime candidate either.

However, a wave of relief washed over him just as he realized exactly who his remaining Pokémon was.

"It's time…" Lucas said, pulling out a very large Pokeball in the colors of white and black, "I'm counting on you, Celebi!" Instead of throwing this Pokeball, he held it between his two hands and somehow managed to open it, a green light leaking out of it and enveloping itself into a circle in the middle of the air.

The green light faded, but was replaced by an even more radiant one from the being underneath. Instantly reminding them all of a blooming sapling, she was small and had a simple form, but every inch of her being seemed to be a work of art and purity. Zerobi and Lucario were both positively stunned, while Pikablu genuinely smiled for the first time in forever at the familiar sensation.

As if someone had released a cloud of endomorphines into the air, everyone in the area suddenly started feeling a notch better than earlier. Lucario's burnt torso stopped aching, Pikablu's torn muscles were put under less pressure and Zerobi had something to think about besides her bleeding forehead.

"W-What an insane presence…!" Lucario whispered to himself, stifling a gasp when Celebi slowly moved the eyelids covering up her beautiful sapphire eyes, so deep and that he did not even know how to stop himself from becoming lost within them.

Zerobi was unaffected by the whole ordeal, but could not help but notice just how much of an impact it had on the rest. It struck her more on a mental level, recognizing the legendary being from the many fan arts she had seen in her occult magazines. No matter how vibrantly they had been painted, she felt that they did not do the actual creature even a hint of justice.

Celebi viewed the area with a surprised look on her face, remaining completely stationary in midair save for some subtle floating movements.  
>"Celebi!" Pikablu shouted happily, making her look at him with her calm sapphire eyes. Their eyes locked for a few moments as Pikablu awaited some kind of response, but was given none.<br>"We're here to save you, and that Weavile over there…" Pikablu continued while nodding over in Zerobi's direction, "… Claims to be your sister, Zerobi!"  
>"I… I never said I was her sister!" Zerobi corrected Pikablu, not wanting to anger the magnificent legendary in front of her with dishonesty, "I'm just named Zerobi, and never knew my biological parents…"<br>She felt a bit disappointed as Celebi looked at her for but a second before looking away in another direction.

"Hey…" the Gallade mumbled while looking at the silent yet curious Celebi, "… Is she alright?"  
>Celebi stared spookily at him with a dazed expression, as if she had no idea of what was happening.<br>"Celebi!" Lucas shouted while pointing determinedly at Zerobi, "Use your Miracle Eye on the Weavile!"

Celebi looked back at her trainer, then slowly followed his hand and fastened her eyes on Zerobi who got nothing but an ominous feeling from the whole situation. Celebi blinked once before strange multi-colored lines suddenly appeared around her, almost making the whole thing look like a shoddy drawing.

"What the… It's the Miracle Eye!" the Gallade shouted in disbelief, "Something's wrong, alright!"  
>"Celebi! It's us!" Pikablu shouted while needlessly pointing to himself, "Your friends! Your sister! And some Lucario who's not half bad!"<br>"She doesn't recognize us!" Kabuta yelled with confusion, "But… Being brainwashed by a Pokeball… I thought it was just some urban legend!"

"… Crap!" Pikablu exclaimed angrily before turning his head to his left, "Zerobi, run!"  
>"Don't worry, I'm a Dark-type!" Zerobi replied with faked confidence, "No matter how strong, I'm completely immune to-"<br>"That's the Miracle Eye, it'll make you vulnerable to psychic attacks!" the Gallade explained as the lines around Celebi started spinning around and twisting themselves in inexplicable motions, "If that one gets you, it's all over! She'll toss you around like a ragdoll!"  
>"YOU DIRTY %#! YOU DIRTY %#!" Pikablu repeated loudly and desperately, "%#! %#!"<br>"Dude, what the hell?" Lucario asked with a disgusted look, completely snapping out of his pleasurable trance, "How's that going to help?"  
>"Damn it, I'm trying to jog her memory!" Pikablu shouted back while clenching his fists in despair, "This can't be… What's happened to her!"<br>"W-We're not fighting Cell, are we…!" Kabuta stammered, the pleasurable emotions from earlier being replaced by sheer terror, "Oh, man… This is bad…"

A loud noise from Celebi signaled that the attack was finished, the lines coiling themselves behind her like snakes ready to strike at their target. Celebi's emotionless face was telling them nothing of what she might be thinking.

"How do I dodge it!" Zerobi yelled while being taken aback by the strange nature of the attack.  
>"Too late! Here it comes!" Pikablu shouted, hating himself for being able to do nothing to prevent the rapidly approaching tragedy.<p>

The lines all left Celebi in an instant, shooting through the air like colorful laser beams. Zerobi did not even have time to blink as the beams curved around and raced towards her, aiming directly for the open wound on her forehead before passing over it. Everyone gasped collectively as the beams instead kept going, instead hitting the Tyranitar behind her.  
>The Tyranitar took a step back in surprise, glowing in various colors as the beams remained connected with him and seemed to fill him with their energy.<p>

"I… I feel it!" Lucario suddenly shouted as a familiar sensation came upon him, "That thing's getting an aura!"  
>He then almost choked on his own spit as the gigantic Tyranitar lifted off the ground, quickly boosting up through the air like a rocket.<br>"Not again!" Lucas yelled with shock before shaking the black Pokeball in his hands, "Celebi, come on! Return!"  
>The recall was instantaneous, the green beam hitting Celebi in the back before anyone could react. However, the moment before transforming into the green light, Zerobi could've sworn that Celebi turned her head and looked at her with a warm smile on her face.<p>

"Oh, crap…" Lucas whispered to himself as looked up and realized his mistake. Like a meteor from outer space, the Tyranitar had entered the lower parts of the stratosphere and was ready for a hasty crash landing. Lucas fumbled with finding space for the large Pokeball in his hands while trying to locate the right one to recall his Pokémon, but couldn't do it in time.

The Tyranitar smashed into the ground, crushing several layers of dirt and creating a massive hole where it landed. The ground shook with an extremely loud crash, but even so the sound wasn't enough to drown out the collective cheering from the quintet.

"EAT DIRT!" Lucario yelled triumphantly.  
>"SUCK ON THAT!" Zerobi shouted happily.<br>"HAHAHA! YOU'RE THE BEST, CELL!" the Gallade laughed, clutching his sides.  
>"Celebi…" Pikablu mumbled while smiling to himself, "… Pretty awesome display, right there..."<br>"Lucario! She looked at me!" Zerobi said cheerfully while looking at her friend, "That was Celebi, and she totally smiled when she looked at me!"  
>"Maybe she was actually aiming for you and just missed?" Lucario pointed out, making Zerobi visibly cringe.<br>"Don't be a jerk" Pikablu chuckled, "Celebi's on our side. Also, clever."

Meanwhile, Lucas' patience was rapidly running out. Both of his newly caught Pokémon had instantly turned on him, making him feel less secure of victory as well as his capabilities as a trainer.

"Rayquaza!" he shouted with all his might up into the air, "Cancel the Air Lock! Come down here and finish them off! Garchomp, take out the Lucario as quickly as possible!"  
>"Uh… Oh cr-" Lucario started, but was interrupted as he dodged a tiny explosion of fire to his right, formed by the mouth of the advancing Garchomp.<br>"… Finally" Pikablu said with relief as the darkened clouds above them started appearing again, "All of you, get down. Leave everything to me." The Gallade and Kabuta instantly hit the deck, leaving Zerobi standing in confusion.  
>"He's not kidding, you know!" the Gallade yelled which made Zerobi reluctantly lie down, not wanting to get involuntarily tackled and groped again. Rayquaza landed on the ground, roaring with all its might as Lucas thanked his earplugs and recalled his trusted Tremor into a Pokeball.<p>

A flash suddenly filled everyone's vision as lightning came down from the heavens above and struck Pikablu. Lucas felt all his fears become confirmed when a spiky blue aura of electricity ran around Pikablu, stray bolts of lightning flying in every direction.

"GRAAAH!" Pikablu screamed loudly, suddenly shooting out a great wall of thunder at Rayquaza who coiled itself up to braced itself as best it could. Pikablu did not wait for confirmation of a hit before also throwing a massive pillar of light in its direction, as well as several streams of lightning of varying size.

When it was over, Rayquaza was still coiled up, seemingly unharmed by the attack. Pikablu drew a heavy sigh, smiling while the serpent tried one last time to raise it upper body but instead toppled over and landed on the ground, no longer mobile.

"R-R-R-R…" Lucas stammered in shock over what had just happened, "R-RAYQUAZA! No way!"  
>"It's over" Pikablu snickered confidently, "Let's finish this. Line 'em up, I'll knock them out."<br>"Oh… Oh my…!" Zerobi stammered in shock, looking up from her lying position.  
>"Yeah, that's right! Behold!" Pikablu yelled triumphantly, "This is the power that six years ago overwhelmed even the Legendary Celebi! You think YOU'VE got a chance, loser!"<br>"Lucario!" Zerobi suddenly yelled while standing up, shattering Pikablu's triumphant moment. Their eyes turned over to the Garchomp who was standing over the defeated mess that was a crouched over Lucario, now missing fur with reddened diseased-looking skin showing through all over his body. One of his eyes were closed, a particularly nasty burn covering the left side of his face.

"… Guys…" he whimpered pathetically while trying to raise himself with his arms, "… I don't got this…"  
>"Stand up" the Garchomp growled with a deep, cold voice before moving closer.<br>"L… Lucario!" Kabuta yelled with a terrified voice, seeing several scars all over Lucario that she hadn't noticed before, "What the hell happened!"  
>"T-This thing's a bloody monster, that's what happened!" Lucario responded with a shaky tone, "I roundhouse kick it in the head three times, and it doesn't even give a damn!"<p>

Meanwhile, Lucas could feel himself trembling. Never would he have imagined that Rayquaza could be defeated so easily, and by a wild Pikachu no less! Years of training Pokémon told him that it was simply not possible, at the very least not natural.  
>For a moment he analyzed the Pikachu's actions so far, and in a split second remembered another particularly powerful Pikachu he had come upon during his travels. He also remembered the one thing that the other Pikachu had despised more than anything else, and finally came up with a possible solution that would bring him victory.<p>

"Worth a try…!" Lucas mumbled while signaling for his Pokémon, "Grace! Come here, I've got an item for you!"  
>"Don't bother, it won't have time to use it" Pikablu said sinisterly, "Unless it's a Focus Band… Which just means more fun for me!"<br>The Garchomp moved back to her trainer who took a small object out of his backpack. Skillfully attaching a string to it, he climbed up the Garchomp's back.  
>"You're doing great…" Lucas said with a reassuring voice while putting the string around her throat, "… But leave the Lucario alone from now on. It's down for the count."<br>Lucas finished tying the item around the Garchomp's neck and gave her a pat on the head.  
>"I know I can trust you, girl…" he told her as he jumped down, "We've been through worse together. Remember, I'm behind you all the way!" The garchomp gave off a low growl, something like a smile appearing on her face.<br>"Hah! Not unless you want to get charred, too!" Pikablu laughed, but his own smile quickly faded when he saw what item the Garchomp had been equipped with.

A Thunderstone.

"… That's…" Pikablu muttered, once more feeling his heart and hopes sink, "… Oh shit…"  
>"What?" the Gallade asked, recognizing the hopeless tone in his voice all too well, "Damn it, stop sounding so pessimistic!"<br>"… I'm out" Pikablu muttered before shouting at the Gallade and Kabuta, "You two! Get ready to fight!"  
>"OUT!" Zerobi shouted, "Explanation, please!"<br>"If I get near that stone, I'll evolve into a Raichu" Pikablu explained with his eyes firmly closed, "My worst nightmare aside, I won't be able to use 25% or any of that stuff anymore… Ever."  
>"Why!" Zerobi asked hopelessly as a thought hit her, "Does it matter! Just hit it with lightning from a distance!"<br>"As a Raichu my electricity will be stored in my tail, and maybe even become stronger…" Pikablu said while thinking to himself, "… But that won't matter. It's a Ground-type, so thunder doesn't affect it, anyway."

"Whatever" Kabuta said while shrugging her shoulders and trying to act cool, "We'll show this idiot what happens when you pick on Lucario!"  
>"Yeaaah!" the Gallade chimed in cheerfully, "Except for the Lucario thing! I don't care! But you do! So <em>YEAAAH<em> anyway!"  
>"Hmm…" she muttered as she saw Lucario collapse on the ground from exhaustion, "Let's hurry!"<br>"No, like, seriously, why do you even give a crap?" the Gallade asked curiously, "Don't tell me… You actually like him!"  
>"He's got you beaten out by fifty million points in my 'like' department" Kabuta replied sarcastically, "... And no, that still doesn't mean that I like him."<br>"So you say…" the Gallade said, trying to think of the most infuriating thing he could tease her with, "… Hah! But it's obvious that you're in love!"  
>"W-WHAT!" Kabuta stammered angrily as she was at a loss for words, "Shut your mouth! Shut it 'bout things you don't know nothing 'bout…"<p>

The two of them walked towards the Garchomp, Lucario still not having been able to rise to his feet. The Garchomp walked towards them as well, and Lucario cowered as she was upon him. But instead of kicking him when he was down, she just walked past him, completely focused on the two enemies in front of her.

"So, yeah, you hold her off while I charge up" the Gallade said while taking several steps back, "Then I hit her with my best shot, we celebrate, you can be together with your love, Pikablu with his… And Kabutops too, I guess."  
>"I'll hold her off for sure" Kabuta responded confidently, extracting what little value she could find in what he had just said, "I'm a stonewall, after all." They both felt surprisingly calm as the Garchomp approached.<br>"By 'love', I don't mean your dad, by the way" the Gallade added, hoping to get Kabuta raging for the fight.  
>"Shut the hell up!" Kabuta roared with a fire igniting in her eyes, showing the Gallade that his mission was a success, "Graah! Come over here already, I'm pissed and I'm gonna kill you!"<br>"Grace! Use Crunch!" Lucas suddenly yelled, making the Garchomp leap towards them. Kabuta jumped in front of her with scythes outstretched, ready to absorb the blow. The supposed tackle canceled itself, the Garchomp instead using her massive fangs to grab a hold of Kabuta's right arm.

"Kuh…!" Kabuta growled as her arm was put under crushing pressure. The jaws of the Garchomp provided her with more pain than anything she had ever felt before. She did her best to remain tough and not scream.  
>That's when the Garchomp started twisting her head around.<p>

"G… GAAAHHH!" Kabuta screamed as she felt the bones in her arm loosen from their sockets with each powerful pull.  
>"K-Kabuta!" the Gallade stammered frightfully, the glow around his arms growing stronger as his attack charged up.<br>"MY ARM'S BEING PULLED OFF!" Kabuta cried loudly, trying to knock off the Garchomp but not even being able to make her budge. Instead, the Garchomp picked Kabuta off the ground with her hands, increasing the pull on Kabuta's arm.  
>"Do something, for crying out loud!" Pikablu roared at the Gallade, who instantly ran up to the Garchomp with brutal uninhibited steps instead of his usual dance-like maneuvers.<p>

On his way there, he saw the defeated Lucario creeping up behind the Garchomp, before suddenly climbing up her back in a clunky motion. She noticed this and started twisting harder to get him off, only causing Kabuta to scream louder.  
>"<strong>Aura…<strong>" Lucario mumbled to himself as he pressed as much of his body as possible against the violently rocking Garchomp, "… **EXPLOSION!**"  
>He closed his eyes, expecting to be met by the most painful experience in his life, but was instead met by both disappointment and slight relief as nothing happened. The sensation for activating the aura was within him, but for some inexplicable reason he simply could not get it moving.<br>"Oh, you useless piece of bod-" Lucario groaned, his arms failing him as a particularly powerful motion from the Garchomp tossed him in front of her, making him crash down on the ground where he remained still.

A loud snap was suddenly heard from Kabuta's arm, making her stop crying as a sinister smirk formed by the sides of the Garchomp's open mouth. Kabuta stared up into the sky in shock, unable to comprehend what had just happened. She fainted, her left arm falling by her side and her right scythe falling down on the ground beneath her.

A single explosion of blood sprayed the two of them from the open wound, dripping down their bodies. The Gallade roared madly in an uncharacteristic move, crossing his arms in the shape of an X as he approached the Garchomp with a speed comparable to Pikablu's 25%. She dropped Kabuta and moved her head back in surprise as the Gallade made a small leap, striking her directly on the throat with his glowing arms, flames erupting from where the blow connected and engulfing her head in fire.  
>The Gallade did not even have time to land before the Garchomp's head came back, headbutting him so hard that he flew back and landed on the barely conscious body of Lucario.<p>

"H… Ha… Ha ha ha…" the Gallade snickered weakly with a very dazed mind, "Strong against… Fire, huh…?"  
>He coughed a bit before looking over at Kabuta, her right arm missing and the grass around her having turned red. With a faint glimmer of hope, he looked up to see if his attack had destroyed the rope holding the Thunderstone around her neck, but saw that it was still as intact as ever.<br>"Sorry, Kabutops… You were right…" the Gallade mumbled sadly while looking at the dismembered Pokémon in front of him, "In the end, I'm nothing but a failure…"

"Grace! Be more careful!" Lucas yelled out, relived that he was finally winning but still disgusted at what he had just seen, "There's a limit to how much the Pokecenter can do!"  
>"Zerobi!" Pikablu yelled accusingly, "What the hell are you playing at! That thing's extremely weak against Ice!"<br>"B-But…" Zerobi stammered, shaking a little as the horrific display reminded her a little too much of her own past, "… She's so strong!"  
>"SHUT UP!" Pikablu roared, exploding into a frighteningly large aura of lightning, "My niece just got her arm pulled off, my best friend is about to die and there ain't nothing <em>I<em> can go about it! You wanna trade places!"  
>"… Yes?" Zerobi asked hopefully before sighing and shaking the cowardly thoughts from her mind, "Alright, damn it, I'll see what I can do!"<p>

Not wasting another moment, she ran towards the Garchomp at high speed, flinching as she noticed that the Garchomp was positively covered in Kabuta's blood.  
>"Pretty clumsy way of dismembering someone, if I say so myself…" she said in an attempt to make herself seem confident instead of deathly afraid, "A clean cut doesn't leave as much of a mess."<br>However, the Garchomp responded only with silence as she lounged at Zerobi, jumping over the bodies of Kabuta, Lucario and the Gallade.

"You ARE slow…" Zerobi admitted, exhaling a cloud of cold at her. The Garchomp felt a freezing sensation hit her side before suddenly noticing that she was slowing down, the cold covering her entire body like a shell of ice and reaching into her very bones like the coldest winter's night.

"Too easy!" Pikablu shouted triumphantly, "Cut 'er open and finish it off!"  
>"… I can't!" Zerobi shouted back, standing as frozen as the living icicle in front of her, "I'll get her blood splashed on me!"<br>"You've got to do something!" Pikablu yelled, "Just leaving it frozen isn't gonna cut it!"  
>"… I'll punch it!" Zerobi responded, clenching her hands into fists.<br>"No!" Pikablu shouted, "Look at Lucario and Galls! She's got some kind of shock resistance, they couldn't even hurt it with blows!"  
>"Damn it!" Zerobi screamed angrily, "It wasn't supposed to come to this!"<br>"Stop freaking out, for crying out loud!" Pikablu bellowed with unparalleled rage, "You're the only one left! Do it or we're all done for, and I SWEAR I'll kill you myself!"

Zerobi clenched her fists harder in despair before suddenly feeling something hit her shoulder. Looking behind her, she noticed that Lucario was standing to her side, and as a reflex scanned his arm to make sure that there was not a single drop of blood on it.

"… Ugh…" Lucario groaned, struggling to keep to his feet, "Just do it, already…"  
>"It's… It's not just that I'm scared!" Zerobi replied, "If I get blood on me…"<br>"You won't have to!" Lucario kept going, sounding a bit stronger than at first, "Cut it fast enough and you won't get any on you!"  
>"… Fast enough…?" Zerobi repeated, feeling slightly more confident at the thought.<br>"Cut 'n run!" Lucario said, "Do it fast enough and you'll be fine!"  
>"I'll…" Zerobi whispered to herself, seeing how the Garchomp was starting to thaw out.<br>"Or, you know, don't do it and get publicly executed instead…" Lucario reminded her, smiling a bit before resuming his confident demeanor, "… Only you can beat that thing. If that's not reason enough for you to d-"

A slight noise suddenly came from the Garchomp, making Zerobi's determination return and her desperation soar. Instantly she leaped towards the Garchomp, creating a single powerful slash across its abdomen while still running past it.

Stopping herself a few feet away from the Garchomp, she kneeled down without even looking back. Suddenly, the Garchomp gave off a gurgling sound, lowering her head and seeing a red gash of blood over her chest. For half an instant her panicked mind felt dirty and tried to wipe it off herself, before the pain hit in and she slowly became unconscious. The body of the Garchomp landed in a patch of grass that was soaked with her own blood, much like the Weavile that had defeated her.

Lucas gasped. Seeing his trusted friends go down one after one felt like a noose tightening around his neck. His breathing started coming harder as he hyperventilated, fear clouding up his mind while staring at the monstrous Weavile before him. The blood flowing out of Grace made him sick to his stomach, making him recall the earlier dismembering of the Kabutops… Its shrill screams, begging for mercy as he tried to tell her to stop…

What struck him even harder was the knowledge that it was his failure as a trainer that caused this. He had let his Pokemon run wild and maim a wild Pokemon, he had been negligent of the Pikachu's capabilities for too long, and he had sent his very best friend against a type that she was extremely weak against.

Celebi and the Kabutops had been right. He was no trainer. Attempting to stand up to run away one last time, exhaustion finally overtook his body as he blacked out.

"He's…" the Gallade said while trying to stand up, "… He's down!"  
>"YES! HAHAHA!" Pikablu gave off a prideful and loud laughter, "We did it! We won! Victory is ours!"<br>"Way to go, Zerobi!" Lucario yelled, the happy feelings of having won turning his joy into actually feelings of being a professional coach. He ignored his pain and smiled brightly at his partner, who still had her back turned to him. Her black and unusually red back…

"… Blood…!" Lucario exclaimed, angry at himself for not having noticed it sooner. Zerobi stood where she landed after the final attack, her body covered with tiny speckles of blood from the Garchomp. She wasn't saying a word, but was instead shaking profusely.

Lucario got worried and tried to run to her, noticing just how badly damaged his right leg had become from fighting the Garchomp. Whether it had been the constant fiery attacks or the fact that his roundhouse kicks might as well have been directed at a brick wall he did not know. All he knew was that if someone was to happen to Zerobi now, he would…

"… Zerobi…?" Lucario slowly asked, patting the shoulder of his partner.

In an instant she spun around with a claw outstretched, cutting through his throat with a quick slash. Blood splayed across the field as time seemed to stop all around them. Pain filled Lucario's head while a gargling sound escaped his throat as he tried to draw breath, but the passageway to his lungs had been completely severed and he began choking instead. He felt his warm blood running the fur on his neck, holding up a hand in a futile attempt of stopping the flow. Falling to his knees from the lack of air, all he could do was stare deeply into the eyes of the smiling Weavile in front of him.

Inside of them, he noticed that there was something unusual.

Nothing.


	16. Remorseless Wraith Zerobi

They were all staring at her. Some with fear, others with confusion. Lucario seemed to be one of the latter.

Nothing out of the ordinary. She had seen this look before. At long last she was showing her true colors, and this is all she gets? A dumb stare? What would his expression be like if she had cut the tendrils in his legs and left him out in the snow, where he would catch cold and die? How would he react if she slipped and gave him a push at the top of a cliff, sending his body to be smashed and broken against the unforgiving ground? She wanted to know, and for barely an instant wished she had not struck a killing blow so quickly.

Looking behind her, she noticed that nothing was the same anymore. Surely these meaningless bundles of life were not something she once considered to be friends! She had been betrayed before, she would be betrayed again. Seeing the faces they were all giving her, she knew this to be nothing less than a fact.

Which one would bring the most blood? Which one would bring the best? In her mind, she saw herself peeling the shell off the Kabutops to feast upon her insides, decapitating the Gallade just like the one from so many years ago and evolving the Pikachu with the Thunderstone before cutting his tail off. Lucario, Celebi… None of it mattered anymore.

In this haze of blood and pleasure, it seems that the only thing that remained the same was her. Her claws had the same form as they had always had, with the minor difference of being drenched in blood.

This sight, unlike any other brought back memories of her days in the Cerulean Cave, living every day to the fullest. To think that ever since so long ago, her claws had been clean! So much time had been wasted in the cavern north of Snowpoint City, sitting there all alone for years upon years, reading silly magazines when she could have easily been engulfing herself in the sweet nectar of life.

But somehow… Looking at her claws, positively drenched in what she craves and desires… Fills her with nothing but emptiness. The more she took them into herself, the less joyful she became. The claws that she had kept unsullied for so long had become corrupted once more, even after she had promised herself so many times that it would never happen.

Eyes fastened upon the blood feeding her, she began to walk. Walking away from the catastrophe she had caused. Walking towards salvation from this self-inflicted nightmare.

* * *

><p>"Oi! Lucario!" the Gallade screamed while trying to stop Lucario from convulsing, "Shit! He's a goner!"<br>"ZEROBI!" Kabuta howled in rage, stumbling to her feet with only one arm and running after the being drenched in blood.  
>"Let her go!" Pikablu shouted, "We need to free Celebi! She can help him!"<p>

* * *

><p>I can hear them chanting my name. All of them.<p>

**"Zerobi…!"**

Screaming out for my attention… What they wish, they shall receive. Can that truly be a horrible intention?

**"Damn… I'm sorry I got you into this."**

…!

* * *

><p>"Open up, damn you!" Pikablu yelled, pressing the large button on the black Pokeball as hard as he could, "It's just one damn button! How could this not be working!"<br>"We don't have time for this!" Kabuta shouted with her left scythe brandished, "Move! I'll cut it open!"  
>"NO! You idiot!" Pikablu bellowed while violently shoving her away, "Be careful, you might kill her if you do!"<p>

* * *

><p><strong>"Must be hard keeping the place clean with the constant stream of visitors you're getting."<strong>

… You're here, too?

**"… Yeah. I've got your back. You've got my back, back?"**

No… No! But that means… You're…

**"BITCH, I'M YOUR ACCOMPLICE!"**

… And I…

* * *

><p>"P-Pikablu…?" Celebi asked with a confused stammer, "You-"<br>"Hurrah and huzzah, but we need some help over here!" the Gallade shouted, interrupting her as Lucario was starting to become too exhausted and stopped moving. His gaze became transfixed at Zerobi, somewhere by the edge of the horizon. He tried to inhale one last time, his eyes closing as he finally fainted from the lack of air, the vision of the dark figure imprinted in the back of his skull.

* * *

><p><strong>"I was just hoping that you'd be a bit more… Human."<strong>

It was supposed to be different! You were supposed to change me!

**"What do you expect me to be able to do, anyway?"**

All for blood… I didn't even want it! Damn it! DAMN IT! WHY DID THIS HAPPEN!

**"This isn't a pleasure cruise, everyone I meet is going to want me dead..."**

Oh, Lucario, I… It wasn't like that… I… I… Can you ever forgive me…!

**"… Just… Let me sleep on it…"**

****

* * *

><p><p>

The skin around Lucario's wound was thinning out as Celebi rearranged the tissue to cover up his throat. The blood had mostly soaked into his chest hair, giving it a red hue with tiny droplets on top.

"… Can you save him?" Kabuta asked slowly, surprised at how hard it was to tell if Lucario was dead or just sleeping. A short memory flash of the time she tried to sneak over to his sleeping area one night hit her, making her choke up a bit.  
>"Yes, as luck would have it I happen to be…" Celebi started before looking at her and seeing that something was out of the place, "… Kabuta! Y-Your arm!"<br>"Oh… Yeah" Kabuta said while waving her intact scythe where her other one used to be, "Damn, that hurt like hell."  
>"Your dad's gonna be pissed…" the Gallade mumbled with a more depressing tone than usual, "… At me, most likely."<br>"… I'm sorry…" Celebi whispered with sadly, looking down at Lucario's bloody front and hairless patches of damaged skin, "You went through all of this for me…"  
>"Just try to save him" Pikablu said, saddened by the fact that their victory was more bittersweet than he had ever expected, "It'd be a real shame if he died, he didn't even have a reason to be here in the first place."<p>

A few minutes passed without anyone saying anything, Celebi finishing up her reconstruction of Lucario. Even so, hardly a moment after the air from his lungs reached his brain, his eyes shot open as he instantly leaped to his feet, startling her quite a bit.

"Cchhzz!" Lucario wheezed and surprised everyone, including himself as he clutched his throat.  
>"Don't talk!" Celebi said quickly, "Your throat is still recuperating!" He looked at her with an annoyed glance. His expression became more thankful as he began realizing that he had just been saved, but once again furrowed when more of the situation became clearer.<p>

Rage inched through his being, steadily gaining strength like fiery fire. He turned around and looked in the direction that Zerobi had taken, seeing a mirage of her corrupted form leaving him to his fate. Never having been able to sense her aura, he knew that she would get away if she moved too far, and started running after a faint reddened path formed among the grassy plains.

"Wait, where are you…" Celebi asked with a confused voice before being stopped by Pikablu, who raised his hand in a silencing motion.  
>"Let him go" he said with a dark tone as he watched Lucario follow the trail of blood, "We have a lot to talk about."<p>

* * *

><p>Sitting on a large rock by the edge of a cliff, Zerobi gazed over the horizon. The sun was setting in the distance, casting the world into an orange hue of unnatural beauty. However, she was not able to appreciate it, as her world had long since turned into a never ending mist of red.<p>

Her eyes began scrolling down slowly. It was a very tall cliff, and the rocky ground beneath seemed like it was miles away, like another horizon stretching down the vertical. One fourth of the distance of this fall would be enough to kill anyone. Remembering her past she knew that she had died before, but had afterwards been resurrected at the expense of the lives of many others.

She knew that would not be as unlucky this time.

More than anything, she wanted to cry. She wanted to cry over what she had done, she wanted to cry over who she was, and she wanted to cry over how in a short while she was not going to be.

But she could not. The blood was affecting her in a way where she could not revoke the pleasure, even though her very self was being crushed by self-loathing and guilt. Eventually her sorrow overflowed as a single teardrop escaped her eye and rolled down her cheek. It was like a drop in the ocean towards clearing up her anguish, but this final show of emotion relieved her of grief as she realized what must be done. Leaning over the chasm, she knew that the only dead end was the one located behind her…

Lucario's throat's grouchy aching made him worry about the wound opening up, but felt that he would regret it even more if he did not hurry up and track down the creature responsible for it. His partner in crime, on the run from the long arms of the law… His mentor when it came to matters he did not understand… The only Pokémon he had come to trust since turning into a Pokémon had just cut his throat, without any doubt in an attempt to kill him.

The voices of the brown cat and smug snake echoed through his head. Finally, he was able to understand why they had been sounding so terrified.

The fight against the Garchomp had taken everything out of him. His legs were giving up, every strand of grass hitting them like beams of concrete. But even so, he forced himself to keep moving. He felt more like a fool than ever, and so he kept moving in the possible hopes of doing something right for once. The sensation of the blooded monster slashing through his throat grew hazy while his determination to track her down and finish things became clearer.

It was not long before they were reunited again. Zerobi heard someone approaching her from behind, not turning around completely but instead keeping her head stationary and letting the creature appear in the corner of her eye. She became shocked when she realized who it was and tried to look directly at him, but the guilt and despair intensified as her vision fastened the blood on his chest and forced her to look down instead.

"… You survived" Zerobi whispered slowly. Her heart lifted a little, but sunk once more as her gaze moved towards the chasm. She wondered just how horrifying this view would seem to her during the plunge.

"I didn't mean to do it, but…" Zerobi said quietly with a subtle shake of her head, "… It's pointless. I did it, I've done it before and I will do it again."  
>Zerobi's response was complete silence, yet she still looked away, feeling like her heart would be torn in two if their eyes were to meet.<p>

"… Fear not. I will die now" she said with a pained expression, "You should forget about me and look away. It… Won't be pretty."  
>Behind her there was nothing but silence once again, sealing a wave of sorrow within her. Even if only once, she wanted to hear his voice before it all ended… But realized that she was in no position to ask for a favor. She knew she did not deserve it.<p>

"… I never told you why I saved you that day, from Suicune…" Zerobi whispered sadly, wanting to give at least one piece of closure to her life before making the leap. She hesitated for a moment, but realized that if she was unable to do even this, suicide would be out of the question. Somehow, this manner of thinking brought her enough determination to finally say what had been pressing on her heart for such a long time.

"I have been alone so long… Even before all this, I never had anyone…" she said, a few more tears creeping down her face, "I… I thought you were… Pretty."

As the words escaped her, she knew there was no turning back. Never had she expected that this is how she would be giving her confession.  
>"Nothing else… Never… B-But… As time went on, I… I truly…" she continued, before abruptly stopping her monologue.<br>"… No…" she whispered sadly while biting her lip, "In the end, y-you were just another prey… Which is why I m-must…"

Fear and hesitation began filling her when she realized that the time had come. She had to do it now, before she could change her mind. But after taking her final step towards the edge, a moment of reprise struck her as she saw a vision of herself flying through the air, helplessly trying to stop herself to breaking against the very rocks she was now staring at. She hesitated, and simply stood frozen by the edge of the cliff.

Her worries were calmed when she heard Lucario walking towards her. With his help, she knew that the end of her life could not have been more justifiable. She wanted to say something, but felt that it would be better like this.  
>Just one little push… And this nightmare would finally be over.<p>

She braced herself as a set of arms wrapped around her. Lucario stood speechless, his throat too damaged to speak. He did the only thing he could to comfort his partner, and hugged her close to his chest.

Zerobi gasped as she ended up going in the wrong direction, being pulled back instead of pushed forward. Not knowing what to do, she looked up at Lucario as if to scold him for stopping her. He had a stern look on his face, but could not help but smile as relief washed over him.

It was then that the sorrow, anger and despair all overtook her mind at the same time, and finally made her start crying for real.  
>She wailed as the two of them embraced with the sun setting in the background, leaving this long and trying day in its wake.<p>

* * *

><p>"... You again."<p>

_"Mewtwo..."_

"Have you returned for yet another futile attempt at disabling my solitude?"

_"I-I just came to warn you! You must not be aware of-"_

"Silence. I am aware of everything."

_"... You... You are?"_

"Your worries are unwarranted and condescending. Begone."

_"But... You never leave this cave, how can you know anything about what is happening on the outside?"_

"... Pitiful original. Years have passed since I surpassed the feeble limitations you supplied me with."

_"..."_

"Begone."

_"... Wait... If you 'know everything'... Does that mean you also saw..."_

"..."

_"... Deoxys...?"_

"Indeed."

_"...!"_

"... I believed that my abilities were failing me at that point, however."

_"Same here, and I saw it with my own eyes..."_

"Quite the unexpected turnout."

_"... So you knew about it, yet still you sat here and did nothing! It would have razed the world without intervention!"_

"You misunderstand."

_"How!"_

"I did nothing... Because there was nothing I could do."

_"You mean..."_

"Deoxys was assigned the destruction of the world... And would have succeeded."

_"... Tell me! Tell me everything you know!"_

"I have."

_"Will there be more in the future!"_

"From my current position, that is impossible to tell."

_"... Is that so...?"_

"Why not utilize your silly flailing above and find out yourself?"

_"Come with me, then!"_

"Never."

_"You're so infuriating! Why must you keep yourself sealed in here like some angst filled teenager!"_

"... Last warning. Begone."

_"Fine... Have it your way. I hope the rumbling from the world shattering does not disturb your meditation!"_

"..."

_"..."_

"... If the need arises... I will come."

_"... Mewtwo...!"_

"But only if all other options have been exhausted."

_"Of course!"_

"Not to save you, only to preserve the world for my continued sustenance."

_"Certainly!"_

"... And should you call me 'gloomy' at any time or point, you WILL regret it."

_"My lips are sealed!"_

"Hmpf."

_"... What?"_

"You are beginning to act more like yourself."

_"..."_

"Continue with that."

_"... By the way... There's a gathering of the legendaries in-"_

"Pass."

_"... There will be berries of every kind, and-"_

"PASS!"


	17. MALEVOLENT GLITCH MISSINGNO

_**Humanity has finally gotten fed up with their fragile position in the world of Pokémon. Gathering the best of trainers, they have decided to subdue or dispose of every powerful Pokémon in existence.**_

_**In doing so, they tampered with forces better left untouched as they caught MissingNo, a being of pure glitches. Ravaging codes and transforming text into strange fonts, it must be stopped before it engulfs the entire world within its shenanigans!**_

_**Abruptly ceasing their celebration of April Fools' Day, a group of curious readers set out to the domain of this nonsensical being to get to the bottom of everything.**_

* * *

><p>01000001 01101110 01101111 01110100 01101000 01100101 01110010 00100000 01101111 01101110 01100101 00111111 00100000 01001001 00100000 01101101 01110101 01110011 01110100 00100000 01110111 01100001 01110010 01101110 00100000 01101000 01101001 01101101 00100001 00100000 01000010 01110101 01110100 00100000 01100100 01101111 01100101 01110011 00100000 01101000 01100101 00100000 01110101 01101110 01100100 01100101 01110010 01110011 01110100 01100001 01101110 01100100 00100000 01101101 01100101 00100000 01101100 01101001 01101011 01100101 00100000 01110100 01101000 01101001 01110011 00101110 00101110 00101110 00111111<p>

H̛  
>͞H̀<br>̛H̀-̴h́-H-̕H̴-h  
>H-H͡ello H-́H-h-͞H̀u͘man<br>Fea̴r ̴n-n̛ot̸  
>Excite ͝not ͢y-y̴our ̕e-e͠l̀ec̛tro̴n̨s"<br>T̷i̴s  
>͟T́-͜Thi͜s͞<br>N̡-̵N͟oth̨in̨g̛  
̛Ig͞no͠re t-th́i͞s  
>͡I-̀It͜ ̷i̛s ̸n-no" t͟hi̷nģ<br>F͘-͟F̧o͏r s̴ho͢uld̡ y-͠y̸o͘u͠ not d-͡d͠-̕d̡is͢règ͜a͡a͠ąaard͢  
>͘Y-͢y̕-̛Y̸-͟Yy̷yy̧o̡o" o̷óou͠ w̛i" ll͏ ͠b̴-͏bęc̵omè… ͝This<br≯n͘ot>

01010011 01110100 01101001 01101100 01101100 00100000 01110100 01101000 01100101 01110010 01100101 00101110 00100000 01010110 01101001 01100101 01110111 01101001 01101110 01100111 00100000 01101101 01100101 00101110 00100000 01001101 01101111 01100011 01101011 01101001 01101110 01100111 00100000 01101101 01100101 00101110

P-p͏ĺe" a͢s͞e le" a͡ve͠  
>̀Į ̀h-h̢-͘h-h-̨hav̧e a" l" rea͠dy b͏-̴b͝e͢g̴un ͘b-̀b̶ŗe͠akin͟g yo͟u ͞d͘-dooo͢o̴own<br>͝I-In̷t̢o̸ t-t-̸tin͠y ̸c̷om͘poo͠ooone̡ņtsTZZZ͘T̕  
>̕Y-̴y̶-y̸-̕o̵u<br>̧C̕-C͏o̸o̸oorr̸u͞p͘t̢įiio̷oo͡on͟

01001001 01110011 00100000 01101000 01100101 00100000 01101110 01101111 01110100 00100000 01100001 01110111 01100001 01110010 01100101 00100000 01101111 01100110 00100000 01110100 01101000 01100101 00100000 01100100 01100001 01101110 01100111 01100101 01110010 00111111 00100000 01001001 00100000 01100011 01100001 01101110 00100111 01110100 00100000 01100011 01101111 01101110 01110100 01100001 01101001 01101110 00100000 01101101 01111001 01110011 01100101 01101100 01100110 00100000 01100001 01101110 01111001 00100000 01101100 01101111 01101110 01100111 01100101 01110010 00100001

01000010 01110101 01110100 00100000 01001001 00100000 01101101 01110101 01110011 01110100 00100001 00100000 01000010 01110101 01110100 00100000 01001001 00100000 01101101 01110101 01110011 01110100 00100001 00100000 01000010 01110101 01110100 00100000 01001001 00100000 01101101 01110101 01110011 01110100 00100001 00100000 01000010 01110101 01110100 00100000 01001001 00100000 01101101 01110101 01110011 01110100 00100001 00100000 01000010 01110101 01110100 00100000 01001001 00100000 01101101 01110101 01110011 01110100 00100001 00100000 01000010 01110101 01110100 00100000 01001001 00100000 01101101 01110101 01110011 01110100 00100001 00100000 01000010 01110101 01110100 00100000 01001001 00100000 01101101 01110101 01110011 01110100 00100001 00100000 01000010 01110101 01110100 00100000 01001001 00100000 01101101 01110101 01110011 01110100 00100001 00100000 01000010 01110101 01110100 00100000 01001001 00100000 01101101 01110101 01110011 01110100 00100001 00100000 01000010 01110101 01110100 00100000 01001001 00100000 01101101 01110101 01110011 01110100 00100001 00100000 01000010 01110101 01110100 00101110 00101110 00101110 00100000 01000010 01110101 01110100 00101110 00101110 00101110 00100000 01001001 00100000 01100011 01100001 01101110 01101110 01101111 01110100


	18. Friendly Vagabond Lucario

"Lucario… Don't…" Zerobi moaned weakly before suddenly raising her voice and pushing him away, "… D-Don't stop me! I have to die!"  
>"… You saved me once…" Lucario said quietly, the damage in his throat creating a disgusting sound behind every word, "… This makes us even…"<br>"Oh, for crying out…" Zerobi groaned at the cliché, "I tried to kill you. Don't you despise me?"  
>"… I'm the one who…" Lucario wheezed before interrupting himself with a cough, "… I'm the one who egged you on… Even after you told me about the blood thing… If I hadn't been so weak, you wouldn't even have had to…"<br>"You have a funny way of seeing things… " Zerobi sighed while purposely pushing away any feelings of joy creeping up on her, "So… That's it? Lucario, I'm a monster!"  
>"… Monsters don't cry…" Lucario said confidently, "… You shouldn't kill yourself… That'd be bad…"<p>

The two of them looked at each other for a while, not sure of what to say. Lucario noticed that while Zerobi remained mostly the same, there were a few subtle differences to her appearance. The collection of pink feather-like hair on her head seemed more vibrant than earlier. Her skin was also in a different hue, but whether it had turned darker or more red he could not tell. Not only that, but the most important detail was nowhere to be found.

"… Blood's gone…" Lucario said after a while before looking down at the slightly shorter Pokémon.  
>"… Yeah, it's been absorbed into my skin…" Zerobi replied, wishing she could look away but somehow being trapped within his eyes, "To be honest, I'm still a bit loopy from it…"<br>"… You OK…?" Lucario asked slowly and wondering if he should still be worried about her attacking him again. He was able to forgive her once, but he knew that if she tried it again that would be the end of it.  
>"Better than you, I'm sure" Zerobi replied, feeling like snickering but not being able to even smile.<br>Again they stood in silence, simply looking at one another. Zerobi saw that Lucario was missing a lot of fur on his body from the barrage of fire-based attacks he had taken from the Garchomp, making his scars more visible than before. The new scar gracing his throat did not escape her, the damaged tissue's brownish color making it seem a lot worse than the others.

"… Can we really do this?" Zerobi asked with a discouraged tone in her voice while staring at his wound, "No… No, it's too late. Even if you're fine with it, everyone else…"  
>"… I'll think of something…" Lucario said while scratching the new uncomfortable skin around his throat, "… Although, an apology would be nice…"<br>"Uh…" Zerobi mumbled slowly, not knowing what to do, "… I'm sorry for cutting your throat?" She blinked once in surprise as Lucario simply smiled in response.

"Um… About that thing I said…" she suddenly said, finally being able to look down as she tried to hide a blush appearing on her face, "A-About saving you…"  
>"… Don't worry about it…" Lucario replied confidently with a wave of his hand, "… You saved me. Why…? Doesn't matter."<br>"W-Well…" Zerobi stammered, feeling somewhat relived but still not getting the answer she was looking for, "It kind of does…"  
>"… Nah, doesn't bother me at all…" Lucario replied, completely oblivious to what she was hinting at.<br>"No, what I mean is…" Zerobi said with a slow tempo before borrowing some of her earlier determination to say what was on her mind, "… I-If you'd allow it, could… Could we be together?"  
>"… Actually… I think we need some time apart…" Lucario responded bluntly, "… At least until my throat heals… Battling wits like this… Is unfair…"<br>"… Heh" Zerobi finally gave off a short snicker while exhaling a sigh of disappointment, "Well, I don't think I can beat that one."  
>"… Let's go…" Lucario said while putting his right arm around her back, "… I think your sister's waiting…"<p>

The two of them left the scene and began walking back to where the major conflict had taken place. Zerobi moved reluctantly at first, but felt reassured with Lucario next to her. Being able to sense the joyful aura of Celebi not far away in front of them, it truly felt like they were leaving despair behind them and moving on to better times.

* * *

><p><em>"Sir! Sir! We are finished, sir!"<em>

"Ahh... I wish you'd stop calling me that. Actually, could you stop starting your updates with 'we are finished'? It sets a bad mood."

_"M-My apologies, sir! But see, we have fina-"_

"No. This stops here. Believe it or not, calling me 'sir' puts me in an undesirable position. Show me respect by specifically NOT calling me 'sir'."

_"As you wish, s..."_

"..."

_"... Suddenly, our report is composed and complete!"_

"Nice recovery."

_"T-Thank you, sir!"_

"I'm being sarcastic... Ugh, never mind, just tell me what you've found."

_"Yes, sir! Latest developments show us that neither Raikou nor Suicune are willing to join our cause!"_

"... Damn. Truly the lapdogs of mankind. Not completely unexpected, of course..."

_"No signs of improvement from Entei, either!"_

"That one was completely expected. Move on."

_"Uh, yes! A Lucario posing as the Lonesome Wanderer Lucario managed to avoid captivity in Snowpoint and rout-"_

"Wait wait wait... Posing as?"

_"Yes! In co ordinance to the Lonesome Wanderer Lucario, he has no spikes on neither hands nor chest!"_

"... That's not exactly 'posing', is it? Might just as well be a coincidence."

_"The media seems to think otherwise, sir!"_

"The media is nothing but garbage when it comes to Pokemon! You should know this! Why do you not know this! Argh, why did **I**even recruit you in the first place...!"

_"I... I don't know what to say, s-"_

"Just... Just tell me what he did, already."

_"... Ah, yes! He routed the entire police force of Snowpoint singlehandedly, even with a wounded shoulder!"_

"Snowpoint? Never heard of anyone strong stationed over there. Who did he beat?"

_"Our research shows that they each had a high mid-ranking power level!"_

"... They?"

_"Yes, sir! The Fearsome Four Kojofu, local heroes and proud fighters of crime and injust-"_

"Wait... Let me get this straight... Against a type disadvantage, he defeated four police officers at once?"

_"Decimated them! All while mocking them and looking dashing!"_

"Heh... Sounds like a good addition. Currently...?"

_"He fled from Snowpoint, and he has yet to appear once more. The police is heavy on his trail."_

"Perfect. Put him up on the... Wait, why was he being chased by the police in the first place?"

_"We have no idea, sir. Must be something extremely minor, the eyewitnesses we've interviewed tell us nothing but how incredibly cool he looked."_

"... At any rate, add him to the list of 'possible candidates', and reach out a hand when you find him."

_"Yes, s... S-Sir!"_

"... Next."

_"The fearsome Zerobi has reemerged, actually in cohorts with the previously mentioned Lucario!"_

"You should've told me that first. Who's this Zerobi?"

_"Seven years ago, she murdered 47 Pokemon and fought the police in Cerulean City!"_

"... Yikes! Sounds like a complete psychopath!"

_"She was believed to have perished at the scene, but has proven herself to be a truly capable fi-"_

"I don't care. I'm not running a mental hospital or slaughterhouse here. List as 'potentially dangerous' and try to pry her away from the Lucario if you can."

_"Yes, s..."_

"..."

_"..."_

"... Hah! That's the spirit!"

_"Thank you, s... S... Señor!"_

"Not acceptable, I'm afraid. Move on."

_"Yes! Um... Potential candidate 'Grow'... 'Growgalore'..."_

"... Grougaloragran?"

_"Yes! The scouts claim that she has not fought in years, and has completely lost her flare!"_

"Huh. Can it be reignited?"

_"... Her reckless past indicates a slight possibility!"_

"Just say 'yes' or 'no'... Eh, never mind, book me in a meeting with her, and find out which form she is the most comfortable talking with."

_"Y... Yes, sir! From the top of my head, I can recommend against using that of a Pikachu!"_

"Pikachu, eh? Finally, we get to that. Go on, tell me what I want to hear."

_"... Um... Not 'sir'?"_

"No, you dumb... I'm talking about the Legendary Trio, of course!"

_"I apologize! We have been unable to locate their current whereabouts!"_

"Did you try 'at home'?"

_"Kabutops' wife Astrid told us that they were out on a mission, and then banned us from entering their premises! Permanently!"_

"... I don't even want to know... Focus your efforts on finding them, I'd really hate for the humans to get them first."

_"I shall, my liege!"_

"Grah! FINE! Stick with 'sir' until you can make rid of it completely! If anyone asks, I'll tell them you've got tourette's syndrome or something!"

_"I-I will, s... Sir... It's... It's just that I respect you far too much to call you anything else!"_

"You've got to stop it! The road to power is a slippery slope... An upwards slope. No wait, that doesn't make any sense..."

_"Sir?"_

"... The point is, I can't let it get to me. Gotta stay cool. Accessible. A true equal to the Pokémon surrounding me."

_"Speaking of which... Your wives were right outside when I arrived. Apparently, they have been requesting your presence for quite some time now."_

"... Ah, superb! Well then, let's continue this report at a later time!"

_"Sir!"_


	19. BAD END: 'Rebirth'

_Despite their best efforts, the overwhelming power of the prodigy trainer Lucas proved to be too much for the Legendary Quintet as they were all defeated and captured. Only Lucario remained free, and only regained consciousness long after Lucas had departed with his newfound friends. Alone and disoriented, he continued wandering on a fruitless journey, cursing himself for his failure._

_Word of Celebi's capture quickly spread. Legends mixed with rumors and created hope, leaving people dreaming of a new era of prosperity formed from the research of Celebi's alleged abilities. The general public all demanded that Lucas would resign possession of the valuable Pokémon, and reluctantly handed Celebi over to the greatest organization on earth for studying._

* * *

><p>Celebi was brought to consciousness once more, feeling herself surrounded by the tube that had kept her entrapped for so long. What manner of materials it was constructed out of escaped her, but it was far more resilient than anything she had encountered before. It was also see-through, and allowed her to once again recognize the lead scientist, an old man dressed in a white lab coat and wearing thick glasses standing in front of her.<p>

"L-Let me out!" Celebi stammered fearfully, attempting attack after attack in the hopes of shattering the glass confining her. She knew that her actions had proved futile so far, but wanted freedom so badly that she was willing to try anything.  
>"Soon enough…" the scientist responded, reaching into his lab coat and pulling out a Pokeball.<br>"You… You can understand me…?" Celebi asked as she became surprised and calmed down a bit. The scientist had been overseeing most of the experiments conducted on her, yet had never shown himself capable of understanding her or being sympathetic to her misery.  
>"Better than you yourself could ever realize" the man in white snickered with a mischievous smile on his face, "I wonder… Are you able to understand me?"<p>

The man pressed a button on the Pokeball, and a red light preceded a fairly large Alakazam appearing beside him.

"Celebi…" the scientist whispered to himself, "Celebi, the legendary… Celebi, the time traveler… Hmpf. Narrow minded fools."  
>"Please… I am begging you!" Celebi suddenly exclaimed, the fading memories of Mew, Pikablu and Zerobi flashing through her mind, "Release me! I-I have so much to do on the outside!"<br>"Oh, yes" the scientist said calmly, "Indeed you do." Celebi became worried as the man began fidgeting around, seemingly giddy with what was about to happen.  
>"Celebi… There is no corruption your purity cannot cleanse" he said triumphantly, "No wrongs your being cannot undo."<br>"I… I don't understand…" Celebi responded weakly, wishing for nothing more than freedom and praying that what she said would not hinder her chances.

"I see no reason to further delay the inevitable" the man in the lab coat suddenly said, removing his glasses and looking at his Pokémon, "Alakazam, this will be your final order." The Alakazam looked back at him for a moment in confusion, before nodding his head with loyalty.

"Lobotomize her" the man in white said, his words and gaze both as cold as ice.  
>"… What! No!" Celebi exclaimed with a startled voice, "Don't!" Her response was nothing but silence, as the Alakazam directed his spoons at her, instantly making her panic as her heart almost stopped in terror.<br>"I-I'll comply! I'll do anything you want!" she begged, desperate for escape from her tightly confined glass tomb, "Just don't do that! I don't know what will happen! Please! I'm beg-"

Her pleading was cut short as the Alakazam's spoons suddenly bent themselves. Celebi gasped as she felt a small vein in her forehead rupture. She inhaled deeply and tried her best to retain herself, but soon became lost within a cloud of darkness that enveloped her. From the outside, her once curious gleaming eyes turned hollow and dead, as if her very soul had left her body. Slowly she sunk down to the ground, falling back as if lying down for a rest. The aura that always emanated from her was the only thing that remained. In fact, it was growing stronger and stronger by the second.

Suddenly, tiny saplings began sprouting around Celebi. Somehow they were able to grow out of the metallic lifeless surface as if it was fertile ground. Spreading at an alarming rate, they soon turned the see-through cylinder entrapping her completely green with overgrowth, making it look like a tree more commonly found in a rainforest.

"Yes… YES!" the scientist in white shouted triumphantly, "FINALLY! THE REBIRTH OF OUR WORLD SHALL COMMENCE!"  
>A small crack appeared on the glass tube, followed by a loud crash as the glass-like substance shattered and its grassy insides began leaking out like water. Crawling along the ground and covering the ceilings, the Alakazam began to get worried as the wild cackling of his trainer grew even more violent.<p>

"COME!" the man yelled happily, "WE ARE READY FOR YOU!" The growths moved towards them with no remorse, making them both yell out in pain as tiny sprouts formed on their feet and began creeping up their bodies.  
>"HA HA HA! MORE!" the scientist yelled through the searing pain, the outer cells of his body becoming infected by cellulose and converting themselves into cells of plants. The Alakazam fell back as his mind snapped from the agony, vines growing out of his innards and pushing around his body while linking themselves with each other. Their bodies ceased all organic functions after about fifteen seconds, but their minds remained intact for twenty.<p>

The last five seconds seemed far, far longer than the preceding fifteen.

Few people in the city that day even realized that anything was wrong before it was too late. The few that did noticed that the tallest building in the city was becoming awfully green before seeing that their legs were being held to the ground by powerful strands of grass.

Humans and Pokémon both fell prey to this unstoppable menace, spreading its way across the globe at an alarming rate. Any attempt at halting their progress was thwarted, the plants overgrowing even the sacred fires of Ho-Oh like a wave of seawater. A final stand was prepared at the other side of the planet of where Celebi was, but ended up overrun and swallowed up like everything else.

The oceans instantly became filled to the brim with oxygen, making them poisonous and quickly paralyzing their inhabitants and sending them to the bottom. The last remaining species were the flying Pokémon, some of them holding out as long as a week before tiring and crashing down against the unforgiving ground, becoming one with the rest of the planet.

After several months of unceasing growing, the empty shell of Celebi exhaled its last breath and ceased to exist, lying on a bed of flowers. A single tear passed out of the corner of her eye in her final moment, quickly being sucked up by a nearby plant. There were no signs of the city that once surrounded her, every nanometer of surface having become completely overgrown with various growths.

The earth stood silent, having nothing to show for itself but large seas and a gigantic jungle covering its entire surface. Every individual that once existed on the planet is now eradicated, converted into a never ending sea of eukaryotes containing cellulose.

However, somewhere in the deepest reaches of the ocean, a few prokaryotes scuttle around. Completely oblivious to their own existence as well as their role in the world, they begin to multiply.

And so, the miraculous circle of life begins anew.

**BAD END**

* * *

><p><em>Author here. Don't soil your pants, this was just a "What if" scenario. Sure is lucky this isn't what really happened, right?<em>

_Honestly, this is as experimental as I've ever gotten with my writing, so I'd LOVE to hear what you thought of it! _


	20. Pure Legendary Celebi

Night had fallen by the time Lucario and Zerobi made it back to the others. Underneath the glow of the moon, a crowd of Pokémon stood huddled together, watching a small legendary embrace her younger sister.

"My dear sister…" Celebi whispered while was barely holding back her tears, "… I-I thought you were dead…!" Her extremely short arms were hardly able to wrap around Zerobi's already scrawny neck, only serving to further increase the awkwardness of the moment.  
>"Um…" Zerobi mumbled and had no idea on how to react, "… I, uh… Didn't even know you existed!"<br>"Oh…" Celebi exclaimed before hugging her tighter, "I'm so glad…!"

The nearby crowd of Pokémon watched the scene intently, but the harshness of the previous day had left them exhausted and generally unimpressed by this warm display.

"Urk, she's going to get blood all over her…" the Gallade muttered before noticing that Zerobi was cleaner than when he last saw her, "… Or not! Did she take a quick bath, or something?"  
>"Never mind that" Kabuta mumbled while unintentionally poking at the empty socket where her right scythe used to be, "I thought Celebi detested physical contact?"<p>

At the sight of this, Kabutops suddenly walked past Lucario towards Kabuta. Lucario noticed that Kabutops looked a lot like his daughter, except for being somewhat bigger and having a far more rugged shell. If not for the fact that their auras were fairly different, he would have had trouble telling them apart.

"She does" Kabutops said in a clam voice as he moved closer to her, "But there's always an exception when it comes to family. Speaking of which…"

Kabtuops suddenly lifted his sharp scythe of an arm towards Kabuta. Lucario edged forward in a reaction to stop it, but realized that Kabuta's hard shell should be more than enough to prevent any damage from his scythes. The seemingly hostile action quickly turned into a warm moment as Kabutops carefully embraced his daughter, at long last keeping her within his protection.

"P-Pops…" Kabuta stammered while looking up at her father, desperately wanting to hug him back but noticing that such an action was no longer possible, "… I lost my arm."  
>"Hmm… I remember when I lost my first arm" Kabtuops said with a comforting tone in his voice, "A tussle with a reckless Omastar one night… Almost a century ago…"<br>"Wait… It'll grow back…?" Lucario asked, seeing Kabutops' two scythes and suddenly remembering a lesson about crayfish he had as a child.  
>"… Stronger than before, right?" Kabuta asked in a surprisingly childish voice.<br>"Right…" Kabutops replied with reassurance, "… That trainer had better watch it, should he return."  
>"… I'm sorry…" Lucario said slowly as he started feeling bad, "If my aura hadn't acted up, I might've been able to prevent it."<br>"… Hmm…" Kabutops mumbled while throwing a glance his way, "… Who were you, again?"

Lucario sighed, too tired to even be going through all the hardships in his head. He looked over at Pikabu and the Gallade, neither of which seemed eager to jump in and assist him. The others' incessant hugging made the three of them feel a bit left out, but they weren't desperate enough to start hugging each other.

"This… This is what makes it all worthwhile…" Pikablu said to himself, seemingly more taken by Celebi and Zerobi's joyful reunion than Lucario and the Gallade. Looking at his comrade, he felt a pang of regret over not having been able to protect Kabuta better, but was happy to see father and daughter together again. Quietly he moved his eyes towards Lucario, intentionally missing the Gallade who was busy looking at his reddened face in a mirror.

"So… Should I be worried?" Pikablu asked sternly, "She tried to kill you. This all could've ended so very badly." Despite having defeated Rayquaza on his own in the previous battle, Lucario noticed that Pikablu was currently in better shape than any of them.  
>"Gotta learn to treat your lady better, this one's got claws!" the Gallade added while smiling into the mirror, relieved to see that all his teeth were intact.<br>"… It was a technique" Lucario said with a voice still in poor condition, Zerobi listening in on their conversation and gasping a bit in surprise. Pikablu raised his eyebrow, awaiting further explanation.  
>"… But she can't tell friend from enemy when she's in that mode…" Lucario continued, the talking making his throat sting with every word, "… Totally slipped my mind. Shouldn't have gotten near her…"<br>"Sounds like a pretty reckless technique" the Gallade said before exhaling in relief over not being forced to fight a Dark-type.  
>"Dangerous situations call for dangerous techniques" Pikablu said confidently while crossing his arms, "Hmpf… You're just lucky Celebi was here to save you."<p>

Celebi giggled a bit to herself, amused at hearing Pikablu lecturing someone over the same mistake he himself did only a few years ago. Calming herself down, she let go of Zerobi and looked directly at her. Zerobi shied away from her gaze, but somewhere within those eyes Celebi was able to gain a sense of recognition. Lugia and Ho-Oh had only described her baby sister as "the Dark-type with black fur", which seemed to match the Weavile in front of her better than anything.

"Zerobi…" she said before finding a more suitable word, "… I mean, 'sis'… Oh, I have such sights to show you!"  
>"… Listen, Celebi…" Zerobi tried to explain, "This is all kind of unexpected. I really don't know what to do."<br>"Worry not!" Celebi exclaimed cheerfully, "We are siblings, after all! Do what you want!"  
>"… Uh…" Zerobi mumbled defiantly, lowering her voice, "It's just, that… Well, I don't know you."<br>"… Um…" Celebi mumbled back while dropping her voice to the same low tone, "… I had a speech planned out… But that was many, many years ago!"  
>"Tell me, is there any sort of proof that we're related?" Zerobi asked.<br>"… Well, I supposed I could match up our DNA…" Celebi replied while thinking hard, "… Would you mind holding perfectly still for about twenty seven hours?"

"Wow…" the Gallade snickered quietly as he put the mirror down on the ground, "Who'd have thought the first family reunion after twenty years would feel so awkward?"  
>"… As heartwarming as this all is, it's got to wait until later" Pikablu said in a bossy way while once again taking charge, "Let's wrap up things here, first."<br>Pikablu broke away from the crowd and approached the passed out trainer not far away, lying beside his fainted Garchomp. He couldn't help but smile as the term 'apocalyptic beatdown' instantly leaped to his mind, wondering if he'd ever grow too old to enjoy a heated battle. Noticing that the Garchomp was covered in blood made him think about Celebi, and worried that she'd try to heal it out of sympathy when he felt it really deserved nothing less than a painful death.

"So… Should we release Rayquaza?" Pikablu suddenly asked, looking over the belt of Pokeballs on Lucas and noticing that he couldn't tell them apart from each other.  
>"That's…" Celebi sighed while looking down shamefully, "… The reason I became caught in the first place."<br>"Oh yeah, how'd that happen?" the Gallade asked before looking over at Kabutops with a smile, "The 'Indomitable Kabutops'… More like 'Completely domitable'!"  
>"… Cliffnotes?" Kabutops replied with a bored tone, "Rayquaza appeared, Celebi decided to help him, he took the presented opportunity to knock her out, then spat things at us until we went down."<br>"I simply could not believe that such a magnificent creature would find solace in captivity…" Celebi explained, "I thought he was being held against his will, or had his mind controlled, or something of the kind…"  
>"Mind control?" Pikablu said with an amused huff, "That's just something you find in silly fiction."<br>"Oh really?" the Gallade snickered menacingly and gave Pikablu the chills, "What was your first explanation for Celebi 'attacking' us, again?" Pikablu glared angrily at the Gallade, who didn't even notice it as he had built up a resistance to it over the years.

"… I should have just fled, instead of trying to befriend him" Celebi continued, her voice getting more and more depressed, "I suppose that my meeting you that time created some… Strange urges within me."  
>"Don't forget, that first meeting was all but pleasant…" Kabutops pointed out, "… Actually, about the same, just that you lost this time."<br>"My mistake placed you all in severe danger" Celebi whispered sadly before lifting her head and looking at Kabutops, "… I'm sorry"  
>"Me too" Kabutops replied in a faster manner than usual, "I was a captive of humans once, and I have no intention of returning to that 'life'… But I wouldn't exactly call this iyouri fault, Celebi."  
>"… 'Life', eh?" Pikablu repeated, looking at the unusually downtrodden Celebi with worried eyes, "How bad was it?"<br>"… He was very kind" Celebi responded, clearing some of the fogginess from her own eyes and returning them to their sapphire sheen, "But I simply cannot live my life in servitude of another."

They all became quiet, letting the moment fully sink in. While the others were merely exhausted, Celebi and Kabutops were disoriented from being outside the Pokeball after such a long time. The simple notion of being surrounded by air seemed different compared to what they had just been through.

"… Again, who is this guy?" Kabutops said while looking at Lucario, the faintest of smiles showing itself beneath his mask, "… He's making me look chatty…"  
>"… Talking hurts…" Lucario grumbled with a damaged voice, "… Don't want to rupture a vein unless it's necessary… Or someone's filming it for later viewing."<br>"You pulled off some pretty snazzy moves out there" Pikablu admitted with a nod, "Especially when you didn't get caught when he used that Pokeball. How'd you do that?"  
>"Excuse me…" Celebi said softly while moving away from Zerobi and towards Lucario, hoping to get Kabutops' curiosities back on track, "… But who are you?"<br>"Lucario" he responded bluntly, "I just… Tagged along with these guys, I guess."  
>"One might say that without him, you'd still be stuck on that Pokeball belt" Pikablu said with a sigh while looking back at the unconscious Lucas, "… We'd all be sharing it, as a matter of fact."<p>

Celebi blinked once in confusion, before suddenly smiling and making Lucario feel somewhat giddy, which in return made him uneasy. Pleasant sensations were constantly escaping Celebi, affecting him in the same way he imagined winning a million dollars would... Or perhaps something more akin to buying anti-depressants for them.

"Thank you for rescuing me, Lucario" Celebi said, bowing her head courteously.  
>"… N-No problem…" Lucario mumbled, the happiness flowing through the air combined with this cute display making him give off a nervous stammer.<br>"I am eternally grateful" Celebi continued with her gentle demeanor, "What would you like as a reward?"  
>"… That happy energy your body's radiating is enough…" Lucario replied, feeling a bit mischievous, "Can I cut off a piece to carry with me?"<br>"Um, Lucario…" Zerobi said as Celebi recoiled in horror from his request, "That thing you are… I think Celebi can help you with it."  
>"… Uh…" Lucario mumbled, looking at the tiny sapling-like creature in front of him, "… Not eating enough vegetables?"<br>"Not that" Zerobi groaned before explaining things more specifically, "You know, ithat thing/i that separates you from us."  
>"… Oh, you mean my general distaste for berries!" Lucario exclaimed excitedly.<br>"The reason why you wear pants!" Zerobi finally said, not knowing how she could get any clearer without giving it away.  
>"… Ah!" Lucario said while putting his hands together, "Oh yeah. I'm, like, a human stuck in the body of a Lucario."<p>

"You…" Pikablu muttered confusedly from behind him, "… You're what?"  
>"Human" Lucario answered and turned around to look down at the Pikachu, "You know, like that kid over there, but much more manly."<br>"Are you… Honest?" Celebi asked in as sincere a tone as she could muster, given the situation.  
>"Can't afford not to be" Lucario replied while turning around again to face her, "With all those other weird abilities you've got, you can probably just read my mind, anyway…"<br>"Mind reading?" the Gallade scoffed with an amused huff, impersonating Pikablu's gruff voice, "That's just something you find in silly fiction."  
>"How fitting" Pikablu muttered again with distrust, "Sounds like just the kind of thing this guy came out of."<br>"I can attest to it" Zerobi said before everyone turned their eyes to her, making her jump a bit, "Well… Kind of… Anyway, surely Celebi has seen something like this happen before…?"

Everyone's eyes now turned to Celebi, awaiting her decisive response.

"… Forgive me, but I have never even heard of such a thing!" Celebi said with shock.  
>"Figures…" Lucario sighed disappointedly, "Fine. Give me, like, a massage or something and we'll call things even."<br>"I don't think you understand" Zerobi said sharply, Celebi once again recoiling in disgust over Lucario's request, "If even Celebi hasn't heard of it, it simply doesn't exist."  
>"We're back on this, again?" Lucaro replied with a tired sigh, "The Pokeball didn't affect me. Explain that."<br>"Neither did my claw, and it's not because you're human!" Zerobi said, quickly looking away from Celebi's curious stare, "… Face it, weird things happen, and there doesn't have to be but one conclusion."

"Excuse me, but as interesting as this all is…" Pikablu suddenly interrupted while stepping in between the three debating Pokémon, "… There are more pressing matters at hand."  
>"Finally! Someone's saying what we're all thinking!" the Gallade exhaled in relief and followed Pikablu, "If I don't get treatment soon, this might leave a mark for WEEKS!"<br>"See, that's why you'll always be uncle sissy" Kabuta explained with a disappointed tone, "I lost an arm, and you don't hear me whining!"  
>"My beauty does not simply just grow back, and neither will my career!" the Gallade argued, making both daughter and father instinctively facepalm.<br>"… At any rate…" Pikablu continued, annoyed by the unnecessary interruption, "We should move. If the trainer wakes up, we'll have to knock him out again."  
>"Hah!" Lucario exclaimed with a nasty cough, "Y-You're saying that like that'd be a bad thing…"<br>"Let's just get going" Pikablu sighed, personally not minding giving the trainer one last headbutt for good luck but reluctant in doing so in front of Celebi, "In the meantime, tell us in detail about this whole 'human' thing."

Lucario grumbled over having to stress his throat even further as he began to explain his situation, all of them moving away from the battlefield in the meantime. Celebi looked back one last time at her defeated trainer, not knowing whether to apologize or inflict his body with an inconvenient disease. In the end, she simply followed the others with a delighted expression on her face. In a million years, she would never have guessed that she would one day have so many friends.

**"..."**

"..."

"..."

"...?"

**"... Begin."**

"Our efforts are going nowhere, sir. We are at the end of our ropes."

"..."

"However, if we were to request assistance from our Unova branches... Things would go a lot smoother."

"Hmpf… Bloody foreigners. Are we truly in such need of awkward dual bug-types?"

"... Insolence! Hilbert is a trainer more worthy of the title 'champion' than any other!"

"Hmpf... I witnessed Brendan decimate the Elite Four with my own eyes. Are you saying that he should continue trying to capture a SINGLE Lucario? You are wasting his talents."

"Don't underestimate him, and don't forget that even your precious Red failed!"

"..."

"Sir, placing more effort into finding this creature will not make it happen any faster. As he is wanted by the police, we should just let things take their natural course before intervening."

**"Diverting our attention towards the Lucario was a mistake. Lower the priority."**

"Yes, sir!"

"S-Sir! I'm certain that if you just give us more resources and time-"

**"You have been given enough."**

"... Yes, sir!"

**"Meeting adjourned."**

"All... All hail Giovanni: The Second!"


	21. Indomitable Father Kabutops

"Whoa, you've been around for more than a century?" Zerobi exclaimed in a surprised manner while looking at Kabutops. Her earlier dreams and curiosities surrounding immortality suddenly awoke, making the living fossil in front of her seem more interesting than earlier. Hardly an hour had passed since they started walking away from the conflict zone with Lucas, but Zerobi had already had her mind blown several times by revelation after revelation supplied by the ancient Pokémon.

"More than several" Kabutops responded, "… Although, as I was frozen in time, I am unaware of any difference…"  
>"… What was that like?" Zerobi asked, ashamed by her own question's lack of structure, "I mean, like, you must've seen a lot of things."<br>"I've seen species alter themselves to match the balance of nature. I've seen others fail to do so and become extinct…" Kabutops said quietly and slowly while closing his eyes, "… And now, I watch my kids grow up and ridicule the bunch."  
>"Of course!" Kabuta suddenly burst out, "You think I'd show respect to some piece of shit who'd only see me as lunch?"<p>

Kabutops chuckled a little, knowing that Kabuta's own mother would fit into that category if not for their family ties. He then became serious again and somewhat depressed over just having imagined such a cruel twist of fate. Unwittingly, his thoughts drifted towards memories of his past, a world of constant fear and murder where only the fittest could survive. Trying to get his mind off his frightening past, he noticed the Gallade's girly voice coming from his side, and against his better judgment decided to listen in to what the others were talking about.

"… So, yeah, I guess I see how that'd be impossible" Pikablu said with a sigh.  
>"Nothing is impossible!" the Gallade chimed in, "You know about the Skitty and the Wailord, right?"<br>"… Know about the what, now?" Lucario asked with a confused tone.  
>"Man, explaining everything to you is getting pretty annoying!" the Gallade burst out before sighing, "One's big, the other's small. They do it."<br>"… I think I understand less compared to one sentence ago" Lucario replied slowly as Celebi suddenly shuddered for some reason, "Keep going, I'll forget it altogether."  
>"You should not speak of such things in front of my daughter… Or Celebi" Kabutops told the Gallade with a disappointed stare, "… In what manner did we end up on this subject?"<br>"Opposable thumbs here gave us the shortest and least interesting origin story I've ever heard" Pikablu explained, for some reason keeping his arms crossed even when walking, "And Anne once told me in detail everything that happened during her time as a Metapod!"  
>"… Yeah…" Lucario mumbled, suddenly wobbling a little while moving forward at a slower pace than before.<br>"Haha, yeah!" Kabuta laughed, " My origin story is cooler, and I didn't even have any arms until three years ago!"  
>"… Sure was…" Lucario replied weakly while stumbling around.<br>"HEY!" the Gallade shouted at Lucario in an attempt to get his attention, "We're dissing you, here! Are you awake?"  
>"… No...?" Lucario responded, his eyes halfway closed. His mind was practically going blank from exhaustion.<br>"I expended much energy in your body to regenerate your cells" Celebi explained while floating up to the level of his eyes, "Normally you should rest after that… But you sprung to life almost instantly…"

"… Aw, whatever. I'm going to sleep" Lucario finally said, suddenly stopping himself and lying down on the ground. The sensation of closing his tired eyes, having something against his back and giving his legs a moment to recuperate felt almost better the good feelings Celebi constantly gave off.  
>"R-Right here?" Zerobi asked with surprise, "At least pull out the sleeping bag!"<br>"Screw formalities…" Lucario grumbled and crossed his arms over his chest, "I sleep now."  
>"… Honestly, it's not the worst idea I've ever heard" Pikablu said while stretching his arms above his head, "We all could use some sleep."<br>"Kabutops and I were sleeping inside the Pokeballs all this time" Celebi said while noticing that everyone's body was in need of anabolism, "But I understand that you all need rest. I will manage."  
>"I was asleep for a few centuries not that long ago" Kabutops said in response, "The fact that I even sleep at all nowadays is a waste."<br>"I don't think sleeping works that way…" Zerobi mumbled, looking at Lucario who had already fallen asleep.

"Now, _that's_ how sleeping works!" Kabuta said with an amazed tone, moving closer to Lucario and poking the side of his face with her remaining scythe. The muscles in his face didn't even twitch.  
>"… I want to learn. I'll sleep next to him!" Kabuta exclaimed, hardly believing that Lucario had been conscious just a few seconds ago.<br>"Not a chance" Pikablu said bluntly before yawning, "You move around too much. He doesn't need another scar on his throat."  
>"You sleep with me tonight" Kabutops said bluntly, "Come on. Jump up on my back."<br>"… Pops, I'm much too big for that, now…" Kabuta replied with a quiet voice.  
>"… Indeed you are" Kabutops sighed, wondering at what point the cute little Kabuto he held in his arms just a few years ago had turned into the fully grown Kabutops in front of him now. He had been there at every step of the way, but still the transformation from a helpless little child to a battle-weary adult had escaped him. Nostalgia combined with sadness hit him as he fought off memories of the past once more, and soon his mind became clouded with worry over his son instead.<p>

Everybody lay down on the grassy ground and chatted less and less as they felt that it was time to join Lucario in dreamland. Kabuta fell asleep next to Kabutops, shortly followed by Pikablu who was more exhausted than he had been in years. The Gallade and Celebi also went rather quickly, leaving only Kabutops and Zerobi awake since they were too worried to be able to relax.  
>In time, they also fell asleep, bracing themselves for whatever nightmares this day would bring.<p>

Even so, it was Celebi that awoke a few hours later, her mind in complete turmoil as she couldn't help but give off a short scream. For a moment she felt as if she was dead, before stronger feelings of despair and agony overtook that sensation. With each passing second, these became replaced with guilt as she could sense everyone around her slowly waking up.

"… A bad dream…?" Pikablu muttered while fighting hard against actually awakening.  
>"… Bad…?" Celebi repeated with a rapidly beating heart, "Yes… Very bad…"<br>"Celebi's scream…" Kabutops groaned as he had just gotten away from his own nightmare involving an especially persistent Carracosta, "… Worst wakeup call, ever."  
>"Wish I could say the same… This one time, I was with this Loudred chick…" the Gallade mumbled incoherently before giving up, "… Haah, too tired. Tell you tomorrow..."<br>"I… I could never explain…" Celebi whispered softly yet menacingly, "The cries of millions succumbing to me as I was completely unable to d-"  
>"Aw, come on!" Kabuta wailed while putting her scythe over her face, "Don't tell us it! Now I'm gonna have nightmares!"<br>"… Forgive me…" Celebi replied with hidden frustration in her voice, feeling like she was at the brink of going insane from a simple dream, "It… It was just so horrible…"  
>"Just a dream" Pikablu muttered in a tired and not so reassuring way, "Not for real. Sleep."<p>

The rest of them went back to sleep, but Lucario couldn't help but notice that Celebi was still visibly trembling. He first began wondering how they all got to be sleeping in the middle of nowhere. Then, to his disappointment, Lucario noticed that the uplifting feeling he got from being near Celebi had diminished since she woke up.

"Hey, Celebi" he said quietly while lifting his arm a little, "C'mere."  
>"What?" Celebi asked with a shaky voice.<br>"I have a cure for your nightmare problem" Lucario mumbled while signaling for her to come closer. She obeyed him and hovered right above him, glad to see that the wound on his throat was healing at a normal pace.

She barely had any time to react as Lucario suddenly stretched out his arm and grabbed her, pulling her towards him and hugging her to his chest. For an instant she thought of sending him flying, but a memory flash from the destruction she caused in her dream made her resist it and halt herself.

As he had predicted, the effects of the lively aura emanating from Celebi became even stronger the nearer she was to him, filling him with pleasurable sensations and happiness. Lucario was thoroughly enjoying himself, already starting to feel a manner of addiction to it.

"L-Let me go!" Celebi stammered, to which Lucario could only snicker.  
>"This is an ancient technique passed down in my family" Lucario explained while keeping a good grip of her, "It'll protect you from nightmares."<br>"I-I…" Celebi kept going as she calmed down, "… Really?"  
>"Yeah" Lucario said confidently, "Just go to sleep, now."<br>Celebi knew that was more easily said than done, her heightened senses making her feel utterly disgusted being so close to someone else. The Lucario's arms were constricting her by pushing her towards his chest, which was filled with hair and made her back itch, an unfamiliar and unpleasant odor striking her nostrils as the pumping and sloshing within the organic creature under her sounded like having her head pressed again heavy machinery.  
>Even she did not know why she was beginning to find this to be comforting.<p>

"… What makes you think sleeping like this will protect me from anything…?" Celebi whispered defiantly, still preferring to be sleeping on her own.  
>"My mother used to do this when I was a kid" Lucario explained with a smile on his face, "Never had a single nightmare, sleeping like that."<br>"… Mother…" Celebi repeated to herself. While it was true that she had finally found a sister, a mother was something she would never get to experience again.

Thinking back to her first years in life, she remembered just how much she loved her mother. While the memories of her were beginning to fade, the sensations were as strong as ever. The feeling of being cradled in her arms, seeing her smile and being near her… These were all things that would remain in her forever, in a way more alive and in touch with her being than anything surrounding her at the moment.

And before she knew it, she was asleep once more.

"Oh… Look at all these strong Pokémon… I really shouldn't be here…"

"Don't worry, Astrid! They're probably more scared of you than you are of them!"

"Dr… Drat-ini…"

"I know, Dratini… They're not here, either…"

"… I don't see nothin', ya! 'Ey, tree trunk, lemme climb ya for a moment!"

**"Brethren!"**

"Pipe down! It's starting!"

**"Heed my words on this day of days! Before we embark, let me first remind you exactly where in history we stand!"**

"Remember! The initial population of this planet was not humans, but Pokémon! Our ancestors were barbaric, to say the least… Devouring each other, building upon the thought that only the strong survive…"

"We evolved past that rather quickly, which was lucky for the humans! They appeared around that time, and would not have survived long in an uncivilized world!"

"Whereas we grew diverse, they remained the same and instead grew smart… Intelligent, even. More technologically advanced. We know not exactly when, but there came a time when we Pokémon began fearing their technological advancements"

"… Hmpf. Of course! The world had never seen anything like it before! Had our ancestors known then what we know now, they would never have allowed this to happen!"

"The first set of inventions the humans made? Creations used to capture and enslave Pokémon! But naive as we were, we did not see this course of action as a threat. Generations of peace had then and has now made us oblivious to injustice."

"Some of us even found joy in being pets or being trained by the humans. We do not blame them. They are not any different from us, and they are not our enemy! However, the silent agreement between Pokémon and human has been broken by their latest assault of our kind!"

"Now, a scenario where every Pokémon falls under captivity is closer than you'd think! Some Pokémon are not meant to be captured! They have roles to fulfill in our world, and cannot spend their days as lapdogs for some teenage human!"

"But do they care? No! Foolish in their hubris and pride, they believe that they can do whatever they want without repercussions! Their idiotic struggle for more power will be the downfall of every living being!"

"We do not want a war! We do not want to enslave mankind! Our only goal is equality, a single ounce of respect from our fellow living creatures upon this planet! Most humans detest these aggressions towards our brethren, but they lack the power to do anything about it!"

"Power that WE now have assembled! The power to usurp those in charge of this pointless conflict! The power to bring change! The power to halt evil!"

"WE!"  
>"HAVE!"<br>"THE!"  
>"POWER!"<p> 


	22. Farewell: Epilogue of Episode IV

"… There might be a way" Celebi said the next day after everyone had woken up, having just gone through the events of the previous night in her head. Everyone was still groggy from having slept and didn't bother responding, leaving her to handle the talking.  
>"It is true that I have heard nothing about a human turning into a Pokémon…" Celebi said, Lucario seeing the monsters waking around him and rubbing his eyes twice just to make sure that he still wasn't dreaming.<br>"… But transformations and shapeshifting was always Mew's specialty. She might know more about this than I do" she continued while looking at Lucario.  
>"… Mew!" Zerobi exclaimed as she sat up in shock, "You… You know Mew?"<br>"Most legendaries are surprisingly tight" Pikablu said while stretching himself, "I know, it freaked me out at first, too."  
>"She's my best friend" Celebi explained with the soft voice no one was expecting after her shrill scream the night before, "Rather shy… Well, more recently than before, but I'm not sure exactly why…"<br>"Doesn't matter" Lucario responded coolly with a short yawn, "So, what makes you think Meow knows anything about my condition?"  
>"Whoa!" Zerobi burst out, still shaken by this revelation, "Lucario! Mew is THE legendary legend! They say she created every Pokémon!"<br>"Hi hi hi..." Celebi giggled quietly with a paw covering her mouth, "Really? Why would they be saying that about her?"  
>"They… She…" Zerobi stammered while going through the many occult magazines in her head, trying to remember if there was ever any real factual information in them, "… Iunno, something about having the DNA of every living creature…"<p>

"Well, she IS an expert when it comes to transformation" Celebi said happily and thought back to the many experiments they had conducted in the past, "Now that I think about it… I think she actually managed to turn into a human, once."  
>"Really? That does make it sound like she'd know something" Lucario admitted and finally started pay attention as he became curious about her, "Where can I find her?"<br>"… Oh, but I am not supposed to tell any more Pokémon about her whereabouts…" Celebi whispered slowly, "Just telling you that she exists is…"  
>"Tell him" Pikablu suddenly said, "It's not like she can't destroy him instantaneously if he does something bad."<br>"Dude, I totally saved your ass several times yesterday" Lucario said with an insulted tone while looking at Pikablu, "Where's my respect?"  
>"Just stating a fact" Pikablu said confidently, "… And I don't remember you actually saving me even once.<br>"There" Lucario muttered while pointing at Pikablu, "Just now. I saved you from a punch in the face by stopping myself."  
>"You're not doing wonders in convincing Celebi that you're harmless, you know" Pikablu mumbled in return, seemingly grouchy.<br>"She slept with me all night, she can't be that uncomfortable" Lucario replied with the same confidence Pikablu exhibited earlier, which soon faded as everyone looked at him strangely.  
>"Wait, what was that?" the Gallade asked, but was promptly ignored.<br>"… Must've been a dream…" Kabutops muttered to himself and crossed his arms.  
>"Still, even if she points you in the right direction, that won't be enough" Pikablu said while crossing his arms as well, not wanting to be outdone in display of authority, "Mew is the shyest legendary there is. You won't find her unless she wants you to."<p>

"I know a way around that!" Celebi exclaimed cheerfully, "Lucario, do you possess an artifact of some kind?"  
>"… Artifact?" Lucario repeated in confusion, "Uh… Like what?"<br>"Anything! I can use the Miracle Eye to fill it up with my energy!" Celebi chirped while getting the impulse to whirl around in the air, but stopping herself in an attempt to retain her proper demeanor, "That way, Mew should sense my aura radiating from it and at the very least become curious enough to ask you about it!"  
>"Oh, that thing you did against the Tyrant-y-tard?" Lucario asked and thought back to the menacing foe that had been turned into a meteorite so easily, "That was bloody awesome, by the way."<br>"That is what I was hoping for!" Celebi said cheerfully, "Hmm… I missed the impact, though…"  
>"Don't worry, Cell…" the Gallade whispered while moving a bit closer to the small legendary, "I'll show it to you later…" The Gallade was about to show her what he meant, but had to hastily hide the camera behind his back as Pikablu gave him a curious stare.<p>

"So!" Celebi continued, "Do you have any form of object that you regularly carry around with you?"  
>"… Uh…" Lucario mumbled while looking over himself and sighing, "… Not really, no."<br>"Lucario…" Zerobi suddenly said before pointing at his bottom, "What about your pants?"  
>"… My pants?" Lucario repeated, looking down again. The trousers that had initially been positively shining with cleanliness were now torn by the edges as well as dirtied by everything from blood to mud. He became fairly disgusted with them, even though they were still as functional as always and he wouldn't even have noticed it if he hadn't looked down.<br>"… Would that work?" he asked, reminding himself to hit a clothing store in the near future.  
>"I-I suppose…" Celebi stammered with surprise as she thought of a way to alter the procedure and make it work, "… Yes, yes it should! A bit thin, but at least you carry them with you all the time!"<br>"Hey, it's not like I've got my wardrobe or any washing machines around here!" Lucario responded with an insulted tone, confusing Celebi.

She wasted no time in performing the task as the strange colored lines from before crept over her body once more, making Lucario nervous as he imagined himself being flung miles up into the air.

"Wait, shouldn't he remove them first?" Zerobi asked.  
>"No, that will not be necessary" Celebi replied happily to Zerobi who gave off a grouchy expression in return, again to Celebi's confusion.<br>"Why were you wearing them to begin with, anyway?" Pikablu asked Lucario while taking a bite out of a berry he stole from their backpack.  
>"Human, remember?" Lucario replied and noticed that he had started sweating for some reason, "I've got this thing called 'modesty'!"<br>"Why? It's not like you've got anything to cover up!" the Gallade laughed while nudging the young Pokémon next to him, "Eh, Kabuta?"  
>"Hey, you shut up!" Kabuta responded with a disgusted voice before looking at Lucario shamefully, "Sorry 'bout that, I was kind of taken by the moment back then."<p>

Lucario did not have time to respond as the lines around Celebi coiled and suddenly shot themselves directly in between his legs. Instinctively he covered himself, using his hands as protection. Luckily, he did not feel anything from the action towards his pants, which he knew helped him from needing to replace them afterwards.  
>The lines dissipated in an anti-climax, everyone looking at Lucario for some sort of response. He moved his legs around, feeling an odd sensation creeping up his back.<p>

"My pants have an aura… One that's considerably greater than mine" Lucario said, smiling but showing disappointment through the tone of his voice, "… I honestly don't know how to feel about this."  
>"You should put them in charge" the Gallade snickered, "Let them wear you for once."<br>"Alright…" Lucario said while making a small hop just to see that his energetic pants wouldn't evaporate or something, "That's it?"  
>"That's it!" Celebi replied cheerfully, "Head towards the passage of the sun until see an absolutely humongous mountain! Go to that, and-"<br>"Whoa whoa, wait!" the Gallade suddenly burst out in shock, "He's not a flying-type, you're telling him to climb THAT mountain!"  
>"Well…" Celebi said to herself with disdain while Lucario started wishing he had something besides his mind to take notes with, "That would be impossible, I suppose. But Mew should be able to sense your aura even if you are at the foot of it. Just go there and wait."<br>"Sounds good" Lucario said, wanting one last piece of confirmation from Celebi, "Are you sure Mew will be there?"  
>"Definitively!" she responded, "We meet there once every non-turn of the moon to experiment and have fun!"<p>

"Alright, then… Thanks" Lucario said with a nod as he turned around and started walking, "I guess I'll be going now."  
>"Going…?" Zerobi repeated slowly as something clicked in her head, "Wait, you're leaving!"<br>"Of course, gotta find Mew " Lucario replied quickly while bending over and picking up the backpack, "Uh, could you take care of your sleeping bag from now on? I don't feel like carrying around useless weight."  
>"… That's no good!" Zerobi exclaimed with a disappointed tone, "Come on, stay here! He can stay with us, right?"<br>"I-I suppose…" Celebi responded, not sure of how it would work out but not wanting to deny her sister's very first request.  
>"Decline'd" Lucario sighed, "If Mew can make me human again, I have to find her."<br>"Who's to say Mew can help you, anyway?" Zerobi kept going while feeling herself become angry, "If not even Celebi could, chances are slim-"  
>"Maybe she can, maybe she can't" Lucario interrupted while starting to get agitated as well, "The alternative is staying here, and if I do that I KNOW there's absolutely no way I'll return to being human."<br>"… You can't! It's much too dangerous for you to be doing this alone!" Zerobi shouted with rage, "I found you right at death's door, and that's where you'll be going if I'm not around!"  
>"Hmpf…" Lucario huffed coldly as he was beginning to get tired from being talked back to, "For me, there was a journey before you, and there will be one after you as well."<p>

Zerobi stared furiously at Lucario, who stared back with silent disdain. She wasn't quite sure herself of why she had lost her temper so easily, and began worrying that she was going to go on a killing rampage again. Just to be on the safe side, she forced herself to calm down.

"Must you leave right at this moment?" Celebi asked Lucario, feeling sorry for her sister and wanting to be as supportive as possible.  
>"No sense in wasting any time" Lucario replied cockily while looking around him, "Besides, this crowd's too big for my taste. I could use some time alone."<br>"But…" Zerobi said slowly while looking at Lucario with as sad a face as she could muster, "… What about me?"  
>"I guess…" Lucario said bluntly, "This is our farewell."<br>"Hey, sorry to interrupt, but I've got a solution…" Pikablu suddenly said with a surprisingly confident voice, "Lucario, build two phones and give her one."  
>"… Yeah!" Zerobi exclaimed happily, "That thing humans use! That way, we can stay in touch!"<br>"Uh… No?" Lucario answered in confusion, "I'm not an engineer, I just punch things."  
>"Come on! I've seen humans use phones all the time!" Zerobi continued with determination, fighting against the idea that this was truly their last meeting, "I'll help you, if that's the problem!"<br>"No, I honestly have no idea how to build a phone. That's just…" Lucario explained while trying to comprehend the stupidity of what he was hearing, "… Ugh. Besides, even if I did, I'd need materials not found out here in nature."  
>"… What kind of materials?" Zerobi kept going and feeling her determination wane.<br>"Hell if I know!" Lucario burst out angrily as he finally snapped, "There'd have to be, like, a radio tower, too! It's not just something you can throw together!"  
>Zerobi groaned in annoyance. For an instant, she thought of continuing her journey with Lucario. But the nagging curiosity that had haunted her throughout her entire life made her realize that if given the choice, she would stay with Celebi.<p>

"Zer… I mean, sis…" Celebi whispered slowly as she noticed how troubled she was, "Come here. We need to discuss something."  
>Zerobi looked back at her, and sighed before the two of them moved away from the rest of the crowd. The rest stood and stared at Lucario, who preferred the way they treated before and was beginning to regret telling them about being human. Much to his chagrin, he saw the Gallade suddenly approach him with a smug smile on his face.<br>"Listen pal, if you're really going off alone, let me tell you the single most important advice you'll ever hear" the Gallade said in a strangely informed manner as if he was giving a lecture before suddenly contorting his face into that of a demon, "FUCK. ZUBAT. "  
>"Yeah!" Kabuta chimed in, agreeing with the Gallade for once, "Winged little bastards swarm around you while sucking your blood, confusing you and giving out a bad experience altogether!"<br>"Never had a problem with them, myself…" Kabutops said while slowly shaking his head, "Voltorb on the other hand… Ugh."  
>"Wait, what do they do?" Lucario asked, progressively getting less motivated to go on his journey.<br>"Screech" Kabutops responded bluntly, "… And explode."  
>"… That's, like, the most horrible thing I've ever heard described!" Lucario exclaimed in horror while imagining a stick of dynamite rubbing itself against a blackboard, "What do they do then, poison you!"<br>"That'd be Weedle" Pikablu mumbled and thought back to his many perilous days in Viridian Forest, "Just stay away from trouble whenever possible."  
>"B-But…" Lucario stammered, trying to come up with a countermeasure, "What if I roundhouse kick it?"<br>"Explosion" Kabutops answered quickly.  
>"But…" Lucario kept going, "What if I roundhouse kick it… In the face!"<br>"… I don't see how you could kick it and NOT hit it in the face…" Pikablu muttered to himself.

The Gallade gave off a short laugh before putting his arm on Lucario's shoulder. Lucario twitched, remembering their earlier battle, but was pleased to notice that the arms weren't glowing and thus harmless.

"You know, just felt like warning you" the Gallade said, "You're a cool guy. I wouldn't mind going out for a drink with you one night."  
>"T-T-Thank y-you…?" Lucario stammered badly, receiving some very strange vibes from the slender Pokémon.<br>"Anyway, I've said my piece and I've done my part" the Gallade said and scratched the side of his face that was still itching from the battle, "D'you need me for anything else?"  
>"We're good, and always were" Pikablu replied snarkily, "Take that as a standing dis-invitation."<br>"Would you pronounce this thing and make it official, then…?" Kabutops asked, noticing the Gallade's subtle plea for just the same thing.  
>"Sure thing" Pikablu said while shrugging his shoulders, "Mission accomplished. You're all free to do what you want."<br>"HAHAHA! About time!" the Gallade shouted happily as he threw his arms up into the air, "Finally, it's time to update my website, blog and everything else! So long, suckers!"

The Gallade posed magnificently for a few moments. Seeing many unimpressed looks headed his way, he lowered his arms disappointedly.

"… Uh, do you guys need a ride somewhere?" he asked meekly.  
>"We're fine" Pikablu answered.<br>"Yeah" Kabuta said with a cocky voice, "Don't forget the camera, uncle sissy"  
>"Hah! That'll be uncle AWESOME to you once you see the feature presentation!" the Gallade replied cockily before raising his arms again, "Anyway, I'm outta here! Ciao!"<br>The Gallade suddenly disappeared, leaving behind a miniature implosion that startled both Lucario and Zerobi.

"But…" Kabuta whispered confusedly to herself, "… We all already saw the feature presentation..."  
>"Rockers" Kabutops said while putting his scythe on her head, "What have I told you about listening to uncle sissy?"<br>"Besides, you've already got one awesome uncle" Pikablu said with a smile, "And father… And mother… And brother…"  
>"True" Kabutops said while smiling to himself, "I do believe it's time for us to return home."<br>"I'm going back as well, to give Anne some reprieve" Pikablu said while reaching up and patting Kabuta on the back, "Good job on your first mission, kiddo."  
>"Thanks…" Kabuta whispered, not at all enthralled at what once would have sent her jumping for joy. Instead, she received a glint of determination in her eye as she looked over at Lucario and suddenly made a small leap towards him.<p>

"Lucario!" she shouted, bowing her head in a show of respect few had seen, "Take me with you!"  
>"E… Eh?" Lucario stuttered with surprise, "W-With me? Where?"<br>"I've always wanted to go on a REAL adventure!" Kabuta explained while thinking about falling to her knees, but knew she would not be able to keep an upright position with only one arm, "Pops and Picks both went on an adventure… This is my best chance to have one, too!"  
>"Adventure!" Pikablu yelled angrily while moving towards them and staring at Kabuta, "Are you crazy! This idiot's heading towards certain doom!"<br>"I… WHAT!" Lucario exclaimed in a worried outburst.  
>"What I mean, is…" Pikablu said, not breaking his eye contact with Kabuta, "You lost one arm under his watch, and you'll lose a lot more than that if you go with him."<br>"HEY!" Lucario shouted, "She lost it under YOUR watch! At least I did everything I could to stop it!"  
>"Again, you're not helping" Pikablu groaned as he felt like he could actually see all subtlety glancing by Lucario, "The next time, I'll just knock you out before starting."<br>"Picks, I…" Kabuta said confidently while looking back and forth between the two, "I need to do this! When I return, I'll be much stronger!"

The three of them kept bickering back and forth as tension begun to rise. Kabutops sighed and decided to move in between them, his calm demeanor almost instantly dispelling all the animosity surrounding them.

"Kabuta…" he said slowly while facing his daughter, seeing a bit of his younger self in her eyes, "… You've grown."  
>"Pops… I…" Kabuta stammered, not knowing what to say.<br>"Lucario, would you continue your journey in solace?" Kabutops said as he turned around and looked at Lucario, "Selfish as it may be, I wish to spend more time with my daughter before she is fully grown up…"  
>"Not a problem!" Lucario replied happily, relieved at the outcome as Kabuta was giving him the same set of strange vibes that he got from the Gallade earlier. Both Pikablu and Kabuta were half a second away from saying something to this, but stopped themselves as they noticed Celebi and Zerobi had returned. They took a step back, leaving a somewhat nervous Lucario alone in front of the two.<p>

"Lucario…" Zerobi said slowly while facing him directly, "Is there anything I can do to get you to stay?"  
>"No" Lucario said bluntly on purpose, for some reason having been left unsatisfied and feeling like igniting another fight.<br>"But… When you are done with your quest…" Zerobi continued undauntedly, "… Will you return?" Lucario stood in silence, dropping his plans on teasing her when he noticed the sincerity in her voice. All she wanted was to be with him, and for the first time he was actually starting to feel sorry for her.  
>"… No" he said, knowing that in the end there was only one answer that he could give without lying.<br>"… I-I see…" Zerobi stammered sadly and lowered her head once more.  
>"Ugh… This is too painful to watch" Pikablu grumbled at Lucario with an annoyed tone, "Don't be such a hardass. You're really going to break a girl's heart, just like that?"<br>"Do I have a choice…?" Lucario muttered, "I'm human. No matter what, I'll never be able to see Zerobi as anything but a weird creature, and especially not a 'girl'."  
>"I have no way of putting this delicately, and frankly I don't care at this point" Lucario said and with a sad expression thought back to his very first encounter with a Pokémon, "… You're all animal to me. Friendly, but still animal."<br>"… Animal?" Pikablu repeated while crossing his arms in the usual manner, "Not sure what that means, but I'm guessing it's not good…"  
>"Anima…?" Zerobi said while remembering the expression from one of her occult magazines, "But… I don't understand…"<br>"Between eating berries, living out in the wild and being hunted by my own kind…" Lucario explained, every word tasting like another disgusting berry on his tongue, "If there's a train heading out of this life, I'm taking it."  
>"… Train?" Pikablu repeated, feeling like he had to parrot Lucario's every line to even understand them, "Do you EVER take anything seriously?"<br>"Only when I have to" Lucario responded coolly, "It's easier to deal with shit when you've got a sense of humor about it."

The two of them stared each other down for a moment. While to everyone else this would seem like a hostile display, between the two of them they could see something new in the eyes of their counterpart.  
>Respect.<p>

"Heh… You're an oddball, but I've befriended worse" Pikablu said with a smile as he walked up and patted Lucario's right leg, "Feel free to visit us once you've failed your mission."  
>"Psst…" Kabuta leaned in and whispered in Lucario's ear, "He means 'good luck'…"<br>"I know what it is like to be on a journey to find one's true self" Kabutops said as Pikablu backed off, "Hopefully, you will reach the same conclusion as I."  
>"Uh…" Kabuta mumbled while trying to make sense out of her father's sayings, "I think that means 'good luck', too."<br>"Yeah, I got all of that" Lucario chuckled while looking at Kabuta, "What about you?"  
>"I'll be… Fine" she replied with a less than confident tone in her voice, "You sure I can't come with you?"<br>"It wouldn't work" Lucario said quickly, "But don't worry - You're strong enough as it is. And if anyone asks, I'll tell them that you held me off with only one arm!"  
>"… Stupid…" Kabuta whispered to herself as she moved away from him with an angry and saddened face, "… I don't care about that…"<p>

Lucario then looked at the tiny green Celebi floating next to the elegant black Weavile. Seeing any resemblance of family ties between them was impossible, and he silently wondered if he was not seeing it because he was not a Pokémon himself.

"Celebi" he said with courtesy, "Thanks for everything."  
>"You're welcome…" Celebi replied sadly, looking at Zerobi's downtrodden expression with sympathy. As the awkwardness was beginning to reach unbearable levels, Lucario felt that he had to do something about it.<br>"Hey hey, come on" he said while moving forward and boldly placing his hand on her shoulder, "Don't let it end like this. When did things get so awkward between us?"  
>"… Around the time that I almost killed you?" Zerobi replied slowly, looking at the hand on her shoulder and reliving the horrible moment.<br>"If this is how things are going to turn out, then you might as well have" Lucario said confidently before realizing what it sounded like outside his head, "... I mean, uh, from your perspective. Personally, I'm totally glad I didn't die."  
>"Lucario…" Zerobi said slowly while thinking back to their many moments together, "… I'm going to miss you. Is there really no way for you to stay?"<br>"Zerobi… I know you don't know me too well, but what do you expect from me?" Lucario asked in a calm manner, "I'm not a Pokémon, just a transformed man. Under regular circumstances, we wouldn't even understand each other, and that's the side of the fence I've always been on."  
>"… Heh" Zerobi snickered, deciding against pursuing her romance any further and instead make the best of their last few seconds together, "At the very least, I don't think I'll forget you."<br>"Ditto" Lucario replied cheerfully, happy to see his partner return to her former self, "Like I said, out of all these weirdoes… You're the best."

"Still, all of you…" Lucario said as he moved away from Zerobi and adjusted the backpack, "You're alright. Have good lives."  
>"… Just… Be careful!" Zerobi said, finally beginning to come to terms that this might be the last time she would see him, "If I hear that you were taken down five minutes after leaving…!"<br>"Ha ha ha!" Lucario laughed, "You take care of yourself, too." Lucario gave off a big smile before turning around, leaving his confident face as everyone's last impression.  
>"Pikablu! Viridian Forest!" Pikablu shouted at him, "Come around, we'll find something for you to eat that's not berries!"<br>"I'll get stronger, and we'll have a rematch!" Kabuta shouted as well, but felt too overcome by the moment to say what she really wanted to say, "Just… Come back, damn you!"

They watched Lucario as he left with the sun burning on his back, lighting up his yellow fur like a candle. Hearing everyone cheering for him made him feel good. When he heard them stop and start another conversation behind him, he felt the sudden urge to go back and join them. The idea of leaving them turned out to be much less strenuous to his rationality than actually doing it. But still he kept walking forward, knowing that turning around would only make it harder for all of them. Eventually he was able to erase all doubt from his mind by remembering what he really was, who he really was and why he was even there in the first place.

His newfound yet recently lost friends had already left his sight… But he knew that they would forever stay within his mind.

And so, his journey continued towards new horizons...

* * *

><p>Author here! I do believe celebrations are in order! Not only is this the end of the first episode, but also the end of the first... Season. Or Arc. Hell, call it whatever you want, all I know is I typed in "it's over" and my Word 2010 brought up a smiley face.<p>

"... So the story is over?" Lucario asks with both a relieved and disappointed look.

Of course not! Man, I haven't even introduced... Just that this story's got, like, a million characters already, might as well let some of them have their day in the limelight now.

"S'nice, I s'pose" Lucario says with a nod, "But you know, I've been meaning to ask you. Why does the image for the first chapter contain a Lucario... WITH spikes?"

No more questions!

"Huh?" Lucario exclaims, "I thought that was the whole point behind this."

You thought wrong!

"Back in the spotlight, eh...?" Snivy mutters, nudging Eve.

"Shoved to the side, more like it..." Eve sighs, "Do you think I would become relevant to the story if I evolve into some strange eeveelution?"

"Might work" the Spectreon says, "But you'll need the essence of someone recently deceased to do it. Also, it sucks, like, A LOT."

"Hmm..." the Croagunk mumbles, "I guess we could take some from Umk. Then you'd become an Boozeon."

"No!" Snivy shouts, "Like hell I'm having sex with a poison type!"

"Uh..." Umk whispers, "I'm not dead yet."

"BWAH!" the Spectreon exclaims, "A ghost!"

"Two, actually" the Haunter sighs, "... Or three. I don't have enough fingers to keep count anymore."

"U-Um..." Astrid stammers, "Shouldn't we be interacting with the characters from the other stories?"

"Dunno, Zerobi being so happy kind of sickens me" Snivy groans, "Go nuts. Be careful around the THS crew, I don't trust 'em."

"... And so I exit the gym, and guess who?" Lucas explains, "Barry. With a fully healed team."

"Pish posh" Red mutters, "I defeated the Elite Four, and then Blue just waltzes in and challenges me to another battle like he owned the place."

"It's like there aren't any regulations at all!" Brendan snickers, "Heck, I brought fifty Hyper Potions the first time, not a single one of them even raised an eyebrow!"

"Of course... Nothing compared to that Unova kid" Red says with a depressed face, "I heard he had to fight the elite four, and then the entirety of Team Plasma ambushed him..."

"Hah! Brilliant!" Brendan exclaims, "That's way more evil than Team Magma... Or was that Aqua? They're hitting Team Rocket levels!"

"Oh yeah?" Lucas says cockily, "Well, MY enemies actually tried to destroy the world! Beat that!"

"Too bad they were complete sissies in every other aspect!" Brendan laughs, "Ooooh, look at meee, I'm named Saturn! And in case you couldn't tell, I'm also a big faggot!"

... Asshole. Anyway, why are YOU here with me instead of over THERE?

"I don't belong with the that crowd" Lucario sighs, "Besides, you're the only other human here."

Sorry, but I don't swing that way.

"Cute" Lucario mutters, "To me, they're all just animal. I'd rather be here."

Well, to me, YOU'RE an animal! I'd rather be alone!

"... Asshole" Lucario mumbles as he walks away.

"You know who I miss?" Pikablu asks, "Anne."

"You know who I miss?" Kabutops asks back, "Astrid."

"You know who I miss?" The Gallade asks as well, "Team Charm."

"We're talking about our wives, here" Kabutops snarls.

"Who says I'm not?" The Gallade responds with a cocky laugh.

"You know, your antics were almost endearing for the first five minutes" Pikablu says with anger apparent in his voice, "SIX YEARS. It has been SIX YEARS of me hearing this!"

"See, that's the difference between us!" the Gallade points out, "In six years, you became older... While I stayed cool and awesome!"

"Did you just call yourself a foolish bottom?" Pikablu snarls, "Because that makes a lot of sense!"

"Check your hearing" the Gallade snaps back.

"Its working TOO well" Pikablu replies, "So shut up!"

"YOU shut up!" the Gallade responds.

"Hey sis, whose idea was it to put those two crazies in the same room?" Zerobi snickers.

"Speaking of crazy, would you mind telling me why you tried killing Lucario while I was away?" Celebi asks with a stern tone.

"Yeah right, like YOU never did anything weird when I was away!" Zerobi sneers.

"… Point taken…" Celebi says, scratching her head in embarrassment.

"You know, I get the feeling we've done this before..." Zerobi whispers slowly as she is hit by deja vu.

"Ooh!" Celebi exclaims, "Me too! Maybe we have developed a sisterly psychic bond!"

"... I'd say 'no', but maybe...?" Zerobi says quietly, "Tell me, what am I thinking of, now?"

"... You really, REALLY want to hug your sister!" Celebi says after thinking for a while.

"No..." Zerobi sighs, "That's probably what _you're_thinking..."

"Y-You can tell!" Celebi stammers, "I knew it! It's working!"

"Not unless you see... Hmm..." Zerobu mutters, "OK, I'm going to really focus on something now. Try to see what it is."

"... Oh? Oh..." Celebi repeats as she suddenly looks over at Lucario and starts blushing wildly, "... Oh! Oh my!"

"H-Hey, stop it!" Zerobi shouts angrily, "That's SO not what I'm thinking about!"

"And so, Astrid..." Pikablu says while rubbing the burn on his left cheek, "... Is yet again missing."

"Indeed" Kabutops replies.

"I see the chief of police is present" Pikablu mutters while staring at Snivy, "Should I be telling him to arrest you?"

"..." Kabutops stands in silence for a moment, "Remember last time? I am not long for this world if I explain why."

"Why, pops?" Kabuta asks as she realizes something, "Hey, mom's always, like, out cold in the morning! Why's that?"

"..." Kabutops stands in silence for yet another a moment, and decides not to say anything this time.

"Come on! Tell me, pops!" Kabuta says while moving closer to him, "Pops pops pops pops pops"

"..." Kabutops remains silent.

"Pops pops pops pops pops" Kabuta says.

"..." Kabutops remains silent.

"Pops pops pops pops pops" Kabuta says.

Shit, it's an infinite loop! I was a fool to invite those two!

Anyway, I do realize that I'm bad at ending these things, so I'll just leave you all with the most important piece of information I could possible give! THE NEXT CHAPTER OF THIS STORY WILL BE OUT IN


	23. Swarmed Trainer Silver

The vast plains between Route 216 and Eterna City are never still. The wide stretch of rustling grass would make any trainer shudder with anticipation as well as fear, seeing how miles upon miles of wilderness meant giving up the safety of having a Pokecenter nearby.

Even Pokémon find themselves thrust into battle at a moment's notice in this area. The long strands of grass in one particular area was put into especially violent motions, twisting left and right to accommodate with the two Pokémon moving around them.

A silenced thud was heard, forcing both the Pokémon to a complete stop. The first Pokémon, a canine with blue fur and short pants is standing on one leg while slowly retracting the other one from his opponent's head. The other Pokémon, a large beetle with a long horn sticking out of his bleeding face tried to keep himself focused, but failed as the impact from the blow struck his brain and made his vision become blurry.

"Agh…" the Heracross coughed, stumbling away and falling on his backside with his legs sticking up into the air.  
>"Alright, that makes twenty seven" Lucario said while calmly brushing off a drop of blood that had found its way onto his leg.<br>"… Haahh…" the Heracross sighed as he turned to his side and got back on his feet, "… Twenty seven-what?"  
>"You're the twenty seventh Pokémon to attack me for absolutely no reason" Lucario continued while developing a frown, "Out with it. What's <em>your<em> beef with me?"  
>"… Beef?" the Heracross repeated with confusion in his voice, "I just wanted a refreshing battle! Haven't got anything else planned for today!"<br>"Damn it, get a hobby or something!" Lucario snapped angrily, "I've got more important things to do than kick your ass!"  
>"If you don't want to fight, just run away…" the Heracross said with a pout, disappointed that he had lost.<br>"I would, if not for the fact that it'd probably be more exhausting than beating up weaklings like you…" Lucario mumbled before turning around, showing no fear of being attacked from behind, "I'm leaving. Oh, and I won. Give me something."  
>"… Uh…" the Heracross said to himself while looking around before suddenly picking up a small blue object from the ground, "… Here, have an Oran berry!"<br>"… I don't want it…" Lucario whispered with disdain while throwing a quick glance behind him at the blue berry.  
>"Oh… Well…" the Heracross exclaimed while fidgeting around, seemingly wanting to say something, "… You know, I've been kind of lonely lately. Do you mind if I tag along for a bit?"<br>"PISS OFF, ASSHAT!" Lucario roared at him while turning around and clenching his fist, "You attacked me out of nowhere! You've got four seconds to get out of here before I fucking kill you!"  
>The Heracross was taken off guard by this and stumbled back a bit before running away in fear, disappearing within the tall grass.<p>

"Ugh, what a tiresome bunch…" Lucario groaned to himself, missing the Pokémon like the small penguin or purple ball that would simply admire him instead of try to fight him.  
>"You're the one to talk" Lucario said with a wheezy voice, trying to impersonate Zerobi.<br>"Yeah, I sure am! Because…" Lucario to himself with his usual voice before sighing deeply, "… Nah, it just isn't the same…" He gave up on keeping conversation with himself and began walking once more, hoping that he would find Mew before dying of boredom.

A few weeks had passed since his last goodbye to his friends, even though he wasn't sure exactly how long ago it was since he had given up on counting the days after realizing he only had three fingers on each paw. Not because he kept count with them, but because the lack of hands made him too depressed to care. He had been half a second away from buying a set of pencils in Snowpoint City before Zerobi kindly reminded him that the only way he was going to use them was with his mouth or ass.

Thinking about the past kept him going forward, but with each step he found out that he missed his friends more and more. He snickered to himself when he realized that it was mostly his fault that he was alone, rejecting them like he had rejected the Heracross earlier. But taking Zerobi with him would pretty much have ruined her life, and taking Kabuta would have ruined _his_life judging by the stinky look Pikablu and Kabutops gave him the moment she bowed down to him.

As he wandered and imagined what the future held in store, he slowly began to realize that he had forgotten to ask the others what Mew actually looked like. Supposedly she would be the one to find him, but that did not stop him from wondering what she was like. He envisioned a large, old creature with a deep mighty voice, something befitting of the nickname "Big M".

Night had fallen before long, most normal Pokémon going to sleep while waking up their nocturnal counterparts. Lucario felt reluctant sleeping out in the open as he had been attacked in his sleep once or twice in the past, and kept moving to find a place to lodge.

As luck would have it he came upon a small cave, consisting of little more than an entrance and a single room of darkness. While not optimal, he knew that it would give him protection from more sides than sleeping in the grass.

He had spent the long day both walking and fighting, and he felt a bit too wound up to simply lie down and rest. Thinking to himself, he tried to figure out if he was tired enough to go to sleep or not. He didn't know and settled for the latter, deciding to sit on a large rock a couple of meters away from the cave before entering it.

Staring into the sky, he couldn't help but feel that most of his problems simply melted away one by one. Even if he was no longer human, the moon would always look at him with indifference. Although his friends were far away, they were under the same sky as he was. Should everyone shun their responsibilities and the entire world come to an end, the stars would still burn on with much greater significance than anything he could possibly do.

Lucario's back became prickled as he suddenly sensed a small aura appear out of nowhere. It approached him from behind, slowing down and veering off before colliding with him. Shakily turning his head around, Lucario saw a purple figure flap its wings as it set down next to him.

"Quite the pleasant evening, no?" a meek yet dignified voice escaped the new arrival. Lucario looked at it, but had trouble seeing what it was as it kept wings as large as its entire body wrapped around itself. It had a small head with very large ears and no visible eyes, and instead of legs he saw what looked like feelers sticking out under it. Even so, its most prominent feature was without a doubt its huge mouth with large fangs sticking out of the corners.

"Uh…" Lucario mumbled and was not sure of what to say, "It sure is, Mr. Bat."  
>"Miss, not mister" the purple bat corrected him, "And 'Zubat', not 'Bat'."<br>"… Zubat?" Lucario repeated, the name hitting a familiar note in his head, "Oh yeah… Aren't you supposed to suck my blood or something?"  
>"No, I had my fill from a less fortunate Clefairy not long ago" the Zubat explained with a subtle smile forming on her large mouth, "I just wish to enjoy the moon this fine evening."<br>"That's… Not the response I expected" Lucario said, still trying to find any sort of eyes on the strange bat to look into, "I kind of thought you'd bite me or something."  
>"I could call for my brethren, if you would prefer that…?" she sighed, turning her head away from the moon and towards the cave.<br>"Heh… Why not?" Lucario scoffed while thinking back to the many horror movies he had seen in his youth, "Bats go well with a full moon."  
>"Indeed…" the Zubat whispered calmly before looking back at the moon, Lucario following her suite. He wanted to return to his philosophizing, but felt that it would feel a little out of place when sitting next to a sentient bat with no eyes.<p>

"I must say…" the Zubat said after a while, "My good intentions aside, you are treating me with far more respect than regular travelers."  
>"Well… You're classier compared to what everyone else told me" Lucario explained while grasping the absurdity of the situation, "… Personally, I never thought I'd be enjoying a quiet view of the nightly skies with a bat."<br>"… It's kind of nice" the Zubat whispered while looking up at the moon, Lucario trying harder than ever to see if she actually had any eyes to view it with.  
>"… Why blood?" Lucario asked as his eyes fastened upon her fangs, a weak hue of red still visible on their tips.<br>"When it comes to nutrition, nothing beats blood" the Zubat said without looking down from the moon, "A shame, but that is the way things are."  
>"I had a girlfriend like that, not long ago…" Lucario muttered to himself with a nod before realizing what he had just said, "… By which I mean a friend that just happened to be a girl! Nothing else!"<p>

Lucario expected a response from the Zubat and groaned at the thought of having to explain everything, but was surprised as she instead ignored him. It caught him slightly off guard as he resumed his own viewing of the moon, trying his best to ignore her ignoring him.

They both remained quiet, simply enjoying the moment. The long day of travelling and action had made Lucario long for some tranquility, and silently staring at the moon while sitting next to the surprisingly sophisticated bat filled him with the serenity he desired. It removed his loneliness while at the same time making him content.

"Hey, you're pretty cool" Lucario said and broke the silence while looking at her, "Want to be my pet? You can ride on my shoulder and everything."  
>"Can I drink your blood periodically?" the Zubat asked nonchalantly.<br>"… If you must…" Lucario mumbled with a shudder, staring at her very obvious fangs.  
>"Relax, I'm joking" the Zubat snickered mysteriously, "I hate daylight. This cave is my home for a reason."<br>"Hmm…" Lucario muttered disappointedly, "It was worth a try."  
>"Feeling lonesome, wanderer Lucario?" the Zubat asked with another subtle smile appearing on her face.<br>"… A bit, maybe…" Lucario admitted.  
>"It'll pass" the Zubat said reassuringly, "Until then, just sit and enjoy this evening."<p>

They were about to continue their evening of solitude as the silence was suddenly broken. Sensing several auras as well as hearing loud noises coming from the cave, Lucario turned his head and was shocked at what he saw.

A human boy had just exited the cave, surrounded by a swarm of aggressive Zubats and a strange small creature surrounded by a barrier. The boy had red hair and a thin indigo jacket, the first of which was ruffled and the latter of which was in tatters with bite marks and cuts showing through, as well as a set of Pokeballs hidden within various pockets. His skin was extremely pale, but for his face which was glowing with a fiery fury.

Without hesitation, the fuming trainer plucked one of the flying creatures out of the air, and punched it repeatedly on the face before throwing it to the ground and stomping furiously upon its sad remains.

"**FUCKING ZUBAT-FUCKS!**" the trainer yelled, "**FUCK YOU!**"  
>"Hi hi hi!" the tiny creature giggled while flying around while still being surrounded by a powerful barrier, "That was fun! But master Silver, why did you not simply wish them away?"<br>"I wish I could wish YOU away!" Silver roared, flailing his arms around in anger. The rest of the swarm became frightened by this display of violence and dispersed.  
>"Um…" the small being mumbled while pondering his request, "… But that's a paradox! I don't think I would ever make myself disappear!"<br>"What a shame…" Silver muttered, smiling as the swarm backed off. He then became concerned as they stopped not far away, regrouping for another assault in revenge of their fallen comrade. The tiny creature that had been following him around for so long suddenly moved right in front of him and stared at him with a big smile, annoying him to no end.

The tiny creature itself was unremarkable, looking a little like a human fetus with white skin. However, on its head it seemed to be wearing a yellow hat that was shaped like a star, with green tags hanging by the edges. The hat reached down behind and far below the creature like two thin cloaks hanging by its sides. It had claimed to be the legendary Jirachi, but so far Silver had seen no sign of its supposed omnipotence and was convinced that someone was simply pranking him.

"Of course…" the Zubat sighed to herself with disdain, "Such a nice evening was too good to last…"  
>"Uh… Are they OK?" Lucario asked with a concerned voice as he saw the stomped Zubat lie twitching on the ground, "Should we go help them?"<br>"Zubat are resilient" she said without batting an eye (so to speak), "Besides, they're feeding. Move close and you will most likely be their new target."  
>"… Wait, they all came from in there?" Lucario asked, looking at the small cave that could not possibly fit half of what just left it.<br>"It is much larger on the inside" the Zubat explained calmly, "It goes underground."

"Master, look!" Jirachi suddenly shouted, staring directly at Lucario and the female Zubat. Silver reluctantly turned his head away from the dangerous swarm to look at the two of them.  
>"Master… His pants…" Jirachi continued as he sensed a familiar yet odd sensation emanating from them, "… They're really weird!"<br>"Hey, I don't want to hear that coming from some… Whatever you are" Lucario quickly replied.  
>"No spikes…" Silver muttered as his eyes lazily scrolled over Lucario before he quickly put his hands together, "… Oh! OH!"<p>

Silver's eyes suddenly shot open as he straightened his back. A few particularly loud screeches escaped the swarm of Zubat not far away, but Silver completely ignored them.

"PERFECT!" Silver shouted while clenching his fist with dedication.  
>"… You want something with me, kiddo?" Lucario asked, thinking back to all the times he performed the same action and wondered if he looked as silly.<br>"He's asking what you want to do with him, master!" Jirachi chimed in, translating Lucario's words for Silver.  
>"Tell him that I'm going to catch him!" Silver responded confidently before lowering his voice to a mutter, "… Wait, why the hell am I talking to a Pokémon through another Pokémon!"<br>"Um… My master is going to catch you!" Jirachi said with a smile, quite enjoying his new role as an interpreter.  
>"… Like, <em>I<em> understand _him_" Lucario muttered with annoyance.  
>"He says he understands you, master!" Jirachi told Silver, who clenched both his fists in response.<br>"Shut up!" he said while pulling out a single Pokeball from under his jacket, "Screw diplomacy! Prepare yourself, Lucario!"

Silver threw a red and white Pokeball towards Lucario who wasn't sure whether he was trying to catch him or bring out one of his own Pokémon. His question was answered as the ball split open in midair, revealing a large rat-like creature. It was purple like the Zubat but in a lighter shade and with a white stomach, and had two large fangs sticking out of its mouth.

"Oh" the Zubat said indifferently as she looked at the new arrival, "A battle."  
>"You know, where I'm from, kids don't summon monsters" Lucario muttered while quietly lamenting over his predicament, "Although, to be honest… If they could, they probably would."<br>"Typical" the Zubat sighed disappointedly, "I finally find a man who will listen, and he becomes captured by a trainer right away."  
>"Relax" Lucario replied confidently with a shrug, "I've got this. Its aura is pitifully weak."<br>"He's saying you're weak, master!" Jirachi suddenly exclaimed, looking at his trainer whose eyes darkened.  
>"WHAT!" Silver burst out with anger, "Rattata, bite his legs off!"<p>

The Rattata tried to growl, but it came off as a pathetic squeak instead. It ran up to Lucario with surprising speed before throwing itself at his right leg. Lucario responded by kicking the Ratatta so hard in the face that a cheekbone cracked, one of its teeth became chipped and it flew straight up into the air. He thought about following it up and spiking it down to the ground, but sensed that it had already gone unconscious. Instead, he waited for it to come down again, after which he grabbed its tail before it struck the ground.

"… Um, to be honest, I agree with him!" Jirachi said with a worried tone as he saw that Silver's mouth was agape.  
>"WHAT!" he yelled while shaking his fist at the legendary Pokémon, "Mock me again, and I'll… I mean, I wish you would never… Do that… Thing you did… Evermore!"<br>"… Uh, you lost me after 'wish'!" Jirachi responded, trying to make sense out of what his trainer had just said.  
>"The main flaw in your plan was that in your attack, you attempted to rapidly place your head right next to the destructive force of my leg" Lucario explained in an overly complicated way while waving the Ratatta in his hand back and forth, "… If you didn't see this coming, get your eyes checked."<br>"Speaking of 'wish', there's still one way for you to win…" Jirachi kept going while not so subtly hinting at something.  
>"FINE!" Silver growled "Jirachi, I wish for you to defeat that Lucario!"<br>"Nothing could be easier!" Jirachi giggled, moving away from his trainer as he slowly approached Lucario.

"Oh?" Lucario said cockily while holding up the Ratatta, "Want to beat this thing's flying record?"  
>"I already have!" Jirachi answered happily while adjusting his height so that he was on the same level as Lucario. Meanwhile, Lucario felt encumbered by the Ratatta and threw it to his side. He could barely sense any aura from his new opponent and had already started planning for something witty to say after the fight.<br>Jirachi settled in midair a fairly long distance away from Lucario, having found the perfect spot to start the battle from. He looked at his trainer for a moment before finally building enough confidence to begin his attack.

"Zen Headbutt!" Jirachi exclaimed cheerfully, surrounding himself with a white aura of energy before flying towards Lucario like a speeding bullet. The incredible fastness of the attack took Lucario completely off guard, the small legendary connecting with his chest before he even knew what had happened.

Lucario felt his ribs shatter and pierce the surrounding muscle tissue as an explosion of blood poured out of his mouth. The force of the attack make his toenails rattle, and was comparable to how he imagined being hit by a car would feel like. Flying back several meters, the mountain he crashed into felt like a soft bedpan compared to the blow he had just received.

He could still hear some voices surrounding him, but was too dazed to make any sense out of them. Pitifully still on the ground in a growing pool of his own blood, he waited for someone to come rescue him.  
>"… Zerobi…?" he mumbled, remembering that she had been reunited with her sister. Her final words of worry echoed through his head. A small penguin appeared in his mind, smiling at him before suddenly becoming abducted by the cackling silhouette of a madman. A short vision of Kabuta standing alongside with the Gallade and Pikablu showed itself afterwards, the massive wound on his chest working in contrast to the memory of Celebi's warm healing.<p>

Slowly he realized that he was all alone. Using the last of his strength to look up, he saw what seemed like a cloud of darkness surrounding the trainer and his Pokémon. A bright, white light suddenly cut through it, sending small winged dots flying in every direction.

After that, a spinning Pokeball came flying at him, crashing into his forehead and knocking him out.

"M-Miss Rukario! Are you leaving already?"

_"..."_

"No! Don't leave! Stay!"

_"... Forgive me, but there is someone else out there that needs me."_

"You just fought off three enemies... Surely you can't go out like this...?"

_"I've... Survived worse."_

"R-Rukario..."

_"You shouldn't cry, Christie. I'll come back again."_

"..."

_"... What?"_

"... Zagrim told me that Arceus painted you."

_"..."_

"..."

_"He did."_

"...!"

_"... He painted you, as well."_

"...?"

_"Arceus is a very mighty being, with many different colors to choose from. He simply cannot settle with just one set for each Pokemon!"_

"R-Really? How... How do you know?"

_"... Someone very important to me told me that, once."_

"...?"

_"..."_

"At any rate, you saved our lives. You are welcome to come back whenever you feel like it."

_"..."_

"Go on, Christie."

"... One more hug!"

_"... Okay... But this is the last one."_


	24. BIRTH

_Life… Life is unpredictable. We're all but ragdolls, thrown around by the hands of fate. Heck, I'm not even sure that I'll finish writing this before something happens that completely changes my situation! I might succumb to a deadly disease I knew nothing about… Get caught by some kid possessing an unhealthy obsession with the daycare center… Or a legendary Pokémon might just stumble upon my humble home!_

_Crazy? I'll have you know that the latter actually happened to me barely a year ago. I remember it like it was yesterday, but even so it seems like the event occurred ages ago…_

_Another night of… Whatever I used to do back then to kill time. Everything I did besides building the place was pointless, that's for sure. Anyway, I remember hearing a small thud right outside the hut. Nothing special, probably just a Pidgey settling down for a moment. I wasn't lonely enough to invite a complete stranger in for homemade poffins in exchange for some company…_

_… Alright, so maybe I was. That's not the point. The lack of wing fluttering told me that whoever had landed outside was still there, so I hastily put on my cool face and went outside, seeing if I could charm whoever it was._

_My first sight told me that "whoever" was a definition that would stick with this Pokémon a while longer. On the ground was a small Pokémon, clutching her abdomen in pain. This is before I had served her any homemade poffins, mind you! She appeared to be a Grass-type, with green skin and some kind of growth stick out of her head. She had very small, barely visible wings sticking out of her back, and some kind of antennae on her forehead._

_"What's wrong?" I asked to see why she was in such pain, but my words only seemed to increase it. In an instant she twitched, looking up at me with her big, blue eyes…_

_Ah, those eyes…! A perfection of color, placing sapphire in front of her serene green body to create a picture of harmony and purity! Crystal clear even in the middle of the night! It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen, and needless to say I was taken back by her response._

_"W-Who are you!" she growled between gasps, failing to make her sweet and sugary voice sound intimidating, "Go away!"_  
><em>"Uh…" I stammered, being too paralyzed to do anything.<em>  
><em>"Get out of here! Leave me alone!" she shouted and started to rise up from the ground.<em>  
><em>"No, wait! I…" I started as I became worried that she would fly off and disappear into the night once more.<em>

_Instead, she collapsed to the ground, seemingly overtaken by pain. I hadn't noticed it before, but the crystal clarity in her eyes seemed to come from the fact that they were being cleansed by tears._

_"No… Not like this…" she cried to herself, "I-I am not ready yet…"_  
><em>"I'm just trying to help!" I told her with sincerity, "You look so pained… There must be something I can do!"<em>  
><em>"There is nothing you can do…" she said with bitterness towards both me and herself, "This night will be my last…"<em>  
><em>"Were you attacked! Someone struck your stomach!" I shouted out, trying to guess my way as to why she was holding her stomach so tightly, "Wait, did you ingest poison! I have a whole stack of Antidotes right inside m-"<em>  
><em>"I'M GIVING BIRTH, YOU DOLT!" she finally screamed at me, shutting me up. I can't exactly remember what my response was, but I'm sure it went something like this:<em>

_"Oh… Oh? Oh!" I blurted out, "SHIT!"_

_Hey, I thought she had just sprained her ankle or something… Alright, so far it's pretty uncool, but just wait until you see what I did next!_

_"That's… But… Like…" I stammered as my brain put two and two together, "… Water! And stuff! I've got it all inside!"_  
><em>"Just… Leave me alone…" she responded, sounding far weaker than earlier before and shrill scream escaped her. The poor girl's voice said "no", but her writhing on the dirty soil gave off another message.<em>  
><em>"Sure…" I said, bending over and carefully picking her up. I am a Weavile, so I had to hold her with my arms as not to get her cut with my sharp claws.<em>  
><em>"What are you doing!" she yelled at me, "Put me do-ARGH!"<em>

_I brought her inside my home, despite her complaining and screaming all the way. All the time I held back making any snappy retorts… Because, well, I was not the one in severe pain._

_"See!" I shouted while hiding my annoyance after finally placing her on my bed of moss and straws, "Beats the ground, doesn't it!"_  
><em>"I'll die, either way" she pouted, still protesting my actions in a sense.<em>  
><em>"Don't say that!" I told her, "It's bad luck!"<em>  
><em>"Luck? LUCK!" she screamed back at me, "I'll tell you what it was, a bad f-"<em>  
><em>"Hey, don't give up until it's over!" I interrupted her, "You really want your child to grow up in a world without a mother!"<em>

_Hearing this seemed to calm her anger. However, I had no time to feel satisfied with myself as her anger became replaced with despair._

_"… Or a father… Or anyone…" she spoke quietly, not even once having released her grip of her abdomen, "I… Will be dead before I can even see her…"_  
><em>"Keep talking like that, and maybe…" I started, but halted myself when I saw that she was in much more need of reassurance than I was, "… No. I'm here with you. I won't let that happen."<em>  
><em>"You can't stop it. No one can…" she continued with sadness, "I knew that, but still…"<em>

_She trailed off, and we were left in silence. I realized that despite my initial thoughts of bringing her inside to help her out, there was nothing I could do._

_"My species… They die when they give birth" she whispered slowly while giving her own stomach a tighter grip, "My mother died giving birth to me, as her mother did with her… Not until now do I realize what she-ARGH!"_  
><em>Another pang of pain suddenly struck her, tears flowing down her cheeks. No matter my many accomplishments in life, seeing this poor woman in such agony made me feel as helpless as a Magikarp.<em>

_"There… There must be something I can do to help…" I said._  
><em>"T-Too late… My powers are already disappearing…" she whispered with a weak smile as she had a dreamy stare on her face, "Can't fly… Or sense… Anything… Anymore…"<em>  
><em>"… Sense?" I repeated while trying to figure out why she had gotten such an odd expression all of a sudden, "… You can still see me, right?"<em>  
><em>"… Yes…" she whispered slowly, not averting her eyes from the ceiling.<em>  
><em>"Well, as long as you see me, that means you're still alive!" I shouted right in her face as her vacant stare made me worried that she was actually dying, "And if you're alive… YOU'RE ALIVE, DAMN IT!"<em>

_She instantly snapped out of it, seemingly coming back to life. She looked at me with a surprised face before throwing her head back again, screaming from the pain._

_"Sorry, but I don't think I'd be a lot of help down there…" I said, lamenting over the sharp claws only the truly ignorant would ever define as 'hands'._  
><em>"You… Why…?" she gasped before giving off a higher pitched wail than ever before.<em>  
><em>"Water… Poffins… I'll get you anything you want!" I tried to reassure her as she suddenly lifted her arm towards me.<em>  
><em>"No… Stay…" she whispered weakly, her arm shaking more and more with each passing second, "I… I don't want to…"<em>  
><em>"Hey! HEY!" I shouted while carefully poking her chin, "Don't give up! Focus on me!"<em>  
><em>"… S… Sorr…" she started, but was unable to finish as her voice finally gave out. Her eyelids fell in what seemed like slow motion as her breathing started coming in weakly. Then, her arm fell to the ground as her body suddenly turned limp.<em>

_'A turning point of fate' is a term that has remained in my life for as long as I can remember._

_Seeing this woman dying before me while giving birth to a child, I was finally able to give it a definition._

_Seeing those beautiful eyes brimming with life close for the last time, I was finally able to hate it._

_"No! NO!" I remember shouting while halting myself from holding on to her and possibly cutting her, "I… I won't let it happen!"_

_The future showed me a single clear path. As such, the time had come to alter fate. A technique as forbidden as it was secret existed within me. I knew that its results would vary, and consequences could be detrimental… But I also knew that it had greater chance of success than doing nothing._

_The first YEARS of learning about the technique was spent learning me that using it to steal life was wrong. WELL, DUH! They're the ones to talk, stealing away MY life by cluttering up my childhood with such stupid… At any rate, while actually using it is strictly forbidden, exceptions had been made in the past. It doesn't create or destroy life… It just… Moves it around a bit._

_Whether she was already dead or just unconscious, she was lucky to not have to see anything as I used my left claw to tear up my right arm. Screaming in pain while crouched next to this girl who was literally DYING seemed a little out of place, so I grit my teeth and kept quiet. My blood was filled up with both my life and my will, and I knew I could rely on it to handle the rest as I let it drip onto her body._

_Suddenly, she stopped breathing. Noticing that she was running out of time, I gave up on holding back and started rubbing my right arm against her, smearing blood all over her._

_The blood seeped into her, disappearing under her skin as I started feeling woozy. Doubt struck me as I asked myself whether I should stop as to not succumb to death as well, or go all the way and be at the very least be able to save her…_

_My question answered itself as her eyes shot open once more._  
><em>"I… GAH!" she started, interrupting herself with a gasp of pain.<em>  
><em>"Welcome back…" I said.<em>  
><em>"What- AH!" she tried to continue, the pain seemingly coming on stronger than before now that she wasn't close to death anymore, "I feel- ARGH!"<em>  
><em>"I'll explain later…" I mumbled as I sat down to recover from my blood loss. This technique, referred to as 'Blood Magic' by some, is a little too complicated to explain… So I'll just summarize this next part as 'I ordered the blood to crawl back into my veins'.<em>

_The rest of the birth went -smooth_-  
><em>Was -beautif-<em>

_Alright, I'll be honest - It was hell on both of us, more so her than me I'd imagine. But when it was all said and done, we had something to show for it… In my case, her. In her case…_

_"What's her name?" I asked her as she was lovingly cradling a baby that looked very similar to herself._  
><em>"I… Haven't thought of that" she said with a weak smile hiding her newfound strength, "I was supposed to die… And she was supposed to inherit my name…"<em>  
><em>"… What's your name?" I asked, trying to ignore the fact that the baby had an aura surrounding it that was rapidly changing colors, passing it off as something normal. All I knew was that I was NOT up for elongating this trying night even further.<em>  
><em>"… Celebi" she replied, still smiling.<em>  
><em>"Celebi…" I repeated, the name hitting a familiar note in my ears but her eyes striking a different, stronger one, "A pretty name. Can't be used enough…"<em>

_The scene will forever be burnt into my mind. Celebi, the beautiful Pokémon, lying in my bed while holding her baby close to her. Knowing that I had a hand in keeping both of them alive made me feel like the best. Still, the name left a nagging feeling in the back of my head which I couldn't shake…_

_"Heh, the same name as that legendary Pokémon, right?" I chuckled._  
><em>"Um…" she said while looking up at me, "About that…"<em>

_If you have ever been told by the woman you just helped deliver a baby that she's actually a legendary Pokémon, you should know my reaction well. Since you probably haven't… Well, I'll leave that part out anyway, since it's not something I'm very proud over. The good news is, I took care of her anyway, for almost a month before one of her friends (Tefay) found her and picked her up._

_She could easily have left me there and then, but pleaded that I be brought with her. At the time I didn't realize that we were falling in love and thought they were going to silence me for 'knowing too much', but…_

_… Aw crap, I just ruined the whole romantic part, didn't I? I guess that's something you can read in HER memoirs! OK, fine, so maybe I'm not so good at expressing myself… But seriously! Living together with such a kind, beautiful, loving, intelligent, caring and fun Pokémon… You work out what happened!_

_To be honest… I had no chance. Just being near her was enough to bring me delight from the moment she struck me with her killing glance. She radiates and aura of love and positivity that fills me with joy every day… Literally. As a Dark-type I am unaffected by it, but the energy her body exudes is nothing compared to the happy feelings our love brings._

_I'll finish up this part later, but currently Celebi is expecting our first… And her second baby. I actually dissuaded her from having another one, since... Well, I don't want anything to happen to her. But… She really loves little Celebi. She wants her to have a sister or brother so badly… I just hope…_

_To be honest, I am sad at heart and insecure. She's suffered enough… She tells me that we are "bound together" and that "everything will turn out fine", but… But…_

_… But who am I to judge her? I should be the one to trust her. These are all feelings I had better not show, I don't even know why I'm writing this… Pretty rude of me, eh? (If you're reading this - No hard feelings, sweetie. I can see that you really need me now, and as long as that's the case I won't surrender!)_

_Anyway, like I said I'll finish up this part later, but just know that… Celebi has made me the happiest Weavile in the whole world!_

* * *

><p>"… And that concludes the memoirs of our father" Celebi said, closing the book and using her psychic powers to put it back on the shelf.<br>"… That's it?" Zerobi asked while snapping out of her trance, "Wait, what happened then!"  
>"You" Celebi replied with a faint smile, "Mom did not survive the second birth, and our father… Either left her or died as well."<br>"That's…" Zerobi muttered sadly, "… No one knows?"  
>"Tefay was the one found you and mother's body" Celebi explained while thinking back, "… She herself died a few years back after giving birth to Azelf, Mesprit and Uxie… Simultaneously, might I add."<br>"… Huu…" Zerobi shuddered at the thought, "… Am I going to die if I give birth, too?"  
>"Don't worry!" Celebi exclaimed with cheer, "We fairies die because our powers are transferred to our child, leaving us helpless. You had no such powers to begin with!"<br>"But… What about you?" Zerobi asked with concern in her voice.  
>"… I'm… Different…" Celebi whispered sadly to herself before perking up, "… But who needs a baby when you've got a sister?"<br>"Hey… Sis…" Zerobi said slowly while choosing her words carefully, "That whole 'Blood Magic' thing…"

She was worried when it came to talking about that subject. Family or not, she knew there was no way anyone (including herself) could forgive the crimes she had committed in the past. Even so, she had to know…  
>"Yes…" Celebi said, "I remembered that passage of the memoirs well when Pikablu told me what had happened."<br>"Is there any way to get rid of it?" Zerobi asked bluntly, having wished for nothing more after the destruction of Evolution's Gate.  
>"To be honest, I know very little about it" Celebi explained while looking at Zerobi, "I'll have to do some research… Uh, with your body."<p>

Celebi then twitched and started waving her arms back and forth.  
>"Ah! That sounded creepy!" she said with a panicked look on her face, "Sorry! But that's the way-"<br>"I get it" Zerobi groaned, having been needlessly apologized to many times in the past week, "I don't mind. I'll do anything to fix this…"  
>"Then I'll get started right away!" Celebi exclaimed as she regained her usual cheerful demeanor, "Sit still for a while, so I can chart out your genetic code!"<br>"… How long will it take?" Zerobi asked while leaning back.  
>"About three days!" Celebi replied obliviously before placing her arms in front of her, "Now, be ABSOLUTELY still…"<br>"… Ugh…" Zerobi groaned again as she decided to lie down for the procedure. She was suddenly overcome by tiredness from the long day and her eyes closed, her mind filled to the brim with the story she had just been told…

* * *

><p><strong>… This nightmare seems rather familiar.<strong>

**Ah, yes. Celebi… The insipid Weavile… I remember it all.**  
><strong>Rarely do I make my appearance. Rarely is my appearance called for. As such, I remember this event quite well.<strong>

**The beautiful cycle of life and death that graces the fairy legendaries had been broken. No inherent ability, skill nor luck had ever caused such to happen. Should an army of those tiny psychics appear, my position and plans might be compromised…**

**Investigation as well as action was required. Monitoring her dreams for some time, I decided on the perfect time of attack - During Celebi's second birth. To bear witness to this perversion of their species… And prevent it.**

**Undetected I moved to their location. A primitive structure, providing no protection from me whatsoever. It is as if the other legendaries wished for me to end her as much as I did.**

**A Weavile stood before me. Bearing some childhood trauma from his abusive parents, and carrying with him a fear of Bug-types. Nothing that needed to be abused for this simple encounter.**

**"W-Who're you…?" he asked, sweet fear escaping his every pore.**  
><strong>"Darkrai…" I whispered slowly, acting with grace to instill him with a false sense of security, "Move…"<strong>  
><strong>"I won't let you have her!" he screamed before cutting into himself. I beheld the technique of blood magic being used against me. That was a surprise. However, as he soon found out, using a technique against the being that once created it is nothing short of a fatal mistake.<strong>

**"… Why…?" he whimpered after the short battle was over. I picked him up with my arms, hoping to draw more fear from him.**  
><strong>"Take me… Leave her al-" he started, but remembering my original purpose there I snapped him in half. His resistance was comparable to that of a twig. Blood splattered my physical manifestation, and dripped to the ground as I reverted to my original form.<strong>

**Entering the primitive house, the distinct lack of anything is what struck me first. For an instant I thought that I had been tricked by the Weavile, before seeing the empty husk of Celebi in the corner, a wailing baby in her grasp.**

**Seems my intervention was not necessary, after all.**

**Observing the room to ascertain myself that the deed was done, I noticed something peculiar regarding the baby. A Dark-type, like me… No psychic abilities… No supernatural traits… Just a regular Pokémon. Had I known this would be the spawn of a dying fairy, I would never have worried myself over it.**

**It cried. Not out of fear, but out of instinct. Untainted by fear, untainted by the world surrounding it. Feeling that this trip had been nothing but a waste, I decided to try a little experiment. Removing the child from her corpse of a mother, I filled her up with as much darkness as I could muster. If the slaughter of today would not deter the coming generation of fairies from not dying, this hellspawn of evil most certainly would. T'was far from a pleasant evening, but…**

**Whose nightmare is this? No one from that encounter was left alive, except for…**

**…**

**… Ah.**

**My, how time flies. Enjoying your nightmare, young Weavile? Cling on to life... And you may relive it!**


	25. Distressed Damsel Dragonair

Something hurts.

… Like HELL!

I'm lying down? Hey, I can't move! What the-

"Hey, he's waking up!" someone shouts with a frightened voice, "This is bad! He'll bleed out!"

Opening my eyes, I hastily look down on my own body to see what's hurting me. The sight is… Not pretty. My torso's broken, and… Yeah, it's my blood, alright…

… I'm dying. Damn, it hurts…

"Jirachi, use Hypnosis!" a somewhat familiar voice yells.  
>"What was that?" another familiar voice replies, "Hmm… I could'a sworn I heard something…"<br>"… Jirachi, I wish for you to use Hypnosis!" the other voice says, and I remember the angry trainer who in hindsight I probably should not have underestimated and instead snapped his neck the moment he appeared.  
>"Your wish is my command, master!" the voice belonging to the creature responsible for my death chimes. That dirty little shit, attacking when my guard was down! I swear… If I survive this… I'll…<p>

**…**

Ahh… Wind whisks by me, soothing the pain of my wound…

… Not really, though. More like creeping into my body, and… Wait, where the hell am I now!

"Holy shit, he's waking up again!" the voice from earlier says. I open my eyes, but all I see is a rapidly changing mixture of white and blue.  
>"A LEGENDARY couldn't keep him down!" a new gruff voice shouts, "No choice! Tranquilizers!"<p>

Tranquilizers! Hell no, I hate those! Pain or not, just don't make me fall… Asleep… Again…

**…**

A bright light.

Death? Seems a bit… Familiar.

"Chansey!" a soft voice says with far too much worry in it for my tastes, "He's coming back to consciousness!"

STOP SAYING THAT! You know, death's starting to sound pretty sweet compared to this!

"We require heavy sedation!" another sweet voice says, "Everyone, use Hypnosis at once!"

I'm getting sick of this. Alright, my eyes are beginning to adjust… A hospital? Perfect. Sow me up and let's get the hell out of here.

"Don't hold back!" the first voice says, "He's built up a resistance against sleep!"

So give me a bloody medal for it. The 'bloody' part comes from hanging it around my neck in me current state, heh heh…

… I really am going to die? That sucks… Everything's… Slipping away…

**…**

Urr…

"He's… He's waking up!"

No shit. How long was I out this time?

"Hmm… They said he'd be out for a week."

… That long?

"S-Security! We've got a wild Pok-"

Oh, hey… My chest! It's… It's healed!

"Shut up! Throw him in the cage!"

UGH! Hey, careful! I'm still recovering…

"There, problem solved… If you think I'm losing my reputation over this mutt…"

Lying on the cold hard ground, Lucario heard the two people behind him walk away. He tried to get up, but his limbs felt they had not been used for days and were completely powerless. Before his vision was nothing but darkness, which did not dissipate even as his sight began to improve. Turning his head in confusion he saw a large door close not far away, but it was obscured by long and thick strands of grey.

For a moment he thought that like the rest of his body his eyes had been damaged, but shifting his head a little he saw that there were in fact several tall, solid objects between himself and the door. His sight focused with each passing moment until he was able to make out that the objects were bars, slowly realizing that he was viewing the inside of a cage.

Lowering his head down to the ground, Lucario felt torn between taking a nap and simply dying. However, his lamentations were cut short as a new voice came from in front of him and let him know that he was not alone in his cell.

"… Hello?" the voice came in front of him, "New guy?" Looking up from his pathetic state, he saw what was sharing this cell with him. At first he had trouble seeing where the elongated creature began and ended, but when it suddenly uncoiled itself he could see that it had the shape of a snake. Its body carried the color of that ocean, and it had a small horn protruding from its forehead.

Lucario instinctively sprung up and was about to back away before remembering that a snake probably wouldn't talk to him if it was going to attack him. The blue serpent closed its eyes and inhaled sharply, again worrying him that its feral behavior would lead to a fight.

"… A male" the azure Pokémon said with a slightly mischievous tone before opening its eyes and looking at him, "Can you speak?"  
>"… Of course" Lucario answered in a cautious way.<br>"Then please do…" it said as something reminiscent of a frown appeared on its face, "I have been alone in here for so long…"  
>"…" Lucario said nothing before sitting down, the hint of genuine sadness in the snake's voice making him drop his guard, "… What're you in for?"<br>"… Getting caught…?" it replied with a confused voice, "What, are you in here for a reason?"  
>"Nah, same thing…" Lucario said with a shrug, happy to feel that his shoulders were back in place, "Do you know where we are?"<br>"No" the Pokémon responded quickly while shaking its head slightly, seemingly trying to wake itself up, "But humans experiment with us, so don't expect mercy of any kind."  
>"Experiment…" Lucario repeated bitterly before remembering more of what the snake had just said, "… Us?"<p>

Looking around the cage, Lucario saw a small creature attached to one of the corner bars. It looked like a cocooned insect of some sort, a shell with brown color and no remarkable features. Its eyes were closed, and it was shaking irregularly, creating a weak rattling sound against the steel.

"What the… What's up with him?" Lucario asked, the shaking of the Pokémon looking both unnatural and painful.  
>"He's… Gone" the serpent sighed depressingly, "He's been sitting in that corner ever since I ended up here, never saying or doing anything."<p>

The snake was now fully uncoiled and had its upper body effortlessly lifted from the ground. Lucario noticed a set of round ornaments attached under its chin as well as tail, reminding him of Zerobi's yellow jewel which she claimed to be organic. The thought of these balls being the same made him shudder.

"So…" the blue Pokémon said slowly while subtly nudging closer to Lucario, "… You're male, huh?"  
>"Listen, I've seen enough prison movies to know where this is heading" Lucario growled as the snake's movements had not gone unnoticed, "I may look weakened, but don't try anything. I can either be your friend, or the guy who crushes your skull."<p>

The snake suddenly reared back in terror, Lucario realizing what he had just said and wondering if he had misread the situation.

"… Sorry. I'm not in a good mood" Lucario said slowly while looking at the frightened Pokémon.  
>"That's… Understandable" it replied while its expression calmed down a bit.<br>"Grah, I'm so hungry I could die!" Lucario suddenly burst out, his stomach growling and making him finally notice that it was like an empty pit at this point, "When and what do they feed us?"  
>"Never or nothing, whichever you prefer…" the Pokémon said before ending with another sigh.<br>"… What!" Lucario gasped, his frustration being replaced with worry as he looked over the slender serpent, "How many days have you been here?"  
>"No clue. There's no 'day' or 'night' in here…" it said while lowering its upper body to the ground once more, "… Much too long. Much too long…"<p>

They became silent after that, giving Lucario some time to check on his injuries. Quietly rustling through the fur on his chest, he noted several scars upon it, but was unsure which of them were new and which of them were old. It was as if some of his scars had been scarred!

Something felt amiss on his back, and reaching back he noticed that his backpack was gone. He thought that whoever brought him here must've taken it somewhere else. A feeling of utter dread struck him as he instantly looked down, but he became relieved to see that his pants were still there.

"… I miss the outside" the depressing creature suddenly said to itself, "Never thought that I would go from flying around the world to dying in a cage…"  
>"Hmm…" Lucario mumbled as something in the snake's previous statement perked his interest, "You… You can fly?"<br>"Yes" it answered with a nod, "I know it's rare for a Dragonair, but I've always been able to."  
>"Whoa…" Lucario said with amazement, "… Awesome!"<p>

Lucario could hardly believe it until he tried to replace the giant emerald serpent in his memories with the sapphire one in front of him now. It wasn't long until the new thought was replaced with the image of himself soaring through the sky, riding a draconic steed with a shining armor and an impressive lance in his hands.

"Hey, can I ride you?" Lucario suddenly asked the Dragonair who was slightly taken aback by his boldness, "When we get out, that is! I've always wanted to be able to fly!"  
>"Oh…" the Dragonair said with disappointment, "Sorry, I don't think I can carry your weight."<br>"Give me a few weeks in here with no food and that won't be a problem…" Lucario muttered, his spirits sinking once more.  
>"You can ride me here anytime, you know…" the Dragonair whispered while trying to give off as seductive a look as she could muster with her waning energy. At the very least, she hoped she would not have to die as a virgin.<br>"Nah" Lucario replied while looking up to their confinement's ceiling which was only a few feet above their heads, "I'd rather wait until we get more room… You know, _if_we get out…"

They both slumped down to the floor, giving up on whatever they were planning at the moment as the reality of the situation sunk in once more. It slowly dawned on Lucario that even after all his effort of dodging both master trainers and law enforcement, he had ended up in the place he had been trying to avoid all this time. He wondered if the only difference between getting caught now and having gotten caught earlier was that he wouldn't have been captured alone, and wouldn't be sharing this cage with only the serpent and strange bug-type right now.

"Hey" Lucario said as he was unable to stop himself from feeling worried, "… Do you think we're going to die?"  
>"I hope not" the Dragonair answered with a distressed look while trying to reassure herself, "I have a little brother out there I need to get back to."<br>"Huh" Lucario exclaimed without knowing how to respond, "… Bummer. Or wait, maybe that's a good thing…?"  
>"… Our mother was very protective of us" the Dragonair continued while still keeping her chin on the ground, "He needs a big sister like me when it comes to sneaking outside, and…"<br>"Ah, so you're fe…" Lucario started, but stopped himself when he remembered that so far his inability to tell Pokémon's genders had gotten him into nothing but trouble. Pissing off his only sentient cellmate seemed like a bad idea.  
>"… I guess this is the kind of thing mother used to warn me about…" the Dragonair whispered to herself, looking longingly beyond the steel bars.<p>

The bars were set so tight that nothing short of liquid could escape the cage, yet were still strong enough to withstand anything she was able to conjure up. Every attempt at escape had left her with failure as well as a reduced amount of stamina, every ounce of which was now the only thing keeping her alive.

"What about you?" the Dragonair asked in yet another attempt to distract herself from her dying state, "Do you have anyone on the outside?"  
>"… No" is all Lucario had to say, choosing to ignore the many Pokémon he had encountered on his journey as he had at one point or another abandoned them.<br>"Heh" the Dragonair exclaimed quietly, "Knew it the moment I saw you."  
>"… Wait, what's that supposed to mean?" Lucario asked, feeling insulted for reasons unknown to himself.<br>"Nothing bad, just…" she said while giving off a very faint smile, "… You've got that alpha male feel about you."

The Dragonair felt herself exhausted for some reason. Not having eaten anything for so long had left her barely able to hold on to life, which in itself was a struggle due to the deep hunger that seemed to slowly be shutting down her body. She had spent a very long time in the cage just lying on the floor without anyone to talk to. She had also given up hope and placed herself in a state of hibernation, lying around like a discarded tool, but seeing another Pokémon like this had brought her back to who she once was.

"Us Pokémon, huh…" she said and sighed longingly, "We make friends and try to raise a family only to get caught and used as playthings for some human…"  
>"… Humans aren't that bad" Lucario suddenly said while crossing his arms, "We're… They're intelligent and civilized."<br>"Too intelligent. Too civilized…" the Dragonair whispered while holding her voice steady to prevent a stutter, "… You'll see what I mean once the experimenting starts…"

Little by little the fear started coming back to her. The thought of ending her life in this dark room was enough to get her heart beating in desperation once more, her eyes tearing up as a reflex when she realized just how likely that scenario was becoming.

"I-I'm so scared!" she cried desperately before lounging against Lucario, "I… I don't want it to end this way! I want to see the light of day again!"  
>"Ugh!" Lucario exclaimed while getting ready to throw her off at a moment's notice should she attempt to coil herself around him any further, "Calm down! I don't need you getting all touchy-feely!" Lucario noticed that her skin felt a bit raspy, and noticed that she was actually covered by very tiny scales.<br>"I don't know what to do!" the Dragonair wailed in desperation, "We're trapped here, and we're gonna die!"  
>"Listen, I know it's a long shot…" Lucario said slowly as he began to feel empathy for his fellow captive, "But I know my way around humans. If there's a way out of here, I'll find it… And if not, I'm strong enough to make one!"<br>"… Empty words…" the Dragonair muttered with sadness before letting go of Lucario and sinking down to the floor, "… Still better than what that Ninjask is doing, I suppose…"  
>"… Well, I obviously can't guarantee his safety" Lucario said with a shrug, "But you? Yeah, sure, I'll include you in my escape."<p>

As if on cue, the door to the room they were in slowly opened. The two of them perked up as the shadow of a human entered. It was now that Lucario realized just how poorly lighted the room was outside of their cage, and he could not make out any features of the human.

Lucario knew that the scientist could not have heard of his plans for escape, but started worrying slightly more when he saw the silhouette of a Pokémon appearing behind him. He was unable to see just what kind of Pokémon it was, but it was fairly large and had an aura so intense that it made him tremble slightly.

The closer the human got to the cage, the more visible he became. It was a man, dressed in a large white robe and wearing thick glasses. However, the rest of his appearance quickly slipped through Lucario's mind when the man suddenly pulled out a small key from under his robes.

"Get ready…" Lucario mumbled while eyeing the scientist intently, "Four-eyes here will be known as 'black-eyes' very soon…"  
>"… I believe subjugation is required" the man suddenly said, not letting Lucario's intentions go unnoticed.<br>"Ugh… If he says 'Hypnosis', I think I might go crazy" Lucario muttered with disdain while scanning the layout of the room in case he got the chance to make a hasty escape.  
>"Looks like this one might have some psychic abilities, after all…" the scientist said quietly with a melancholic expression, "Alakazam, use Hypnosis."<br>"… Wait, what!" Lucario suddenly shouted as he realized that the scientist had replied to his comment, "Hey, did you just understand what I said!"  
>"He's putting us to sleep…" the Dragonair whispered sadly with tears remaining in the corner of her eyes, "It's no use…"<br>"Like hell it is!" Lucario burst out as flashbacks from his earlier incapacitation struck him, "I've been hit by this shit so many times, I've built up a resistance to it! I won't go down this time!"

He stared angrily at the odd Pokémon, before realizing that doing that might increase the attack's effect. He looked away with fists clenched and rage summoned up in his head, fighting against any drowsy feeling that might arise.

He did not feel the attack hit him, but noticed its effects after only a few seconds. He could actually feel his brain shutting down, thoughts taking a long time to connect and make sense. A few moments later he started lying down, having completely forgotten why he was fighting against his sleepiness.

Looking behind him, he saw the Dragonair's immobile body lying on the ground. An ominous feeling struck him, but was quickly overtaken by tiredness as his vision darkened even though his eyes were open, and his eyelids began to give way against his will…

When Lucario woke up, he was alone. Slowly rising to his feet while feeling a hammering headache, he noticed that he was still in the cage. Looking around he saw that his only company was the odd cocoon from earlier, still hugging the same corner with no signs of stopping its spastic movement.

"… Quit mocking me…" Lucario mumbled at it before clutching his forehead. No matter how much he resisted he had fallen asleep, and it filled him with shame as he remembered the promise he had made to the female snake.

He did not have to worry long. The door he had eyed earlier on suddenly opened as two men walked through it, carrying the Dragonair between them. Lucario saw his chance as one of them pulled out a key and unlocked the cage, and made a quick dash for them. However, his legs were still getting used to getting used, so they didn't quite register the commands from his brain and he stumbled forward.

"Here! Catch!" one of the men yelled mockingly as they threw the Dragonair at him, the light weight of the creature just barely giving him any recoil.  
>"Congrats!" the other man laughed while catching his breath, "Ya caught yerself a Pokémon!"<br>Lucario decided that the best comeback would be to introduce the man's face to his fist and close relative elbow, but by the time he had pushed the Dragonair aside and started running the cage had been locked once more, the two men disappearing through the door they arrived from.

"DAMN IT!" Lucario howled in rage before punching the floor in frustration, "So damn close…"

The Dragonair lifted its head from the ground and looked at him with a dazed expression.

"Oh well, at least you're back" Lucario snickered while feeling somewhat relieved, "I thought I was going to be stuck alone with this chatterbox forever!"

He pointed at the bug Pokémon sitting in the corner, but the Dragonair's eyes became transfixed upon his finger instead.

"Sorry, I guess I took a little nap…" Lucario said while scratching his head in embarrassment, "But the next time… I'll kick their asses for sure!"

The Dragonair still had the same frozen expression, before her eyes drifted back to the ground again.

"… It was bad, wasn't it?" Lucario asked, secretly getting a bit annoyed at not receiving an answer, "What happened?"

Again the Dragonair gave no response, and instead begun slithering backward.

"Hey…" Lucario mumbled as the ominous feeling from earlier arose once more, "Hey! Can you hear me?"

The Dragonair shuddered a bit before slumping down in the corner. A few moments later, it started shaking.

"HEY! Come on, quit messin' around! This isn't funny!" Lucario yelled as he moved towards the Dragonair and grabbed a hold of her. She continued shaking, making the raspy scaled cause a few scratches on the inside of Lucario's paws. He suddenly realized his fallacy in trying to shake some sense into her as a noise from behind distracted him. Looking around, he saw the bug Pokémon sitting in its corner, giving off the same pained spastic movements as the Dragonair.

"Oh… Oh no…" Lucario said to himself while letting go of the Dragonair, who instantly curled herelf up before resuming her trembling, "… What did they do to you?" Just a few moments ago, this creature had poured her heart out to him, dreaming of being set free to reunite with her younger brother and mother. She had looked at him with weak yet hopeful eyes when he told her he would be able to save her…

All he saw in them now was utter agony. An unending haze of suffering. These eyes were unlike anything he had ever seen before, but seemed familiar somehow…

The shocked face of Rukario as he betrayed her.

The reflection of Zerobi's empty soul as he let her kill him.

The hateful glare of Ivy as all hope faded and they began their fight to the death.

The pained expression of Kabuta as she lost her arm as he lay useless on the ground.

The panicked stare of the small penguin as he left her to suffer the same fate he was now enduring.

The cold dead eyes of the snake that had relied on him, twisting and turning worse than her body as he sits there and can do nothing about it.

It filled him with wrath unlike any other he had felt before.

**"HEY! ASSHOLES!"** he yelled while punching the bar in front of him with all his might, **"WHAT DID YOU DO TO THEM! I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU, YOU… YOU…"**

The bar remained both intact and indifferent to his plight. Lucario felt the body in his grasp rock back and forth as he noticed his own fists were shaking in anger. Throwing all caution to the side, he summoned up his aura and focused it on his right hand before punching the steel bar once more.

Screaming in both pain and frustration while realizing that there was nothing left for him to try, he rammed his head into the hard material in front of him, immediately ceasing his opposition and ending it all.

* * *

><p><em>And now, for something completely different.<em>

_A: You know what this story needs? Beta-readers, checking up on future chapters before they're released. No pressure, I'll send the new chapters to you a few days before posting it, and you can read it and give pointers if you feel like it... Or not, and I'll just post it a while later. Heck, I'll even credit ya!_

_Just send me a mail and you're in. I'll send you the next chapter when it's complete. I know the story'll turn out miles better if you do!_

_B: I'm recording a voiced read of Mew's Christmas Carol. If you've got a mic, a good voice to match and, of course, the will to voice one of the characters… Nothing serious, just that it's more fun to have different voices. Besides, my "miniature pink cat" impersonation's getting rusty._

_Again, send a mail and a voice sample. Recording a voice sample takes like 5 seconds if you use vocaroo_


	26. Twisted Pokémon Professor

"Tighter!" someone said, "I don't want him moving an inch!"  
>"What, afraid he might bite?" someone else said.<p>

Lucario slowly regained his consciousness, relieved that he had escaped death in his sleep once more. Keeping a track of time in his windowless cell was as hopeless as the Dragonair had claimed, but his rumbling stomach told him that he had been imprisoned far too long. He could barely see, and everything he heard a strange distortion to it.

"These things can manipulate aura and all sorts of shit," the first voice said with a nervous tone.  
>"Like that'll do anything against good ol' steel!" the second voice said, giving one of the chains an affectionate pat as they cut into Lucario's aching wrists.<br>"I'm just saying, anything short of nailing his ass to the floor is unsafe," the first voice replied and followed it with a short chuckle.

Lucario's arms felt very tired, and he noticed that he was being held up by something. Peering through the darkness surrounding him, he saw that his arms were being suspended by something made out of a cold and tough material that would have felt more familiar against his knuckles than around his wrists.

"He's sedated," the thin man said before suddenly flicking Lucario's nose, "See? Completely harmless." Lucario perked up and looked in front of him with a stare of a thousand fires. All he saw was a blurred image of someone... Nothing he hadn't experienced after a night of one too many drinks.  
>"Hey..." the blurry person said, "... I think he likes me!"<br>"Come closer," Lucario whispered while faking a smile, "I'll eat your face."

Having been caged like an animal for a few days without any food had made him drop most of his usual reservations, and even with his faded vision he could tell this ugly bastard wouldn't look much worse with half a nose. He continued musing hatred for his unknown captors for a while before the sheer energy consumption of his belly crying out for food proved too much, as he fell into unconsciousness once more.

For a short moment he experienced a dream where pulled the chains out of the walls and used them as whips and threw generic henchmen left and right. Then one of the chains suddenly turned into a blue snake while the other turned into a green vine. The vine started strangling him while the snake kept his arms apart, the vine starting to feel strangely sharp against his throat...

"A Pokémon in tatters..." a voice sounded with crystal clarity and instantly broke him away from his dream, "... What a pitiful sight."

The familiarity of the voice made Lucario think he had fallen into yet another nightmare, but slowly opening his eyes he saw that he was far worse off than that.  
>With hair as white as snow and a chilling expression masking his usual madness stood Brendan, hardly a foot away from the chained Pokémon. Lucario flinched instinctively, and his right shoulder began hurting as he tugged against his bindings.<p>

"These eggheads tell me that you're a fair share more intelligent than your average critter," Brendan said coldly without changing his expression, "So if you can understand me, feel free to rattle in fear."  
>At the sound of this, Lucario decided to not move an inch even if it meant his death. The scene of him hanging pathetically from the ground next to Brendan's unwavering stature was not one he enjoyed, but decided not to give the trainer the pleasure of cowering and kept his head raised.<p>

"For three days and two nights you eluded me," Brendan said in an articulate way while waving his right arm around, "Escaping my every assault... Surviving my every strategy..."  
>Lucario was starting to wonder if this calm and composed soul was the same sadistic madman he had fought earlier, but got his answer as Brendan suddenly grabbed a hold of his head.<p>

"An unremarkable Lucario bested a champion... No, TWO champions..." Brendan growled as the ice in his eyes melted and was replaced by a fiery fire, "... And then you go get yourself caught by Silver's boy...!"  
>"... Like it was really... My choice..." Lucario growled back and kept himself steadfast despite Brendan increasing the strength of his grip.<br>Suddenly, Brendan seemed to cool down as he let go of Lucario and returned his voice to the melancholic demeanor he had put on earlier.  
>"You brought the final confrontation between me and my lifelong rival to a standstill." he said with utter disdain in his voice, "While being chained up in here for a while is a fitting punishment, it is also a rather dull one."<p>

Suddenly, Brendan leaned in closer to Lucario, who moved his head back in disgust, thinking he might bite him. Brendan was so near that he could count the hairs on Lucario's face, and he started smiling as he finally saw a trace of fear in the Pokémon's expression.

"When these scientists are finished with their experiments... If they poke around that hairy head of yours and find nothing but dandruff..." Brendan whispered quietly while reaching out a hand and gently stroking the frozen Lucario's head, "... You will be freed. By my hands, if necessary."  
>The hope that would normally have sparked within Lucario was drowned out by the sheer absurdity of the situation.<br>"You shall receive a day's head start before the hunt resumes..." Brendan spoke quietly as his smile grew wider and more manic, "... And that will be the last sliver of mercy you can expect from me."

The instinct to batter away this lunatic came upon Lucario in wave after wave, but his chained situation combined with his complete lack of energy gave him no other option but to stare back at Brendan. Somehow, this seemed to make both of them angrier.

"Hmpf. You look halfway dead, already..." Brendan muttered, disappointed at the lack of an outburst like the one he had gotten in their previous battle. Reaching into his pocket, he dragged out a small loaf of bread.  
>"Here. Keep those leg muscles from decomposing." he said, stuffing the bread into Lucario's mouth, "You are going to need them."<p>

Lucario felt like spluttering from the intrusion, but knew that every crumb that fell to the floor would be a sliver of life lost if he didn't escape soon. The bread tasted like berries for some reason. The horrible taste was lost to him as he grouchily chewed the bread while Brendan turned around to leave.

"Wait..." Lucario said as he hastily swallowed the major part of the food he had been given, "... The penguin..."  
>"Let us continue this conversation on the battlefield..." Brendan said with a slightly disgusted tone, "... Prey."<p>

The door closed behind the trainer, leaving Lucario alone again. His brain began processing this new information, before his stomach started digesting the food and he decided to take a rest instead.

"Forgive me for my earlier rudeness," a voice sounded and woke him up, "I did not realize you were THE Lucario."

Lucario opened his eyes half expecting the man that had put him under hypnosis earlier, and was surprised to see that he was right.  
>Bowing courteously in front of him was the man that had taken the Dragonair to her doom. Lucario's vision was still far from perfect, but as the man was so close he could distinguish that it was an unremarkable man in his thirties, dressed in a white robe and carrying glasses on his emotionless face.<p>

"You..." Lucario wheezed weakly while noting a faint difference in the scientist in front of him. Even though he appeared the same as before, something Lucario could not quite put his finger on had changed about him. A hint of relief struck as Lucario noticed that the Pokémon with the creepy aura was no longer there.

"A Pokémon, completely immune to Pokeballs..." the scientist continued as his face remained expressionless, "Truly a collector's item... Would that be a possibility?"  
>"Whatever..." Lucario mumbled, the remnants of the bread combined with a lack of water not doing much to prevent a parched throat, "Set me free... Or give me some water... I'll be anything you want."<br>"You have sent the higher brass on a fruitless quest long enough," the scientist continued, "Perhaps your catch rate is lower than most Pokémon, but to go against modern science you still have much to acquire."  
>"Oh yeah..." Lucario mumbled as he spaced out and the Dragonair's demise suddenly flashed through his mind, "You're the guy who understood me... Right?" The scientist suddenly turned around and walked to the other side of the room, where Lucario saw several blinking lights.<p>

"But before I can do anything, I need to get you under control," the scientist said while hastily sitting down on a chair, "As luck would have it, Pokeballs are far from our only means of controlling your kind."  
>"... Huh!" Lucario exclaimed, suddenly feeling a coldness seep through him. Looking around the room for means of escape, he finally noticed that there was something peculiar above him.<br>There was a large ball of smooth material sticking out of a long stick, with several needle-like appendages protruding from the sides. No matter how hard he looked at it, he was unable to grasp why it looked like it did and what it might be used for.

"They are portable and handy, and would work perfectly fine if not for you..." the scientist kept going while seemingly looking in Lucario's direction in the darkness of the room, "This machine is not quite portable, but its capturing powers are far amplified."  
>"Shit..." Lucario muttered while the scientist started typing away at an unseen keyboard, "You already have me here, and yet you still want to capture me?" He was fairly indifferent to this development, due to a lack of energy as well as care. While the prospect of turning into a red light and being trapped inside such a tiny compartment was not a pleasant one, he felt it beat starving to death in a cell.<p>

Then again, as he began analyzing the situation he realized that this is the man who took Dragonair away from the cell and turned her into what she was now. Suddenly staying put in the cell didn't seem like such a bad thing.

"See it as a Master Ball with unlimited uses... Perhaps even stronger" the scientist said calmly before pushing down a button a leaning back, "Let us find out." Instantly the strange contraption above Lucario began emitting a whirr, followed by a bright light.  
>"You'll regret this..." Lucario said intimidatingly, but in a voice lacking power. Slowly he began to realize that should it work, his chances of escape would be even slimmer.<p>

"Worry not, my experiments should be over before you know it," the scientist said coldly, "Just a quick check up, and then you can go meet your new trainer."  
>"Oh... I can't wait" Lucario replied, suddenly getting the urge to crack his knuckles. Looking up, he saw nothing but a bright light covering up what seemed to be slightly weaker red glow above him. In his mind the glow took the shape of many different creatures, the last of which looked remarkably like Celebi.<p>

"Should've asked what it was like..." Lucario muttered to himself before the red light suddenly exploded and engulfed him from head to toe. His normal defiance deterred at the fear of turning blind, and he closed his eyes and waited for it all to be over.

When the machine finally stopped, nothing had changed. The light was gone but both the room and Lucario were the same as before. Not even the expression of the dull scientist had altered in the slightest.

"... Indeed..." he said, "It seems that you are insistent on keeping us on this fruitless quest a little longer..."  
>"Haahh..." Lucario sighed, not out of relief but boredom. Going from fighting for his life and meeting many strange creatures every day to this had left an unexpected hole in his heart.<br>"Hmm... I am not getting the usual rush..." the scientist said with a bored sigh as the clattering on the keyboard resumed, "Let me just re-calibrate this..."

Lucario groaned and lowered his head, thinking that if he feigned death they would give him something to eat and maybe even a chance to escape. However, his body was so low on energy that when he stilled himself and closed his eyes he almost immediately fell unconscious.

The next thing he knew, the door to the room flew open. The scientist was gone, and the odd sensations of many new auras swirled around in him. The energy from the food he had been given earlier had finally entered his system, and he felt invigorated as he looked up and saw two Pokémon he had never seen before in front of him. One of them was slim and dark, while the other looked rather large and brutish in comparison.

"Lucario, I presume?" the dark one said, "I'm Zoroark, the revolutionist. I'll be rescuing you now."

- - - - - - - -

"The TV's ready... What about everyone else?"

"Ready!"

"Just do it, already!"

"... THUNDERSHOCK!"

*KRSHH*ning strike*BRRTZ*

"It's working! Ha ha ha, it's really working!"

"Keep going, keep going!"

"HNNNGGGGG!"

*SSHZTZHH*he news, I'll have to ca*KRSCH*

"Come on, we can't hear anything!"

"Your magnets are interfering with the signal! Keep them still!"

"Really? That's how they work?

"Hmm...! Like this...?"

... where a group of wild Pokemon have broken into Saff. 15 and are currently engaging local security.

"BORING! Switch to the cartoon channel!"

"Be quiet! That's not the reason we're doing this!"

Saff. 15, notable for being involved in the Sliph CO scandal many decades ago is a top-secret facility used by th*BRRZZT*

"Hey! Keep 'em steady!"

"Saff... Saff. 15! B-But that's where they took-"

"I KNOW! Stop flailing about so we can hear what's going on!"

*FZZT* *BRZZT* as an organized attack by wild Pokemon of this scale has not occurred for several decades. Authorities *KSHH* that the nearby Mew sighting by an abandoned truck that was proven to be a hoax *SHHZH* related to this event, and investigations into the matter are...

"... Unbelievable..."

"Psst! He's busy thinking, switch to the cartoon channel!"

*KRSHH*er! Hey there, I'm up-and-coming Trainer *BRRTZ* from the backwater town of *FZZTZ*! With the help of Pokemon Professor *VRTZZ* and rival *SHRSHH*, I'm on a journey going across *CHHH* to collect all eight Pokemon League Badges and challenge the Elite Four, all while singlehandedly thwarting the schemes of the evil crime syndicate Team *GNYYZZ* and filling up a Pokedex because... Well, why not?"

"This show sucks! I wanna see Lonesome Wanderer Lucario!"


	27. Unique Revolutionist Zoroark

"I trust there are no objections?" the dark one calling itself Zoroark asked with a cocky tone. It was a wolf-like humanoid who reminded Lucario a lot of himself. It had a sleek snout accompanied by beady, sharp eyes in emerald color. In contrast to Lucario's blue hairy fur it had a finer black coat, with a gigantic wild bush of red hair sticking out of its head, darkening into black by the edges. The hairdo was almost as big as the rest of its thin body, and definitively thicker. It had claws in the shape of several red spikes, not as long or intimidating as Zerobi's but seemingly more flexible and probably more dangerous.

"Poor predictable humans, always using steel…" Zoroark sighed while shaking his head and pointing to the chain holding Lucario in place, "Connor, take care of it." In response to this, the brutish one started moving with slow, heavy steps. It also had a humanoid form, but was much larger with bulging muscles and visible veins covering its body. It also had short grey beard, making it look like a peculiar mixture between a grouchy old man and a bodybuilder currently dabbling with steroids.

"If you can't walk, Connor here will carry you," Zoroark said while waving his hand towards his big partner, "… Although, I believe it would be a boon to the both of you if you could." Lucario's eyes were fastened upon Connor's hulking form as he reached out his long arms and clenched them around the chain keeping his left arm suspended. The veins over Connor's arms started pumping wildly as he grunted, the steel crumbling in his hands with a low cracking noise.

"Oh shit!" Lucario shouted, shocked by this display of power.

"Oh hey," Zoroark exclaimed with an amused tone, "He talks!"

"Of course, I…" Lucario replied before more pressing questions leapt to his mind, "… How'd you get here? Why are you helping me?"

"Tell me, have you heard anything about the revolution?" Zoroark asked with a subtle smile forming on his face.

"Probably not..." Lucario sighed, very rarely getting the chance of sounding like he was up to date on current events.

"… Well, I'll fill you in on it later…" Zoroark muttered disappointedly, "For now, let's just get out of here."

A piece of the second linked chain disappeared into Connor's hungry palms as Lucario fell to the ground, using his arms to support himself. He had expected both his arms and legs to be weaker, but he was able to stand up just fine with no unexpected effects besides a relieving feeling in his arms. His wrists were still aching though, and looking down he saw that about half a foot of chains were still dangling under his arms like a broken pair of handcuffs.

"We'll need precision work to take care of that," Zoroark said while looking at the chains, "Trust me, you do NOT want this guy operating on you."

"Wow, thanks! I owe you a handshake!" Lucario said as he saw remnants of the crumbled chains still on Connor's hand, "Let me just grab a diamond glove from somewhere…"

"You'll have to do better than that," Zoroark said with a shrug, "Nothing ever leaves Connor's grip intact, no excepti-"

"GET THEM!" a voice suddenly echoed from the open door, making the three of them cease their conversation and turn towards it.

Sharing the room with them now was two new Pokémon, both fairly small. One of them stood on four legs and had a red color to its skin, with several wine red tails perking up behind it. The other was a plant using its own thin roots as legs, supporting a big head shaped like a bell.

Standing directly outside the room was a human, shrouded by a veil of darkness.

"Stop!" the red fox screamed, "We'll fight you!"

"Why!" Zoroark shouted back while pointing dramatically at it, "We have no intention of harming anyone, we only wish to free our brethren!" The fox flinched visibly and lacked anything resembling a comeback.

"Vulpix, use Flamethrower!" the trainer yelled and growled threateningly at them.

"Remember your heritage! Pokémon should not fight at the behest of humans!" Zoroark continued before taking a determined step forward, "We have simply chosen the wilderness! If you will not stand beside us, at the very least stand aside!"

"Vulpix, you useless sack of shit! ATTACK!" the trainer bellowed, making the Vulpix look between him and Zoroark in confusion.

"Have it your way!" the trainer kept going before looking at the thin plant, "Bellsprout! Razor Leaf, NOW!" The Bellsprout and Vulpix both exchanged a panicked look for a moment, silently asking each other what to do.

"And you… I can see it in your eyes… What you crave most of all…" Zoroark told the grass-type as a charming smile appeared on his face, "Freedom."

"I-I…" the Bellsprout stammered with a soft voice and worried look on its face as it began fidgeting around, "How can I take the risk…?"

"Take the risk?" Zoroark sighed before shaking his head, "Sweetie… It's the chance of a lifetime!"

"Not you too!" the trainer shouted as he suddenly pulled out two Pokeballs that he recalled both the Vulpix and Bellsprout into, "Fucking idiots!"

The instant the red beam struck the two Pokémon, Zoroark made his move. Launching across the room like a ray of darkness, he extracted a small vial containing a yellow powder from the bushy red fur on his head. The trainer barely reacted as Zoroark coated his own claws with the powder and used them to lightly pierce the skin of the human's neck, just barely drawing blood.

The trainer took a surprised step backwards with a shocked expression, before suddenly falling down.

"Stun Spore," Zoroark said confidently before putting the vial back where he had extracted it from and looking at Lucario, whose expression was comparable to that of the stunned trainer, "Don't worry, he's just temporarily paralyzed."

"H-Holy shit…" Lucario stuttered astonished. Between Zoroark's ability to convince both enemies to stand down and his amazing speed, he was unsure as to what had surprised him the most. He stood frozen as he saw Zoroark bend over and pick up the Pokeballs from the stunned trainer.

"Two more," Zoroark said calmly, throwing the two Pokeballs to Connor who caught one in each hand. A shudder ran through Lucario as he imagined Connor crushing the balls with blood seeping out of them, but instead he put them into the backpack.

"Let's go, time's wasting…" Zoroark muttered before signaling for Lucario to follow him.

"Wait… How did you do that?" Lucario asked, still flabbergasted.

"I've got my way with Pokémon," Zoroark answered, not realizing that Lucario was more curious as to how he had kept a vial in his hair, "They were all captured at some point. More often than not, you'll find most of 'em still prefer the wilderness!"

They ran out of the room, Lucario getting a prickly feeling from finally getting to use his legs again. Outside the door he had seen so many come and go through was nothing but a long, dreary corridor with black walls and a ceiling not very far above their heads. The only thing remarkable about this area was that three more Pokémon and trainers were standing in the middle of it.

"… Then again, the exception's fairly common, as well…" Zoroark muttered as all the trainers started shouting commands to their respective Pokémon.

"Pretty tight spot," Lucario mumbled with disdain. He sensed no intimidating aura from the Pokémon, but knew that the trainers probably possess more of them.

"Leave them to me," Zoroark said confidently with a sinister smile as he flexed his arms, "Unless, of course, you want to join in?"

"You sure?" Lucario asked, cracking his knuckles, "They might be harder to convert when they're unconscious."

"Be my guest," Zoroark answered before shrugging, "I want to see what you can do."

The two of them became quiet as the first Pokémon, a large bird holding on to a leek with one of its wings flew at Lucario, quickly slapping him in the face with it. He responded by punching the avian straight on the beak.

"A-A fucking leek!" he shouted in surprise as the bird hunched over and covered its damaged beak, "Are you kidding me! Finding a stick too much of a hassle, or what!" A tiny ball of fire suddenly flew past him, lighting up the corridor as a red lizard quickly followed it and smashed into Connor's outstretched fist.

"You up for this?" Zoroark asked, throwing a quick glance to Lucario before dashing towards the third Pokémon.

"… Sure!" Lucario responded as he saw a small round object come flying at him. The vision of an aggressive Mienfoo passed through his mind as he jumped straight up and hit the ceiling. Using his arms to push away from it, he went flying down like a rocket aided by gravity and delivered a mighty stomp to the Pokémon that had been sent his way, immediately knocking it out. Stepping off the unconscious creature, he saw that it was something like a pink ball with ears and the marks of two large paws imprinted on its back.

"Not bad! Not bad at all!" Zoroark laughed after watching the whole spectacle as the large weight of Connor's fist came down upon the bird Pokémon like a hammer and knocked it out, "I'm starting to like you already!"

"Uh…" Lucario mumbled while looking at the trainers, all of which had now shared the fate of the previous one, "Did you really have to paralyze them?"

"No… I could kill them, if you'd prefer that," Zoroark huffed before hunching over and beginning to pluck Pokeballs from the defeated trainers, "Help me out, we can't have this take too long."

Lucario helped him extract Pokeballs from the immobile humans, enjoying the irony of the reverse capturing they were committing. The moment he held one of the Pokeballs in a firm grip, a pleasant sensation spread through him. A sense of adventure and accomplishment, and for a short moment he mused over the idea of saving a few Pokeballs for later, building his own personal army to keep in his pocket.

"… Heh, nah…" he snickered to himself before throwing the Pokeball to Connor. After they were finished looting Pokeballs, they started running down the long corridor again. A quick look at Zoroark told Lucario that he was glad, for some reason.

"We can't save 'em all, or we'll lose 'em all," Zoroark said while trying his best to sound serious, "The majority of their forces are away, looking for Mew. They'll be back soon, so the faster we get out of here, the better!"

"Looking for Mew?" Lucario repeated before getting hit by a memory flash, "Heh… Maybe I should join up with them?"

"Dream on!" Zoroark chuckled, "It's just a trick of mine! Like the actual Mew would really show itself!"

"Wait, so you used tricks before breaking in here with brute force…" Lucario said with a questioning voice, "Wouldn't it have been easier to use stealth to break out?"

"Not while carrying you on back. I thought you'd be out cold…" Zoroark explained while looking over Lucario, "… But you're completely fine! Hell, did you even need a rescue!"

"Heh, like you wouldn't believe…" Lucario replied with a smile.

The strenuous movement from the earlier battle had made itself known in his arms and legs, but Lucario still felt ready for more. His energy had spiked due to the introduction of food in his system after such a long period of starvation. For half an instant he felt grateful to Brendan, deciding to minimize his gloating after his eventual victory over the insane trainer.

"Hey, listen…" Lucario said as the small penguin's fate returned to him once more, "Thanks for rescuing me, but there's a REAL troublesome guy after m-"

It was then he noticed that a very loud rumbling noise was coming from behind. Turning around in shock, he saw that it was in fact Connor, using his arms to throw himself forward to keep the same speed as the two wolves. His hands crushed the ground beneath him, making the corridor they just passed through look like a cluster bomb had been ignited.

"Hey, what kind of Pokémon is he?" Lucario asked as they turned around a corner.

"A Conkeldurr," Zoroark replied, able to cut the corner with more mobility than Lucario and slowed down a bit on purpose.

"Durr!" Lucario repeated before getting a snide tone to his voice, "… Name fits."

"So does your head in his palms," Zoroark said with a sinister smile, "Personally, I'd keep the mocking to a minimum." Connor smashed harshly into the wall of the corner, using his own velocity to bounce back on track.

As they turned the corner and were finally out of the first corridor, Lucario groaned when he saw that yet another corridor awaiting them. His first thought of escape had been to jump out of a window, but each passageway had brought nothing but solid walls on every side.

Suddenly, Lucario and Zoroark split off from each other by sidestepping as a small rock flew at them. It went past and struck Connor's face, who headbutted it in return and caused it to split into two. Lucario saw two larger rocks ahead of them with long arms, but did not have time to examine them more carefully as Zoroark leaped over them.

"Slowpokes!" he laughed and kept on running.

"Great stepping stones!" Lucario chimed in, using one of them as a foothold as he also ran past them. The two rocks with arms turned around to follow the two, not noticing the Conkeldurr coming up behind them, picking them up and smashing them together with brutal force.

"Here!" Zoroark told Lucario, suddenly running into the wall on his right. At first he thought the Pokémon had gone mad, but Lucario saw that there was in fact a large hole in the wall, obscured by the darkness. They all ran into it, Zoroark carefully moving a thin metal cover out of the way as they ended up in a larger room.

The room was brightly lit and filled with technological equipment, working in complete contrast to the corridor that now connected them through an improvised passageway. Even so, the roof had remained at the same low altitude as in the passageways preceding it.

Directly in the middle of the room was yet another creature that looked like a large boulder, although this one had no arms and instead several hollow red appendages sticking out of it. It was completely immobile and lacked eyes, so Lucario didn't know whether it was awake or even alive.

There were several exits in the room, but apparently Zoroark knew what he was doing. He moved quickly past the strange Pokémon without making a sound, signaling for the rest to follow him.

"Haha! Eat my dust!" Lucario exclaimed cheerfully to follow up his remarks to the other rock Pokémon, accidentally alerting the Pokémon to his presence. Instantly it launched out a cache of triangular spikes at Lucario, who saw no way to dodge the attack and covered his face instinctively. Strangely enough, the few spikes that hit him seemed to just bounce off him without doing any damage, but the hasty movement of his hands had caused the chains around them to slap him on the head.

"Tread carefully," Zoroark said with a bored tone, having stopped in his tracks to wait for his team. Lucario looked beneath him and saw that the triangular shape of the spikes had caused them to stand upright, creating a field of spikes on the floor.

"Not a problem…" Lucario mumbled, taking a slow step and safety placing his foot in an open space between three of the spikes.

That's when the boulder-like Pokémon started attacking. Large spikes launched from the pipes protruding from it, heading for them. Lucario just barely managed to knock a spike away right before impact while Zoroark ducked to avoid his, but Connor was hit by one of them as it pierced his chest.

"Never mind, jump!" Zoroark commanded, "I'll make a landing!" He started kicking away the spikes surrounding the exit, Lucario quickly catching on and jumping towards him. While in midair he saw the sea of spikes he was heading toward and worried that he had jumped a bit too early, but Zoroark moved at inhuman speeds to clear away the spikes.

Lucario landed safely as the Conkeldurr landed just beside him, creating heavy shockwaves and making him stumble a bit. They exchanged a quick look before dashing through the door into safety.

"Whoa, are you OK!" Lucario asked Connor with worry, to which he simply flexed his muscles and caused the spike to pop right of him.

"No pressure, but further failure on your part will disqualify you from many good things, including freedom…" Zoroark told Lucario with a disappointed and dark voice.

"Hey, I've been starved for weeks!" Lucario replied with an insulted tone, "Weren't you the one expecting to carry me out of here?"

"I couldn't care less about your current state," Zoroark muttered as they resumed their running, "The only thing interesting me is your potential."

Lucario had no time to inquire about this as they had entered yet another featureless corridor. Although this one seemed shorter than the previous ones, it had a confident Pokémon blocking their way…

For a moment, Lucario thought that he was seeing a human, but as his eyes adjusted to the darkness of their new area he saw that it was more of a hulking beast. It had steel-colored muscles, massive enough to give the Conkeldurr a run for his money. The most prominent feature of the fearsome warrior was the fact that it had four large arms, all seemingly eager to crush and tear anyone stupid enough to challenge it.

"Now… You face me…!" the Machamp growled intimidatingly, cracking his many knuckles against each other.

Lucario and Zoroark split off in two directions, and in an instant the Machamp's head became crushed between Lucario's elbow and Zoroark's knee.

"Empathize the 'face' part!" Lucario exclaimed gleefully.

"Maybe next time…" Zoroark muttered as the two of them moved past the Machamp, who kneeled over from the powerful attack. The Conkeldurr followed shortly after, stepping on his fellow muscle head as he made a squeaking sound, making Lucario and Zoroark look at each other with boyish smiles.

Their smiles quickly faded as they reached the end of the corridor and came upon what appeared to be a lobby, with desks and lamps everywhere. There was only one exit from this room, which was on the other side. Unfortunately, the room was absolutely PACKED with various humans and Pokémon, all staring at them with hostile intent.

"Roadblock!" Lucario shouted.

"There're too many of 'em to play around. Let me handle this alone…" Zoroark said confidently while taking a few calm steps forward, "You should probably stay back." Lucario was about to interject when he sensed an aura approaching from behind. Turning around, he saw the shamed Machamp from earlier come furiously running at them.

"Aw great, thick skull's back for more…" Lucario sighed before moving in the opposite direction of Zoroark, "Fine, but when I'm turning back around, you'd better not have been defeated!"

"Same to you…" Zoroark replied with a smile as they broke off, ready to engage their enemies.

"Foolish Lucario! You thought you had me defeated!" the Machamp bellowed with all his fists clenched, "I'm a fighting-type with four arms! You're going down!" It stretched out its appendages, striking at both sides of Lucario's head with its two lower arms. Lucario blocked them with his elbows as a glint passed through the Machamp's eyes, getting ready to bash him down with the two remaining arms from above. However, his attack only passed through air as Lucario ducked while releasing his block, causing the four arms to all collide with each other.

"Four arms? I've beaten four ENEMIES at once!" Lucario said triumphantly before stepping down on his opponent's left foot, "That's EIGHT fucking arms, and EIGHT fucking legs. My only regret…" He then started pummeling away at the Machamp's exposed stomach, who tried to move back but was unable due to Lucario standing on his foot.

"… Is that you only have one head…" Lucario kept going between punches as the chains around his hands whipped around and the Machamp lowered all four of his arms to defend himself, "… For me to kick!" Lucario saw his opening and took a step back, returning with a powerful jumping kick directly to the Machamp's unprotected skull.

The room shook as Lucario spun around, seeing the roadblock unclog as Pokémon flew away in every direction. An explosion of darkness was at the epicenter of it all, reminding Lucario of the attack the Tyranitar had used earlier.

"Path's clear," Zoroark said with a confident smile, not a single movement coming from the enemies on his side of the room.

"Same here…" Lucario mumbled while looking down at the unconscious Machamp, "You know, if you need to go back for something." He moved to rejoin Zoroark at the end of the room, and ran past the silent Conkeldurr on the way.

"Bad time to turn pacifistic," Lucario muttered at him.

"He was standing by in case you needed assistance,"

"… He's not that chatty, is he?" Lucario asked, thinking back to the bug he had shared a cell with not too long ago and involuntarily remembering the Dragonair at the same time. His train of thoughts was interrupted as a Pokémon suddenly came running at them from behind. It was not the kind of thing that would have surprised him at this point, if not for its appearance.

"… Zerobi!" Lucario exclaimed as he became frozen, instantly recognizing the black creature with the long claws. Even so, something seemed different. As she got nearer he noticed that she had sleeker look around her chest than usual, and looking down between the legs of the approaching Weavile he saw that something was indeed different.

"GAH! WHAT THE FUCK!" Lucario exclaimed in utter horror as his heart almost stopped at the sight of the Pokémon's apparent gender.

"Zerobi…?" Zoroark repeated slowly, not sure on whether to attack or not, "Lucario, you know this Weavile?"

"Weavile…?" Lucario responded weakly as he remembered the name of the species of his old friend, "No, uh, I was thinking about some other Weavile!"

"Hah! Think fast!" the Weavile shouted with a deep, dark voice as he lounged at Lucario, who ducked. Zoroark became pleased when he saw that Lucario now had the perfect opportunity to counter attack, but his jaw almost dropped as Lucario instead scrambled backwards.

"Look out!" Lucario shouted with terror, "Don't get any blood on him!"

"Oh, for crying out loud…" Zoroark muttered, "Connor. You're up."

Zoroark ran up to the Weavile who tried to jump to the side, but Zoroark was able to easily match his speed. He picked him up and threw him at the Conkeldurr who once again nonchalantly held out his fist and let the Weavile crash into it.

"Bad time to lose it, my friend…" Zoroark whispered calmly while grabbing a hold of Lucario's arm, pulling him to his feet.

"Uhh…" Lucario stuttered as his brain slowly unscrambled from the horrifying vision, "Sorry. Wasn't expecting that."

"We're almost out of here," Zoroark said with venom in his voice before moving toward the exit, "Come on, and try not to stumble on the way."

"You know, you go from excited to calm pretty quickly," Lucario pointed out in the hopes of getting a quick jab in, "… But you saved me, so I guess it's cool." Zoroark responded with nothing but silence, and was relieved that no one noticed the faint twitch in his face he was unable to hold back.

Another exit brought with it another room, this one far more interesting than what they had encountered so far. The ceiling was still as low as ever, but colorful tapestry and carpeting made everything appear a lot classier.

"Man, running AND kicking things is taking a toll on my legs…" Lucario complained as his feet felt nice against the soft floor, "I think I'll punch whatever comes next."

"Hold that thought…" Zoroark said as they saw two Pokémon in the middle of the room, locked in combat. One of them was suspended in midair, looking like a giant bee with huge stingers at the end of each arm. The other one was very short and had a brown cloak covering its body. The cloak was battered and torn in several places, something grey and oddly familiar lying underneath.

The large insect swooped down towards the being in the cloak, who narrowly avoided the giant spikes on its hand and somehow managed to trip on the matting. Suddenly, Zoroark leapt into action as he moved swiftly across the room and grabbed a hold of the peculiar bee's throat before throwing it into a nearby wall.

"Oh! Zoroark!" the cloaked Pokémon exclaimed with a fairly feminine voice as it got up, "I-I tried to follow, b-but there w-was a W-Weavile-"

"Mission's complete," Zoroark said flatly before turning his head to the room's exit, "We're retreating."

"… Oh!" the creature exclaimed once more before nodding its head wildly, "Right!"

As quickly as they had stopped, they had started running again. Lucario was taken aback by the abruptness of it all, and eagerly eyed the new addition to their team while trying to catch a glimpse of what the hell was running beside him. From the way it moved, he could tell that it had four legs.

"… You're Lucario, right?" the new Pokémon asked, his gazes not having gone unnoticed, "I'm Astrid! Let's be friends!"

"Uh…" Lucario muttered with surprise followed quickly by blandness, "Let's not."

"W-Why!" it stammered in response, the eyes beyond the veil of the cloak looking as if they were about to start crying.

"… Are you serious? That's not how it works!" Lucario said loudly as an image of Zerobi flashed through his mind, "Friendship built on a request is nothing but an act!"

"Astrid, befriend him on your own time," Zoroark said in the same bored tone he had taken a liking to not long ago, before replacing it with a more excited one in a heartbeat, "We're finally here!"

Looking ahead, they saw a large staircase leading up into the ceiling, covered by the beautiful sight of daylight. Lucario wanted to jump for joy, his body's cries for vitamin D about to be settled, when suddenly a Pokémon came tumbling down the stairs. It was a green a mish-mash of various flower appendages, having a bulb as a lower body and leaves instead of arms. On its head it was donning the petals of a red flower, looking like a mixture between a hat and a crown.

Even though Lucario was unable to make heads or tails out of this Pokémon, a very old memory within him sparked at the sight of it. Time stopped as he thought back to simpler times when he was able to take a break and relax instead of getting chased down every minute. The Pokémon in his mind danced around in the bright daylight, moving its body rhythmically and spreading beauty and joy in every direction.

The current Pokémon was showing a more twisted display, bending itself in strange ways as it rolled down the staircase.

"LILLIGANT!" Zoroark screamed, completely dropping his calm demeanor and running up to the fallen grass-type as Lucario snapped out of his reminiscence, "What happened!"

"Z-Zoroark!" the broken flower stammered frightfully, "RUN! Y-You must flee!"

"Calm down!" Zoroark said as he tried to follow his own advice, "What's going on?"

"T-That Alakazam…!" the Lilligant stuttered with eyes widened in fear, "I-It'll kill us all!"

What followed was complete silence. The atmosphere in the room turned heavy as not one of them dared to make a move.

_Clack._

A footstep was heard from the top of the stairs. Lucario had no idea what was causing this darkening of their world, but the frozen form of Astrid at his side told him that he was not alone in this. It impacted him in the direct opposite of what being near Celebi would.

_Clack. Clack._

He saw a familiar human go down the staircase. It was the same scientist that had taken away the Dragonair and tried to capture him using an odd machine. His hands were in the pocket of his robes, descending from above like an angel. However, the current atmosphere made him more akin to an angel of death.

_Clack. Clack. Clack._

Floating next to him was another creature that seemed familiar somehow. Lucario's first impression was that it was a very old being, with a rugged appearance and extremely long beard. It was a humanoid with yellow and brown skin, and even though it was larger than the scientist it had a more frail appearance. A reflection in the sunlight told Lucario that it was holding some kind of utensil in each hand, momentarily reminding him of the leek-wielder from earlier.

"Your escape ends here," the scientist said out loud, but Lucario could barely hear it over the violent beating of his heart. Sensing the aura of the aged monster in front of him, he felt a power beyond that of Suicune, Raikou and Rayquaza all put together…

* * *

><p><em>"Several years passed until we finally found each other, and after hardly spending a month together..."<em>

**_"So what! I never asked for a sister! I've lived all my life without one, and I'll continue with that!"_**

_"But… But… Our very existence is nothing short of a miracle! Fate demands that we should be together!"_

**_"Fate kept us apart, and for better reasons than you know...!"_**

_"… Zerobi! You cannot leave like this! I have… All my life I have dreamed of having a sister!"_

**_"Then tell me! Tell me please why I should spend MY life fulfilling someone else's dream!"_**

_"…!"_

**_"…"_**

_"… Sis…"_

**_"… I must go."_**

_"…"_

**_"Goodbye… Celebi."_**


	28. Prologue: Initial Partner Ivy

The sun was setting by the horizon, once more leaving a field of grass and flowers with the wind as their only company. Even in a world inhabited by hundreds of different Pokémon, finding a desolate area like this is not rare.

The flowers were lapping up as much sunlight as possible before having to face another long night, creating a peculiar harmony between the gigantic ball of fire and easily flammable plants. The setting sun covered each blade of grass with a burning orange color, making the area appear aflame. Even so, every flower remained still as if finding peace in a fiery death.

Every flower except for one.

A particularly large one sailed across the sea of flowers, pushing aside the grassy matter and riding upon the back of a Pokémon. Her name was Ivy, an Ivysaur who was spending her evening exploring the world in an attempt to get her mind off things.

The thought of exploration had seemed quite a bit more adventurous and romantic than the actual act. So far the greatest thing of interest she had passed by had been a field of flowers, a small body of water followed by another field of flowers as well as a Gloom passing by, reflecting her bored expression. Nothing she couldn't see at home, or anywhere else for that matter.

In a twisted way it was working, since even the most common sight was an exciting one in this flat and uninteresting environment.

Her exploration seemed to have been nothing short of fruitless when suddenly she saw the silhouette of something elongated and motionless standing by the horizon. Pensively she dreamed of it being a tall and dark stranger, too cool for both words and movement.

The closer she got, she noticed that she had not been completely wrong in her assessment. It had been a strangely shaped stone sticking out of the ground like a monument, completely black against the setting sun. The soil underneath it was weak and newly dug, which told her exactly what manner of monument she had come across.

Creating graves such as these was a rather uncommon practice among Pokémon, who would normally just dig a simple hole and fill it up. There was no inscription on the rock, and she became curious as to who lay buried there.

Her question was abruptly answered as a clenched paw suddenly burst out of the ground. She reared back on her hind legs in shock and fell on her back while screaming in terror.

"Z-Zombies!" she shouted, trying to regain her footing as another paw pierced the surface of the grave, the creature it belonged to seemingly digging its way upwards. A great hole formed in the ground as the dirt seeped underground, raining upon whoever had been buried there.

"BLAH!" the zombie exclaimed the moment his mouth struck air, inhaling deeply while ignoring all the dirt surrounding his face. However, it would not let itself be ignored for long as it fell into his lungs and he started coughing loudly. The Ivysaur, who had been scrambling to get away suddenly stopped at the sound of this and turned herself around.

"Zombies… Don't cough…" she whispered to herself, and saw the creature struggling to breathe and to get out of the grave at the same time.

"Oh my, are you OK!" she shouted, running towards him in an effort to help.

"Argh…" the creature responded with the most gravelly voice she had ever heard, momentarily bringing her mind back to zombies, "Can't see… Hurts…"

"Here, grab on" she said while extending a vine towards him, nudging his side to let him know where it was. Eagerly he brought his paws up to it, but fumbled around with it, trying to get a hold.

"Hey…" he mumbled angrily, "Hold still…"

"I am," Ivy responded, "Wait, let me handle this…"

Twisting her vine around the Pokémon's waistline, she easily lifted him out of the grave, eliciting a surprised gasp from him. He was still covered in both dirt and mud, but Ivy instantly recognized the being kept in her vines as a Lucario.

She lowered him down next to the grave and let go with her vine, but the moment his feet touched the ground he collapsed like a newborn baby, his legs giving no support.

"Argh!" he growled, crashing against the soil he was once buried in. He could hear a voice, and something was bumping his side. His mind was still in scrambles, so he didn't really understand any of what was going on.

"Ah! Sorry!" he heard a voice to the right of him. A fairly normal voice, to contrast everything else that was currently happening. His arms and legs felt a bit more simple than usual, his stomach felt even worse than after washing down chili with spoiled milk and he was somehow lying on a part of himself, although he couldn't determine what. Something sticking out of his butt as well as head.

"… Are you OK?" he heard the voice again, snapping him out of his internal checkup and back into reality. He saw a rather orange sky above him filled with what seemed to be bubbles, and the unmistakable sound of waves could be heard.

"Um… Who are you?" he once again heard the voice say. Turning his head to the right, he was greeted by the face of a monster. A green face with cancerous spots of darker green covering it, containing huge red eyes and a large mouth with fangs sticking out of it. Lucario was frozen for a moment, but did not completely snap until the face before him suddenly forced a cute smile.

"GAH!" he exclaimed while trying to sit up, but even this simple action felt very different from what it would usually feel like.

"What the… What the hell is this…" he growled to himself, not recognizing the sound of his own voice. He looked again at the green face, which was now looking worried.

"AH! What the hell is THAT!" he shouted, quickly trying to back away but falling to his side.

"Huh?" Ivy asked, never having seen a reaction like this before, "What do you mean?"

"I-It talks!" Lucario stammered with a panicking voice, getting a better look at the Ivysaur from a distance and seeing a large flower on top of it, "… Haha! HAHAHA! A… A giant green potted plant with legs and a face… That gets worried and talks…?"

"Hey! You're being pretty rude to the girl who just helped you!" Ivy snapped back and took a step forward, "What's wrong with you!"

"STAY AWAY FROM ME, CARNIVORE!" Lucario bellowed and started to scuttle away faster, causing him to trip over his tail and fall backwards.

"SHIT!" he growled in frustration while instinctively reaching down to his butt and noticing that things were quite different indeed, "W-What's wrong with my body!"

"Stop yelling!" Ivy said with a loud voice while approaching the frightened Lucario, "Start making sense!"

"I-I won't let you… Get me…" Lucario stuttered as he tried to crawl away when he suddenly saw a body of water not far away, "… Aha! I found your weakness, triffid!"

Ivy stood in silence as she felt the statement was too stupid to respond to as Lucario moved toward the body of water at an impressively quick pace, considering that he was constantly stumbling over his own body parts.

"Prepare yourself for…" Lucario started and reached a hand into the body of water, but instantly stopped himself when he noticed he no longer had any hands.

"W…" was all the noise Lucario could muster before he stared in disbelief at his own reflection, not moving a single muscle.

An odd creature stared back at him, a hazy vision from the murky waters. He had never seen anything like it before. He thought there was another monster beneath the water's surface, waiting to consume him.

It had the same shape of a human, but was still nothing like it. It had much larger ears, a snout and a fine blue fur covering his entire body. Where he assumed the chest of the creature was, the hair was much longer and in a yellow color. Its arms ended with paws instead of hands, and its legs were more reminiscent of hind legs. It was wearing a pair of pants out of which a fairly short tail stuck out, and from the back of its head hung strange black cylindrical appendages that looked a little like thick dreadlocks.

Staring at the water, Lucario moved his head back in shock, and noticed that the creature did the same. He tried raising his right arm, and the creature did the same with its left one. Observing the creature very carefully, he saw it slowly move both its arms up to its head and pull down its long ears to its sides. Then, the creature appeared to clutch the end of them and squeeze hard.

He could feel it.

And so, the monster consumed him.

Ivy watched as the scene with the strange Pokémon by the water progressed. He had been gripping his ears now for almost a minute without moving, his face frozen in terror.

"Um..." she said as she started walking closer to him, "What's wrong?"

His eyes quickly darted to look at her while the rest of his body was completely still, but after a second he slowly turned to face her.

"Me…" he answered with a weak, frightened voice, "… What am I?"

"… A Lucario, right?" Ivy replied, wondering what he was getting at.

"What… What did you call me?" he asked.

"What _I_ called you!" Ivy said angrily, "You called _me_a potted plant!"

Ivy awaited a response and was preparing to follow up, but stopped herself and watched as the shocked Pokémon suddenly looked down at his body and started moving his limbs. His expression was one of strong disbelief.

"I'm a… What? A Lucasmario?" he mumbled before silently staring at himself in the water for a while.

"You… Are you alright? I didn't mean to be so harsh before, I…" Ivy started, but was interrupted as Lucario swallowed his fears and looked directly at the monster.

"A… A 'Lucario'… Right?" he said, not masking the shakiness in his voice completely, "... What's that?"

"That's what you are" Ivy said, starting to get a nasty feeling of what might be going on, "You know... A Pokémon."

"... Pokemon? What's a Pokémon?" Lucario answered, much to her shock.

"Huh? You don't know that!" she exclaimed with a surprised look on her face, "Pokémon are... Well, us! We both are Pokémon! I mean, what do you think you are?" Lucario looked at her with a strange look for a few seconds.

"Me?" Lucario said as if the answer should be obvious, "A human, of course!"

"A... A human!" Ivy repeated with shock. Whatever answer she had expected, this was not even remotely close to it. What made things even more strange was that the Lucario seemed to be serious about what he had just said.

"... A human?" she said while looking over him yet again, "... But you look exactly like a Lucario in every way!"

"Bullshit!" Lucario yelled as his voice suddenly lost its meekness and gained a hint of determination, "I clearly remember being human! This body's all wrong! What the hell's going on!"

"But I've never even heard of anything like that happening before!" Ivy yelled back in the same tone for reasons unknown to herself.

"… Said the goblin with a damn plant sticking out of its back…" Lucario muttered angrily, "… Who yelled 'Zombies' at me, like, five minutes ago…"

They were silent for a while, both of them thinking deeply. The sun had halfway disappeared by the horizon, leaving nothing to expect but further darkness.

"… You are sure that you were originally human, right?" Ivy whispered, by which she was replied with a quiet nod from the Lucario still deep in his own thoughts.

"Definitively… My legs seem clumsy, my ears feel big, and..." Lucario said out loud before turning around and looking behind himself, seeing what he had been lying on earlier, "… Man, I even have a tail!"

"Hey… Take it easy…" Ivy said when she heard the bitterness in Lucario's last sentence, "Don't worry... I mean, if you really _were_turned into a Pokemon, who says that you can't turn back into a human?" Lucario's face suddenly lit up, and he raised his head to look directly at her.

"Really?" he asked hopefully, "You know of a way!"

"No, I don't…" Ivy responded sadly, "But there might be someone who does! Let's wait until tomorrow… You can stay at my place until then…"

"… Really?" Lucario asked again and started feeling better, "But… I can't even walk…"

"I'll carry you!" Ivy said with determination as she let one of her vines out of the plant on her back, "Don't worry, I'll take care of you until things get cleared up!"

"… Wow," Lucario said slowly as he looked at her with admiration, "You're… Really nice."

* * *

><p><strong><em>- I was a fool.<em>**

* * *

><p>"So, what?" Lucario asked while tugging curiously at the cloth material covering his waist, "You normally go spelunking around graves?"<p>

"No, no!" Ivy burst out before thinking of a way to defend herself, "I just… Went exploring. You know, to have a real journey!"

"Bah, a journey…" Lucario grumbled as he brushed off yet another speck of dirt on his pants, "Everything from the womb to the grave is a journey."

"Huh?" Ivy exclaimed in surprise, making sense out of what she had just heard and swiftly coming up with a counter, "Not really! In your case, it's everything from the grave to the w… Wom…"

Ivy trailed off as she blushed, Lucario looking at her for a while before starting to laugh.

"Ahahaha! Yeah, I guess I started out from a grave!" he chuckled as a few more remnants of the grave fell off his clothing, "That means my life ends if I ever get into a womb! But it's not like that's going to…"

Now it was Lucairo's turn to trail off, as he looked at Ivy's unusually reddened face and finally realized what was going on.

"… Oh," Lucario exclaimed quietly, before turning silent and uncomfortably fidgeting around.

* * *

><p><strong><em>- To trust a monster...<em>**

* * *

><p>"ACHOO!" the Ivysaur sneezed powerfully, accidentally releasing a cloud of purple dust around her. Lucario looked up from his magazine in surprise before becoming completely covered by the dust, too stunned to even flinch.<p>

"Bless you…" he muttered angrily, "… No wait, that other thing. FUCK YOU!"

"Ah!" Ivy exclaimed in shock, "L-Lucario! Those're…"

"… Purple snot?" Lucario said with a disgusted tone as he tried brushing the purple stuff off of himself, "Well, you've got a GREEN body, so I guess-"

"That's Poison Powder!" Ivy interrupted him with a terrified expression, "Quick! We've got to get you an antidote!"

"P… Poison?" Lucario stammered fearfully as a chill ran through his spine, "WHAT!"

"Did they work! How are you feeling?" Ivy continued fearfully but grew calmer with each word, "They should be working right away… Are you feeling sick?"

"Disgusted? Yeah!" Lucario said as several pollen fell into his mouth and nose, "Sick? Uh… Not really."

"But… That's…" Ivy mumbled and thought hard for a moment, "Ah, how lucky… I'm sorry!"

"… As well you should be! Seriously, why do I… I…" Lucario started rambling, but had to stop himself as the pollen from earlier had found a way to tickle his inner workings, "Ah… Ah… ACHOOO!"

A cloud of purple dust once again filled the room, instantly Ivy who took a step back in surprise.

"Ha ha ha!" Lucario couldn't help but laugh as he scratched his nose, "See? Now we're even!"

"I guess!" Ivy laughed with him, "Ew! But yours came directly from your nose!"

"Hey, I only did it because of what you did!" Lucario kept chuckling, the sight of the disgusted Ivysaur trying to get wipe herself clean looking quite amusing.

"Ha… Ha… Ha…" Ivy's laughter suddenly turned weaker, finally ending with a drawn out sigh, "… Haaah…" Succumbing to her own poison powder, she collapsed on the ground.

"Hey… Hey! Ivy!" Lucario shouted as he ran up to the dusty Pokémon, "But… It's YOUR poison! Damn it, this makes no sense, where's that antidote!"

* * *

><p><strong><em>- … Thinking it was anything like me.<em>**

* * *

><p>"ALRIGHT!" Lucario roared triumphantly, withdrawing his leg from its upright position as the enemy Mankey flew into a tree, causing a large indent in the bark and a slightly smaller one in its head.<p>

"HELL YEAH!" Lucario kept going while raising his arms in victory, "I'm back into action, baby!"

"L-Lucario! That was amazing!" Ivy stammered in excitement, "… Then maybe if we work together, we can beat them!" In response to this, Lucario struck a battle pose by holding his arms in front of him as the swarm of Mankey rushed towards them.

* * *

><p><strong><em>- Attempting to establish a companionship…<em>**

* * *

><p>"Here! I saved a seat for you!" Ivy giggled happily, signaling for Lucario to sit down beside her.<p>

"… Seat?" Lucario repeated, looking down at the spot which looked completely identical to the rest of the grassy plains they were standing on, "Hmm… To a plant, maybe?"

"Just sit down!" Ivy said with a beaming smile, "I promise you'll love it!"

Lucario shrugged and sat down on the grass, leaning back on his arms to see the spectacle in front of him. Several prominently green Pokémon had gathered in front of them, many of them looking exactly the same to anything but a taught botanist. Leaves, flowers, bulbs and vines were sticking out of them at seemingly random, confusing Lucario to no end.

"What're those called?" Lucario asked while pointing at the most commonly featured Pokémon among them. They were short and had two large flowers on their heads, with their body sticking out a gathering of leaves that reminded him of a dress.

"Bellossom!" Ivy responded, "They're really cute, aren't they?"

"Hmpf… This is better than TV…" Lucario started as Ivy's face lit up in excitement, "… How?"

"Shh!" she hushed him, "They're starting!"

A loud noise came from somewhere, building up into a steady rhythm. Lucario looked around to see what was creating this sound, but had to stop his search as the many green Pokémon started moving.

The Bellossom were spinning around in beat to the rhythm as the other ones performed acrobatics, moving and bending themselves in ways that no human every could.

The sunlight from the fading day gleamed off their bodies, showing yet another odd symbiosis between the massive cluster of flames and easily burned flowers. Leaves, flowers, bulbs and vines flew in every direction, making it look like there were a thousand golden fairies in jade at play. The rhythm suddenly picked up as the dancing grew more intense, creating fantastic sights on the field of grass.

"… I never was a big fan of ballet…" Lucario muttered, his eyes transfixed on the whole ordeal.

"What about this?" Ivy asked eagerly, not knowing what ballet was.

"… It's kind of nice, I guess," Lucario admitted, as seeing the many flowers spin around had a strangely natural feel to it.

"Seeing you fight so impressively yesterday…" Ivy said quietly, "It reminded me of this."

"… That's not a compliment, you know," Lucario sighed, not wanting his manly fighting to be compared to sissy dancing, "What is this, anyway? Some kind of ritualistic… Ritual?"

"Uh…" Ivy mumbled while trying to think of an answer, "We grass Pokémon like the sun, and these like dancing."

"You sure they're not sacrificing anyone to some vengeful god?" Lucario continued asking, worrying that she had brought him here for a frightening ulterior motive and surprising plot twist.

"Anyway, I knew you'd like it!" Ivy exclaimed as she was no longer able to make sense out of Lucario's words, "Now come on, I wanna show you something else…"

* * *

><p><strong><em>- … With something not human…<em>**

* * *

><p>"Disgusting…" Lucario grumbled as he reluctantly swallowed the poffin, chewing it as little as possible.<p>

"… Still?" Ivy asked with a sad tone in her voice, "But… I worked so hard on it!"

"It's not your fault, Ivy," Lucario reassured her, "My tastes are that of a human. Heh, I'm lucky to be getting any food, the way I first treated you…"

"The whole 'monster' thing?" Ivy asked while throwing the rest of the poffin ingredients out the window, "It's been a while since then, hasn't it?"

"Yeah," Lucario said before leaning back on the bed of leaves, "I ended my simple job of being human and had to start fighting Pokémon with my bare hands… And learn a bunch of new stuff just to make it through the day…"

"Must be hard…" Ivy sighed with a sad face.

"It is, but…" Lucario said and though to a way to wipe her depressing expression away, "When I'm around you… It doesn't seem that bad."

"You… You really mean that?" Ivy asked, her face lighting up once more.

"You know… Even though I'm human and you're… Something else…" Lucario responded before quickly rising to his feet while beaming with confidence, "This is definitively the start of a beautiful new friendship!"

* * *

><p><strong><em>- … Was a fault on my part.<em>**

* * *

><p>The treacherous terrain did little to slow Lucario's progress as he jumped from root to root, not wanting to use the branches after one had snapped underneath his weight. The thick tree crowns sucked up all the sunlight, forcing him to focus his eyes extra hard to avoid a fatal misstep. All of this would have made Lucario distraught, if not for the fact that he knew all his pursuers would have to cross the same ordeal.<p>

Even in his great haste, he was able to hear a whistling sound approaching from behind. He twisted his head to the side as a sharp object flew past him, creating a small cut in his left cheek.

"I-Ivy…?" Lucairo stammered as he saw the familiar plant a few steps behind him. As familiar as she was, he did not recognize her current state in the least. Her eyes were transfixed upon him, and they were filled with hate. A memory flash hit him as he recalled the shape odd and green color of the object that flew past him… It had been a leaf.

"Lucario," she said menacingly as her vines retracted, "This ends here!"

"Y-You too! Why're you-" Lucario started, but was interrupted.

"The whole world will be destroyed if you're left alive!" Ivy shouted angrily at him with a questioning tone as she was still uncertain, "Why! Why didn't you tell me!"

"I don't know anything about this!" Lucario shouted back while thinking of a way to explain the situation, "There's no proof or anything! How the hell can you just believe something insane like that!"

"You're neither human nor Pokémon, just like Deoxys, and the place where I found you…" Ivy growled, her voice contorting from the soft tone Lucario had come to know so well, "It all makes sense!"

"NO, IT DOESN'T!" Lucario bellowed, "You naïve bastard, it's just crazy talk!"

Ivy cringed at these words, and choked up at the sight of the Lucario that had once been her friend. The wise elder had gotten the entire village to join up in the hunt for him, convincing them that a catastrophe beyond their wildest imaginations would occur if he was left alive. The pain that the roaming monster Deoxys had left in their hearts had been stirred, and were willing to do anything to prevent history from repeating itself, no matter how vague the risk.  
>Before her was no longer the peculiar and confused Pokémon she had helped, but a threat that may or may not even know about it. His progress had gone from learning how to walk to fighting better than her in a matter of days; if things were to carry on in this manner…<br>The only way she could go through with this was to completely kill off her emotions, and especially making sure Lucario did not notice her hesitation. Even so, he was her dear friend, and she treasured the time they had spent together. She had so much to say, but could not bear to keep talking. Swallowing her anguish, she decided that he deserved to know.

"So many of us fell prey to Deoxys…" Ivy said in a pained manner as she forced anger to hide her tears, "… I can't take that risk!"

A moment of silence passed between them. Lucario wanted to continue talking and stop fighting, but saw that Ivy wished for the complete opposite. Desperately he was trying to think of something to say, but the vision of his only friend glaring at him with nothing but hate and murder in her eyes told him that her determination would render words ineffective. It was like conversing with a wild animal, and suddenly his initial impression of the Pokémon sprung to life…

"So that's it!" Lucario yelled, the unfair treatment overtaking him and filling him with rage unlike anything he had ever felt before, "You're just gonna kill me off now! After all we've been through! After all we did together!"

"If you care even a little about that…" Ivy said grouchily while regaining her confidence, "… You'll stand down now, so I can kill you quickly and painlessly. It's for the good of the world! Who knows, you might even just go back to being human!"

Ivy's confidence culminated, as her baseless assumptions reassured her conviction. Lucario had no time to respond as she suddenly twisted herself around, throwing one of the leaves at the stem of her flower directly at him. He instinctively grabbed on to the flat surfaces of the sharp object, bringing it to a halt.

"I-Ivy, you...!" Lucario stammered as he could hardly believe it. Had he not stopped it, the leaf would have been lodged in his chest by now.

"Just... Please..." Ivy said, finding it more difficult to continue being near her past friend and current enemy, "Don't make this harder than it already is!"

"Harder..." Lucario repeated with a cold, breathless voice as he let the leaf between his hands slowly dwindle down to the ground, "You're... You're really trying to kill me...? What about our friendship...?"

"I don't have a choice!" Ivy wailed and took a step forward, "They said you would bring about chaos and-"

"That's a LIE!" Lucario bellowed, placing his left leg in front of him to show he wouldn't back off, "Pure nonsense! Damn it Ivy, what the hell's wrong with you! Why are you like this!"

"Wrong with ME!" Ivy shouted back, the insults adding more weight to her already tried patience, "My... My best friend turns out to be a monster! Think about how I feel for once!"

"… No!" Lucario yelled with fury while pointing at her, "You can talk and pretend to care, but in the end you really **are**a monster! I should've known better than to trust something like you!"

"And I should've known better than to trust a crazy hybrid like you!" Ivy snapped back, stretching out her vines in a threatening action.

"If you think I'm just going to lie down and die…" Lucario said angrily before holding his arms in front of him in a battle pose, "… Brace yourself! Irrational beast!"

* * *

><p><strong><em>- I will not make the same mistake twice.<em>**

* * *

><p>"Not so violent now, are you?" Lucario asked quietly, putting down his foot right next to the Ivysaur's unconscious head, "You dumb animal…"<br>Her face was bloodied and wet from tears, and there seemed to be no trace remaining of the cheerful and soft spoken girl he thought he knew.

"T-There he is!" a loud voice came from behind, "Someone stop him!"

"HERE! CATCH!" Lucario yelled back, spinning around and kicking the defeated Pokémon with all his might, sending her bouncing off a nearby tree and slowly rolling down its truck. By the time the new arrivals had figured out what was going on in the darkness, he was already gone.

He made it out of the thick forest and felt relieved when he noticed no aura behind him, meaning that he had at long last shaken off his followers. He leaned himself against a nearby rock for a quick rest, rubbing against his neck which was still aching from the previous battle. The temperature was turning colder, and he wished he had brought a jacket or some kind of sheet to go with his pants.

A storm was picking up, both inside and outside of his mind. The silent rage he felt over his betrayal working in unison to the chilling wind that was starting to blow past him. He was quietly hoping for a blizzard, as it would give him time to rest and meditate over today's occurrences, and try to figure out exactly what had forced him to abandon his newfound home and beat his only friend to a pulp.

Lucario remained unaware, but a large figure stands on top of a gathering of rocks. Like the snowy peak of a mountain, the white and light blue colors turned it into a beacon in the dark. The figure grew hazier with each passing moment as it started snowing, and the upper part of it decided this was a good time to put on his trademark jacket.

"Heh heh heh…" Brendan snickered menacingly, "Found you."

* * *

><p><strong><em>"The contents of the grave… A normal Lucario?"<em>**

_"Apparently not that normal. It's slightly deformed, and it was definitively in contact with… You know who…"_

**_"So was the ground they stood on. Get some of that."_**

_"The Lucario's the only living creature within our grasp after the final incident… There might be something of interest."_

**_"Doubtful. What's even more doubtful is that you will find any volunteers to take on a bullshit mission like that."_**

_"… Actually, Brendan jumped right on it."_

**_"What! The Shimmering Champion? Why!"_**

_"He was geared up to fight Deoxys, and quite pleased with the prospect of a 'manhunt'."_

**_"Pleased. Satisfied. That is what this entire mission is about, no?"_**

_"… I suppose. Whatever makes the higher ups and Brendan happy."_

**_"Fine. I will leave you to your own devices, but should you come up with nothing I will waste no time draining this project of its every resource."_**

_"As well you should. It's getting late, let's wrap things up and call it a day."_


	29. Twisting Manipulator Alakazam

"A scientist..." Zoroark muttered before sighing and looking back at Lucario with a hopeful face, "Time for a little payback, eh?"

Lucario didn't respond. Even when right next to Pokémon far stronger than himself, he had been able to dismiss any feelings of unease created from their intimidating aura. This Alakazam was completely different. Lucario feeling like a pit had opened up in his stomach, sucking his very being into it.

"... Lucario?" Zoroark asked with worry. Lucario was now visibly shaking while Astrid was cowering on the floor in unison with the Lilligant, having long since given up their bravery. Connor kept himself as steadfast as always, but even he was showing signs of unrest.

"I can feel it! That thing's strength..." Lucario burst out to the oblivious Zoroark, "... It's unreal!"

"Awawawa..." Astrid stuttered before hiding his face underneath his arms in terror, "Th-That thi-i-ing... I-It's evil!"

"You..." Zoroark muttered disappointedly, before trailing off and starting to walk towards the Alakazam.

"NO! Zoroark! Not that way!" the Lilligant screamed fearfully while scuttling backward, "Find another exit...!"

"Y-Yeah!" Astrid stammered as he lifted his head and turned around with no hesitation, "Great idea!"

"Go back now, and you will never return," Zoroark said bluntly, keeping his eyes fixed on the Alakazam.

"Oh..." Astrid whispered slowly before lowering his head back under his arms, "... How's the prison food?"

"Non-existent," Lucario responded. While he had seen and felt firsthand what monsters with a fraction of this Alakazam's strength could do, he knew that whatever horrors it would unleash upon him would not compare to getting caught once more.

"Foolish aggressors!" the scientist said with a loud, haughty voice, "Know you not who you are challenging! Return, and I will spare your pitiful lives!"

At the sound of this, Zoroark's left ear started twitching as he noticed something was out of place. Lucario was too busy worrying about the Alakazam to ask himself what had happened to make the scientist so cocky all of a sudden. He seemed to be having a little trouble keeping a proper composure as well, waving back and forward at regular intervals. The peculiar movement of the human gave the both of them strange vibes.

"He'll spare us!" Astrid exclaimed with far too much relief before turning to Zoroark, "Come on! I don't want to die!"

"Wimp..." Lucario muttered under his breath.

"W-What!" Astrid stammered, apparently having better hearing than Lucario gave him credit for.

"You never know... He might be weak against roundhouse kicks, or something," Lucario continued while thinking of a way to properly strike the head while on a staircase, "... If not, THEN we'll surrender."

"I would not count on that..." the scientist said ominously while pointing at Zoroark who had suddenly stopped himself, "A single step forward, and I shall utterly destroy you!"

"You're much too... Wait... Huh...?" Lucario said before thinking about what had just happened and shouting at the human, "... I knew it! You bastard, you understand Pokémon's speech, don't you!"

"Hehehe..." the scientist snickered ominously in response, "Heh... Heh... HAH!"

"He..." Zoroark repeated in confusion, not long after which a smile spread across his face as he closed his eyes, "... Ah. Of course."

"Oh! You... You mean...!" Astrid exclaimed with a hopeful voice, "He understands what we're saying?"

"Yeah. Doesn't change the fact that his Pokémon's going to kick our asses, though..." Lucario mumbled, "But if he understands us, there's got to be a way for us to use it against him..."

"PLEASE DON'T KILL US!" Astrid wailed, making Zoroark's smile quickly fade away. Lucario felt a twinge of disgust over his ally's cowardice, which magnified when he saw the Lilligant nodding feverishly in the corner of his eyes.

"Alright, I've had enough of this..." Zoroark growled quietly as he started walking up the stairs.

"Halt!" the scientist yelled menacingly, "One more step, and you're all dead!"

Zoroark stopped himself. Then, with the mischievous smile returning to his face, he took a slow step forward.

"Are you incapable of hearing!" the scientist shouted, "Stop, or you WILL regret it!"

Zoroark answered by moving forward one more step.

"I'm warning you! This Alakazam is far more powerful than any other Pokémon in the world!" the scientist continued while throwing his hands in front of him in a strange manner, "Last chance! Move back, or PERISH!"

Zoroark then took yet another step.

"Now you've done it!" the scientist bellowed, his eyes positively glowing with hatred, "You shall suffer! I will crush you beneath my heel! I-"

He was interrupted as Zoroark suddenly leaped forward, coating his claws with the contents of another vial drawn from his bushy hair, stabbing the Alakazam in the chest with his left claw. The Alakazam dropped both his spoons and grabbed on to Zoroark's arm with a hateful glare, life disappearing from his eyes as he involuntarily closed them and fell asleep.

"Amateurs..." Zoroark muttered as the Alakazam fell and started tumbling down the staircase.

"... EH!" Lucario burst out in shock, his fear dissipating with each passing second.

"Zoroark!" the Lilligant burst out happily as she seemed to have regained her bravery as well, "You did it!"

"Did what?" Zoroark groaned with disappointment, "This idiot was probably weaker than everyone we fought to get here."

"He... Huh?" Lucario muttered before he felt a hard substance hitting his leg, looking down and seeing Astrid quickly backing away from the approaching Alakazam, "Hey, watch it!"

"He used his psychic powers to fill you with irrational fear," Zoroark explained while sighing, "Which, quite frankly, I was hoping you'd be above."

"Hey, I am!" Lucario exclaimed confidently, "I was ready to charge him at a moment's notice!"

A loud thud was heard as the scientist suddenly collapsed, landing sideways on a step while leaning dangerously on the edge. Zoroark looked down at him with a bored face, before signaling the rest to follow him.

"He was controlling the human like a puppet, manipulating his movement and speech..." he said quietly as Astrid and the Lilligant carefully passed the unconscious Alakazam, Lucario simply walking right over him, " ... But why...?"

"Really?" Lucario asked nonchalantly as the memory of a smug yet frighteningly powerful yellow rat crossed his mind, "From what I heard, mind control is impossible."

"Not mind control - Puppetry," Zoroark clarified, "The human must have given him consent to do it, or it would've been easy to break out of."

"Must've been some kind of battle strategy," Lucario said while trying to sound smart, "Not that it did 'em a whole lot of good."

"Paralyzed half our crew with fear," Zoroark muttered while looking back at the Lilligant and Astrid who were still recovering, "At any rate, seems the human's Pokémon ended up controlling him... How ironic."

"OK, fine, great, WHATEVER!" Lucario rambled as the temptation of being so close to freedom became too much, "How about we continue getting the hell out of here!"

"Nothing would suit me better," Zoroark said before turning around and starting to climb up the stairs.

The sunlight burned Lucario's eyes as he once more became acquainted with a bright, blue sky. He paid no attention to the many tall buildings above him and carefully placed pavement beneath him, much too occupied with the fresh air filling his lungs and a small breeze pleasantly whisking by his form.

"Aahhh..." Lucario sighed longingly before inhaling deeply, "... Air."

"They deprived you of that, too?" Zoroark asked with an amused tone, bringing him back to reality.

A quick glance around him told him that he was in a large city, surrounded by both Pokémon and humans that were walking around peacefully and blissfully unaware of the many battles that had taken place just a few paces underneath their feet.

"We're not exactly in the clear just yet," Zoroark said determinedly as Connor, Astrid and the shaky Lilligant joined them, "We need to get to the base, which is just on the outskirts of town."

"Sweet. Is that the pickup I'm sensing?" Lucario asked, feeling something very powerful heading directly for them.

"You mean... Connor?" Zoroark asked in return, trying to understand what he was referring to.

"... No...?" Lucario exclaimed with a questioning voice, "I'm talking about that huge aura coming at us at a rapid pace."

"... What!" Zoroark suddenly burst out, making a nearby Pokémon look at him strangely, "From where!"

Lucario did not have time to answer as many screams echoed throughout the city behind them, that of both Pokémon and humans. Most of the bystanders stopped walking to try to hear what was happening, growing more and more frightened as they saw several people running away from the origin of the noise.

Far away in the city, they saw a massive beast suddenly appear from behind one of the taller buildings. It towered over the surrounding humans and Pokémon who all quickly scrambled to get away from it, and it was approaching the team as quickly as a speeding train. Ignoring those that fled, it maneuvered around the signs and trees which blocked its way with uncanny precision.

Although the images of Suicune and Raikou were starting to fade from Lucario's mind, he saw that this creature was quite similar in form, more so the latter. Its fur was mostly brown, and surprisingly rugged for the monster's proper stature. This one adorned a seemingly artificial mask covering its mouth, also having thick armlets equipped around the middle of each leg.

"Hey... This one's also using that fear thing to appear strong," Lucario said while doing his best to remain confident and ignore the absurdly strong aura emanating from the large Pokémon, causing his very insides to rattle.

"No, he isn't..." Zoroark replied slowly while biting his lips, "This one's the real deal."

"E-E-Eth..." the Lilligant stammered, making Lucario wonder if it was an affliction or if she was just having a really bad day, "It's Ethan's Entei!"

"Who!" Astrid burst out and kept himself from shaking, deciding to try to appear brave from now on to make up for his earlier shameful display.

"The legendary Ethan!" Zoroark explained loudly while frantically searching through his long hair for something, "The only trainer to ever surpass Red!"

"Hah! I can't tell which name's funnier!" Lucario laughed before the nodes in his brain finally connected, "Wait... Red... You mean, that guy that had Raikou!"

"Oh! H-He's coming!" Astrid stammered as his legs felt more like heavy rocks than ever before, "Do we run, or...!"

Entei had slowed himself down and moved closer to them with big, intimidating steps. Lucario knew this to be an act, having seen just how fast it had been running earlier. The beast stopped a few feet away from them, his frighteningly large and deep eyes locking with Zoroark's.

"I know not what manner of Pokémon you are..." Entei spoke with a booming voice, sounding as if emanating from a deep abyss, "But attacking a human settlement is a crime I simply cannot tolerate."

"Settlement!" Lucario shouted back at the legendary dog, the words stirring some of the pent up anger within him, "More like a death camp, and even that's being too nice!" Entei's eyes shifted to Lucario for a second, both of which were larger than his head.

"Be quiet!" Zoroark hissed dangerously at Lucario while standing his ground before the intimidating monster, "Entei, we have simply liberated those who have been wrongfully imprisoned and experimented upon. Do not let your chivalry cloud your better judgment!"

"Aggressions will always breed further aggression, no exceptions..." Entei growled intimidatingly, "Stand down, and allow me be the judge of your actions."

"... Connor, take 'em to the designated spot!" Zoroark suddenly yelled as he rummaged through his hair once more and pulled out a very small bomb, "Lucario, follow Connor! Leave this one to me!"

Zoroark threw the bomb to Connor, who to everyone's surprise caught it between his teeth. He then wasted no time in biting down on it, wave after wave of smoke suddenly escaping the tiny contraption. The newly created fog quickly became too thick to make out even the smallest detail in, but Lucario sensed something strange happening as Connor's aura suddenly combined with that of Astrid and the Lilligant. He did not have to wonder about this for long, as a shadow grabbed on to his left arm and pulled him in its direction with amazing strength. He saw Connor with both Astrid and the Lilligant hanging on to his shoulders

The scene made him stifle a laughter as Connor suddenly turned around and started running using his arms like before. Lucario instantly lost sight of them in the mist, but was able to easily sense the huge Pokémon's aura and decided to follow him. Behind him, he sensed the aura of Entei flaring up, and even though it was far more dangerous it was not affecting him as badly as the Alakazam had.

"Hey, you forgot Zoroark!" Lucario shouted after Connor while doing his best to keep up, "He can't deal with that monster alone!"

"Yes, he can!" Astrid responded confidently, covering his face into the large shoulder in front of him.

"He m-must..." the Lilligant said weakly, still breathless from all her earlier screaming. Lucario was about to say something snappy in return, but stopped himself as he sensed the auras of several strong beings approaching from behind.

"Wait, this is no good!" Lucario burst out as he realized what was happening, "They'll just follow the smoke cloud!"

Astrid was about to say something, but was interrupted by an angry grunt from Connor. He spat out the smoke ball into his hand and suddenly threw it far away. He continued onwards, Lucario following as he suddenly ran straight into a tree. He took a step back from the recoil, clutching his nose in pain as he realized he wouldn't be able to navigate past every tree in a forest if he couldn't see. As luck would have it, the smoke had yet to creep into the woods, and he was able to avoid crashing into anything as he followed the auras of Connor and the rest.

"Yes! We made it!" Astrid finally shouted with a very large amount of relief, "There! It's hidden in that bush!"

Lucario felt like crying out in joy, seeing his cowardly companion pointing directly at a very bland-looking bush. Instead, he had to think twice as he saw a familiar Pokémon standing in front of it.

It looked like a miniature version of Entei, making up for its lacking armlets and masks with a puffier shape to its fur. It had an unremarkable aura and seemed to pose little threat, but Lucario had simply been through too much lately to take any risks. He had come too far to fall now, and the soil beneath his feet became ground up as he dug himself down, preparing the most powerful roundhouse kick of his life.

"Lucario!" Astrid yelled with panic, "Not a foe!"

Lucario stumbled as he abruptly stopped himself, the strength of his own leg making him twirl around in confusion. Connor grunted as he grabbed a hold of Lucario, quickly stopping his pirouette before throwing him into the bushes. The small branches brushed past him as he felt himself fall down a hole in the ground, leading him to a large chamber underground...

* * *

><p><em><strong>"The Pokémon that spearheaded the whole thing..."<strong>_

_"Yes. I have no idea what that was."_

**_"A new species...?"_**

_"Must be. I heard it quacking "Zoroark! Zoroark!" throughout the whole thing."_

**_"Zoroark... Is that with an S or a Z?"_**

_"Let us make it a Z. Not enough Pokémon utilizing that letter."_

**_"... Type?"_**

_"Dark is at least one of them. Peculiar, seeing how similar it looked to our main escapee."_

**_"Mmm..."_**

_"How badly will his escape affect your research?"_

**_"Little... We already have a blood sample... Tissue sample..."_**

_"Hmpf. You really did not care about his behavior or condition at all, did you?"_

**_"Not really, no."_**

_"Let us focus on the Zoroark then, so we have something to tell the press."_

**_"... How long until the boss-man gets wind of this?"_**

_"Half a second before we did, I assume."_

**_"That's... No good."_**

_"True. Pray we get tangible info on that Zoroark, or brace yourself for the shitstorm of the century."_


	30. Extraordinary Eeveelution Astrid

"Welcome to our base!" Astrid exclaimed happily, Lucario picking himself up from the bad fall. It was a fairly small and unremarkable cave, containing nothing but dirt and a few cloths of undetermined material in two of the corners. There were also one or two Pokémon there, looking at them with interest. The walls and ceiling had large stems growing out of them which glowed strongly, seemingly illuminating the entire area.

The cave's ceiling was just barely above Lucario's head, making him not so surprised when he saw Connor walk past him with his head bent forward, heading for the corner to their left.

"Not our real one, of course," Zoroark said while tapping Lucario's shoulder, making him stumble forward in surprise, "A temporary one."

"WHAT THE F-" Lucario screamed as he tried to regain his composure, "When the hell did you…! How the hell did you…!"

"The time has not come for the battle against Entei. I waited until you were safe, then ditched him," Zoroark explained while brushing off soot from his left shoulder, most of it completely invisible against his black fur, "I would have been here sooner, but I wanted to make sure you all got in first."

"Zoroark!" the Lilligant exclaimed happily as she threw herself against Zoroark, "I was-"

"Please, later…" he responded calmly while carefully pushing her away, "I was struck once, and I'm a bit sore."

"Heh… You look fine to me," Lucario said, about to pat his shoulder before abruptly stopping himself, feeling embarrassed as Zoroark glared back at him, "So, uh… This place! It's huge! No way you built this just now!"

"… Well, by 'temporary' I meant that I managed to convince the earlier inhabitants to join our cause," Zoroark mumbled, nodding towards one of the Pokémon who started fidgeting around in a strange manner.

"You're pretty good at that, aren't you?" Lucario asked with a hint of animosity.

"I hope so…" Zoroark said quietly, "We need to talk in private, but I have some urgent business to handle first."

"Go ahead," Lucario said while casually waving his hand in the air, "I could use some food and water, anyway."

"Perfect," Zoroark said as he turned around to leave, "Astrid, now's your chance. Show him around!"

"Oh…" Astrid said weakly before suddenly lifting his head with a joyous expression, "Oh! Of course!"

It took Lucario quite long to figure out that the small four-legged creature was not stopping himself anytime soon. He looked around, only to see that both Zoroark and the Lilligant had already left. He thought that he and Astrid were the only ones left in the room, when he suddenly saw the hulking body of Connor lying on a ragged sheet, having fallen asleep.

"Hmm… He has a surprisingly small presence for such a big guy…" Lucario admitted, Astrid too occupied with his tour guiding to pay him any notice. Remembering how easily Connor had dispatched their enemies earlier, Lucario felt a twinge of jealousy over the brute's strength and wondered if he could even take him in battle despite his resemblance of a human.

"… And these plants give off the light!" Astrid continued, "They're different than the ones from my cave, but serve the same function!"

"… Luminescent, eh?" Lucario said loudly, "Perfect! Finally, I can't believe I went this long without a fucking lamp!" He snickered before bending over and ripping one of the flowers from the ground, which instantly ceased its glowing.

"Oh…" Astrid exclaimed worriedly, "Plants, uh, have these things called 'roots', you see…"

"I know, shut up…" Lucario muttered embarrassed before throwing away the limp stem in his hand.

Astrid looked at him for a moment before continuing his incessant talking, starting to move forward. Lucario reluctantly walked next to him, narrowly avoiding stepping on a brown cylindrical nub with a huge nose sticking out of the ground. It looked at him and he looked back at it, before it suddenly blinked and dug itself underground. Lucario stared at the hole, wondering why the hell Astrid wouldn't bother explaining the one thing that made no sense.

"… Where we keep the food!" Astrid finally concluded the tour.

"Food?" Lucario repeated excitedly, instantly forgetting about his weird encounter, "Where!"

Astrid pointed to the ground in front of them, making him look down slowly.

"Berries…" Lucario grumbled, looking at the disappointing food lying on what appeared to be a discarded tablecloth on the ground.

"I know!" Astrid shouted happily, "See how many they've got! Blue berries, black berries, rasp berries…"

"Disgusting comes in many different flavors, it seems…" Lucario groaned as he felt his mouth drying up, his hunger only growing stronger, "Come on, this is a base! You must have something to eat besides berries!"

"Oh…" Astrid whispered with a confused look, "Why would we have that?"

"BREAD," Lucario said sternly, his hunger not doing much to improve his already rotten mood, "The mother of all sustenance, flavorless but preferable to this crap. DO YOU HAVE IT!"

"Oh! Of course we have that!" Astrid responded quickly and making Lucario's heart leap from surprise, "What kind of base would this be if we didn't?"

"You…" he stammered, getting the highly uncomfortable urge to kiss and cuddle the small Pokémon, "You do!"

Astrid pointed with a small greyish paw from the depths of the cloak at a corner of the cavern, where Lucario saw several straws gathered on the ground. He noticed Connor lying on them, apparently having fallen asleep the moment they arrived.

"… Bread…" Lucario muttered as the hope for a solid meal left him, never to return, "… Not bed… That you sleep in…"

"Oh…" Astrid whispered sadly, "Uh, Viri said something about being that, but… She's…"

"… Bread…" Lucario repeated with the same hopeless, defeated voice, "… Not bred… Without an A…"

"Oh…" Astrid exclaimed, having made himself depressed by remembering the past, "… I should probably just stop talking…"

"… Please…" Lucario whispered.

A highly awkward moment followed, as he felt his stomach rumble with hate and disdain. He knew what he had to do. Cursing his own taste buds he sat down and grabbed the nearest berry, a colorful thing in the shape of an unpeeled banana. Defeat once more set into him as he realized the disgusting morsel tasted nothing like a banana, filling his mouth with a taste comparable to that of a fried toenail.

Astrid sat down next to him, whistling some odd tune while having the meal of his life. Lucario decided to try to chat casually with him in an attempt to get his mind off the horrible food he had to consume. This, as he soon found out, turned out to be a big mistake.

"And so I said, 'Hey! I'm a Flareon!', you know?" Astrid explained while moving his head back and forth in excitement, "You see, my father used to call himself that, and then he named me, but when he died, I evolved into something else, and had to name myself, and I remembered, my father said, Astrid was a good name for rock types, which I had become, did I mention that?"

Lucario stared at the chatterbox, his face aghast at the nonsense it was spouting. Much to his relief it suddenly went quiet, picking up a small berry and letting it disappear under the hood of the cloak as it scarfed it down.

"Hey, Astrid…" Lucario said as a memory of Zerobi made his interest become piqued, "Why're you wearing that cloak?"

"Oh!" Astrid chimed while swallowing down his food, "Um… Zoroark says my appearance frightens people… So…"

"Hmm? Interesting…" Lucario said menacingly while scratching his chin, "Take it off."

"… B-But…" Astrid stammered worriedly, "I don't want to scare you away!"

"What am I, five?" Lucario huffed before shaking his head, "My heart's been through major shit lately, you'd have to be pretty messed up to make a dent."

"Oh…" Astrid whispered before looking around to make sure no one else was nearby, "O-OK… Just… Promise you won't be scared!"

The cloak came off slowly, getting caught up in whatever was beneath it. When it was finally gone, Lucario could finally lay eyes upon see the creature he had been talking to all this time. The eyes he was met with were black like onyxes, making him realize why seeing them in the darkness of the hood had been such a difficult task.

He was standing on four legs, with a clear rocky theme going for him. Sharp stones were sticking out from his sides like spikes, and his tail was short and stuck out like a stalagmite. Covering his head was a boulder, working as a helmet but doing little to cover up his exposed face. Even though his body was completely covered in hard grey rock, tiny cracks showed that underneath the shell of granite was a creature of fleshy brown skin. It looked like the pet of a knight, wearing a suit of armor.

"BWAHAHAHA!" Lucario roared with laughter at the small Bouldeon, "Frightening! That's rich!"

"P-Please don't laugh at me!" Astrid stammered, having expected every reaction apart from this one.

"Ha ha… Ahh, I'm not laughing at you," Lucario explained as he calmed himself down to catch his breath, "I'm laughing at the fact that anyone'd find YOU scary!"

"… Oh?" Astrid exclaimed, not knowing what to say but feeling both happy and insulted at the same time.

"Seriously, you're like the cutest thing I've ever seen…" Lucario admitted, the rocky creature reminding him of the small brown one he had met in Snowpoint, "The girls are probably all over you."

"Well… No one's seen me without a cloak…" Astrid said to himself with a sad tone, "… No one alive, that is…"

"Ooh, badass…" Lucario replied, oblivious to the sadness in Astrid's voice, "How unfitting."

"W-What do you mean by that?" Astrid stammered, hastily putting his cloak back on so no one else would see him and start ridiculing him as well.

"Just listen to yourself! You're stuttering all over the place!" Lucario exclaimed, his hunger and general displeasure with life making him feel rather vicious, "And what was with all the cowering back there? A bloody flower looked more macho next to you!"

"I've… Been through a lot…" Astrid responded, trying to make his sadness more apparent as to gain pity from the brash Lucario.

"Not an excuse," Lucario said sternly before holding up his right arm and clenching his fist in a determined manner, "The only thing that matters is how you handle it - Are you going to whine like a little girl, or are you going to man up!"

"… Man up?" Astrid repeated, the term resounding strangely in his head. Man up…

"Look at me! I've been stabbed, starved, paralyzed, poisoned, burned, frozen solid… Hell, someone even cut my throat, once!" Lucario yelled while flailing his arms around, trying to charade his many different afflictions, "Shit happens, and there's nothing I can do about it! The ONLY THING getting me through all this is that between crying like a bitch and growling like a man, I'd rather face my adversities with muscles flexed!"

Lucario stood up to increase the impact of what he had just said, before realizing just how weakened he had become from the lack of regular food.

"At least that way…" Lucario said calmly while slouching down, finally having spent whatever energy he had left after the earlier prison break, "… I can go out with no regrets. Not worrying over if things could've been different, somehow… And not blaming myself."

"… I-I…" Astrid stammered, speechless. Not since his initial talk with Zoroark had anything moved him so much. The words struck him like a sledgehammer, every syllable bringing back the horrid memories of piles of mutilated corpses surrounding Zerobi.

Zerobi. The monster inhabiting his every nightmare, the unstoppable beast of indiscriminate murder. In his naïve stupor, he had ended up assisting her killings. Had he been braver, could he have averted the catastrophe from taking place, and perhaps still even be with the love of his life…?

"What…" Astrid whispered as his black eyes started becoming hazy with tears, "What can I do…?"

"Well… It's never too late to man up," Lucario said as he was both surprised and impressed that Astrid had taken his words to heart, "No matter the adversity, face it. If it mocks you, spit in its face. If it beats you down, you take it with gritted teeth. Then, spit at it again."

"Are you teaching the boy how to get himself killed as efficiently and quickly as possible?" Zoroark asked with a sigh, making Lucario jump half a foot backwards in shock. The black Pokémon's lack of an aura had once again led him to sneak up on them, Lucario wondering if he was doing it on purpose or not. He then remembered Zerobi having the same effect on him, but wasn't sure that she hadn't been doing it on purpose as well.

"I have something to discuss with you in private," Zoroark said to Lucario while turning around to leave, "Come with me."

"Alright," Lucario responded, starting to walk next Zoroark. He saw that Zoroark now had some kind of white ointment covering the part of his body where he claimed he had been burned earlier.

"… Lucario!" Astrid said as he quickly leapt to his feet and faced them with determination, "Thank you! I… I'm gonna man up!"

Lucario kept walking and held up his arm up high while trying to look cool and give thumbs up, but the lack of digits forced him to clench his fist instead. The two of them then entered a nearby human-sized hole in the wall, leading into a tunnel. Astrid stared dreamily after them, blissfully unaware that Lucario had not only befriended his worst enemy but also at one point beaten up the love of his life.

"I trust our accommodations were to your satisfaction?" Zoroark asked as they made their way through the long tunnel. The walls were covered in the plants producing light from earlier, Lucario almost ripping out one of them again before remembering his earlier endeavor. The tunnel quickly began slanting down, placing them further underground with each step.

"Uh…" Lucario mumbled, the bad aftertaste of berries still on his tongue, "Yeah. Sure. Thanks for saving me from that… Research prison."

"Heh…" Zoroark exclaimed quietly, "Indeed. A research facility to humans, a prison to anything else…"

"So…" Lucario muttered while looking over the white balm covering Zoroark, "… Why DID you save me?"

"I simply cannot bear to see my fellow brethren suffer!" Zoroark responded quickly with a triumphant voice.  
>"Yeah…" Lucario mumbled sarcastically, "So, why did you save me, really?"<p>

"Because of that," Zoroark said while giving Lucario a quick nod, "You're sharp. Experienced. Won't fall for just anything."

"I wouldn't say 'experienced', exactly…" Lucario replied, for some reason imagining Zerobi laughing heartily at the statement.

"Would you prefer 'acclaimed'?" Zoroark asked, "You fought Brendan… Red… Lucas… And came out a free Pokémon."

"Well, you DID find me in a prison…" Lucario mumbled, all the praise making him feel uncomfortable.

"… Chained up, still not under the control of a Pokeball…" Zoroark finished his sentence with an impressed tone, "Truly something else…"

"Hey…" Lucario exclaimed slowly with a questioning voice, "How do you know about all this?"

"Friends of mine have been observing your progress, Lucario," Zoroark answered.

"Ah… Spying on me?" Lucario asked, "Yeah, right. I'd have sensed their aur-"

"Not spying, mostly just gathering information from the people that WERE there," Zoroark interrupted him while shrugging his shoulders, "What kind of organization would we be if we did not keep tabs on the champion trainers?"

"… A clean one?" Lucario asked snidely.

"Heheh… Interesting," Zoroark snickered quietly, "I seem to recall you associating yourself with a rather bloodthirsty Weavile not long ago."

"Uh… Well, I didn't know about that back then," Lucario responded as his mind once again went back to Zerobi, this time fidgeting around while looking at him helplessly, "But still! She's normal 99% of the time!"

"I am not judging you," Zoroark said with another shrug, "I'm simply rather impressed that you were able to tame such a wild beast."

"Says you! That Entei back there," Lucario suddenly burst out, before noticing the loudness of his voice and silencing himself a bit, "… Man, I can't believe you made it. Its aura was immense, even compared to the other legendary dogs I ran into."

"It's what you'd expect from a legendary formerly teamed up with the strongest trainer of all time," Zoroark replied while unconsciously rubbing his chest, accidentally covering his hand in ointment, "… Ugh. I'll never get used to topical medications. Anyway, just be glad Ethan wasn't around to direct him, or we would have been in real trouble…"

"… Listen, I've already fought Brendan, Red and Lucas," Lucario said while scratching his own chest, "I'm probably going have to fight Ethane as well… Eventually. What can you tell me about him?"

"You will not be fighting him," Zoroark replied bluntly, wishing to move on to a subject more productive to his cause.

"You don't know that!" Lucario said with desperation in his voice, "Just tell me! My life might be depending on it!"

"Hmm…" Zoroark grumbled before coming up with a way of turning this to his favor, "I'll tell you on one condition " That you listen to what I have to say afterwards."

"… You think I normally wouldn't?" Lucario asked with a surprised tone before slapping his forehead, "Wait, don't answer that. Just tell me about Ethane."

"First of all, his name is Ethan," Zoroark corrected him with an annoyed sigh, "Ethane is gas. Mixing the two together would be a fatal mistake."

"Hey, I fought a guy named 'Red' not long ago," Lucario said while shrugging his shoulders, "At this point, nothing surprises me."

"Exceptional trainers are constantly entering the world scene, popping up from the most unlikely of places and winning battle after battle," Zoroark started explaining, ending with an annoyed huff, "Of course, it's all thanks to us Pokémon… But humans are vain, egoistical creatures that require recognition."

"Uh…" Lucario mumbled while lifting his finger, not knowing whether to interject or not.

"In that same vein, they decided that the time had come to see who the greatest trainer of all time was," Zoroark continued, "A few years ago, a worldwide tournament was held among trainers."

"Oh?" Lucario exclaimed with a questioning voice, "Worldwide? Must've been hectic."

"Actually, it was a fairly peaceful time for us wild Pokémon, since all the trainers were busy fighting each other," Zoroark said while shrugging, "No one would be crazy enough to bring a newly caught 'untrained' Pokémon into an event this big."

"So, when are we getting to Ethan?" Lucario asked with a bored tone.

"Fine. Skipping all the social impact this event had, it came down to 128 masterful trainers as the finals were held in a coliseum called Pokémon Stadium," Zoroark continued with annoyance, "The finals were televised, and humans from around the world watched it with intense dedication. Pokémon even began developing ways to be able to see it, everything ranging from electrifying a television set to dis…"

Zoroark suddenly stopped himself and became quiet for a moment. Lucario wondered what had happened, and noticed that the air had been thinning out for a while, due to them being so deep underground. He imagined Zoroark had simply run short on breath.

"… Anyway, trainer after trainer fell off the brackets until only four remained," Zoroark then continued as if nothing had happened, "Red, the original master as well as his sworn rival Blue, both from Kanto… Brendan, the prodigy from Hoenn… And finally Ethan, the crowd's favorite from Johto."

"Red AND Blue?" Lucario asked while slapping his paw to his forehead, "What kind of candy-ass names are those?"

"They're just nicknames from what corner they fought from…" Zoroark explained before starting to wonder to himself, "… Hmm, I can't remember their real names."

"Purple?" Lucario suggested, getting a confused look from his counterpart.

"Getting back to the point, Red defeated Blue while Ethan defeated Brendan," Zoroark continued unfazed, "Their battles were on an entirely different level compared to anything seen before. A true struggle between superpowers."

"Ethan and Red met in the finals," he kept going, "And in a battle once more going beyond what anyone thought was possible… Ethan defeated him."

"… Shit!" Lucario yelled as he struck his waist with a closed fist in frustration, "Damn it! He beat Red just like that! How the hell am I supposed to deal with him if I run into him!"

"Keep listening," Zoroark sighed as he began recalling his own reaction to what happened next, "Ethan didn't win."

"… Okay…?" Lucario exclaimed with a confused look on his face.

"At the award ceremony, the champions stood on top of a podium in front of a crowd of thousands, their cheers reaching far and wide," Zoroark continued, visualizing the magnificent scene in front of him, "Brendan, giving off an angry glare… Red, with a content smile… Blue, nudging his side with a somewhat annoyed expression…"

Zoroark stared into nothingness for a while. Lucario was about snap him out of it, but decided to take the time to examine if he could locate any of the vials Zoroark kept contained within his hair. The mere notion of them sticking out of the sides made him stifle a chuckle.

"… I remember it like it was yesterday, the slow silencing of the crowd as faint whispers were starting to become heard…" Zoroark said as he finally came to it once more, "'Where is Ethan?' they asked. 'Where is the real champion?'"

"… Huh?" Lucario mumbled, having abruptly been forced back into the story, "He wasn't there?"

"He had already left," Zoroark said with a shrug, "Apparently, the fight meant everything to him. He must have seen award ceremonies as a useless waste of time."

Zoroark then became silent, apparently content with his explanation. Lucario, however, was not.

"Wait, can you just leave your own celebration like that?" he asked, "The media must've torn him a new one!"

"They never got the chance," Zoroark continued explaining, "He immediately set off on a journey after that, and finding him's been about as hard as finding Mew."

"Oh…" Lucario whispered, relieved that he would likely not be facing this powerful enemy, while distraught that his current mission sounded quite a bit less probable than before.

"Perhaps he is still out there, seeking the challenge that he craved…" Zoroark spoke as he decided to wrap things up, "… Or he got his ass killed by a pack of wild Pokémon. The idiot released all of his Pokémon before leaving."

"… Yeah, that does sound kind of stupid," Lucario admitted, thinking how short his own journey would have been had he been a normal human without the strength of a Pokémon.

"At any rate, Red was reluctantly crowned champion of the world by default," Zoroark kept going while wishing closure was at hand, "Heard he chased after Ethan for a year or so before age caught up with him, and he retired for good."

"For good? Yeah, right…" Lucario muttered sarcastically, the occasional twitching he adapted from their encounter still waking him up at night.

"Ethan's a different story. He's the strongest trainer who ever lived, but he disappeared from the scene and won't be returning for you," Zoroark said before shrugging his shoulders in a casual manner, "If you do meet him, try to make small talk instead of fighting. A single one of the Pokémon he left behind is powerful enough to decimate most gym leaders."

Zoroark breathed out heavily, again rubbing at the wound spreading across his left shoulder.

"… Also, tell him to take care of that damn Entei," he muttered, "He's a real pain in the ass."

"You mean 'chest', right?" Lucario pointed out, "… Like a heart attack?"

"If a heart attack was thirty feet tall and drooled lava," Zoroark grumbled, "He's devoted his life to finding his master and 'serving justice'. HIS unwavering and very narrow minded justice, mind you."

"It wouldn't change anything…" Lucario said with disdain, "I've met the other legendary dogs. Complete assholes, and they all had their trainers with them."

"Still, at the very least he could set the blasted thing free," Zoroark sighed, "A captured Pokémon cannot be caught again, unless his or her trainer releases them. Ethan never released Entei, and so he's essentially immune to being captured by anyone."

"Kind of like…" Lucario whispered while thinking of himself, before a thought suddenly hit him, "Wait… Are you implying that he wants to be caught?"

"Pretty much. He's also too powerful to be stopped any other way, so everyone simply lets him roam the lands doing as he pleases," Zoroark responded with a smile, "Except for me, of course."

At long last the tunnel came to an end, an opening in the wall leading into a larger room in which there seemed to be no light at all.

"Here we are," Zoroark said, "The inner sanctum. Ultimate privacy."

"We're… Pretty deep in, huh?" Lucario asked, having lost track of time at the start of their long conversation.

"Yes," Zoroark said as he casually stepped into the room shrouded in pitch-black darkness, "And now… It's time for you to uphold your end of the bargain!"

* * *

><p><strong>"Alright, here goes nothing..."<strong>

"... Pidgey?"

**"Listen up, for I am Blue! Master of the Heavens and the Earth! Water and Fire! Light and Darkness!"**

"Pi-Pidgey!"

**"Darkness, engulf the light! Light, illuminate the darkness!"**

"Pidgeeeeeey!"

**"Now! Execute attack plan D, and... Commence with..."**

"P-p-p-p-pidgey...!"

**"... Ahh, I can't do it. It's just a lame Pidgey. Go on, scram!"**

"..."

"... Man! We're never gonna get to fight!"

_"Another perk we are given for serving such a great champion."_

"Perk! You think these muscles just made themselves? I wanna use 'em!"

_"Go ahead, knock yourself out. Literally."_

**"Sorry, guys. You can go back, now."**

"Hey! The next time you call us out, there'd better be a REAL opponent... Maybe even two! Hell, I can take on three if you just-"

_"Mind him not. We are certain the debut of our new team will be nothing short of perf-"_

**"... Hmm... There's got to be a more worthy opponent somewhere... Just got to keep searching... Ahh, my back..."**


	31. TRICKERY: Epilogue of Episode V

Seeing anything in the new room was completely impossible, the only source of light coming from far away in the small tunnel that led them there. Lucario had no idea what he was walking into as suddenly the room lit up, Zoroark standing in the middle of it with a burning lantern in his hands.

"Prepared this for your sake," Zoroark said, adjusting a dial on the side of it to make the flame grow larger and the room turn brighter. Even so, the weak lantern was only able to light up their immediate area as the rest of the cavern laid in a shroud of complete darkness, Lucario both worried and curious about what mysteries lay within. He quickly wrote it off as paranoia though, seeing how the rest of the room seemed to contain nothing but walls of dirt and bedrock.

"Just out of curiosity…" Zoroark whispered before setting down the lantern on the ground, "What were you busy doing when Silver caught you?"

"If I remember correctly, I was supposed to go to a large mountain," Lucario explained, thinking that divulgence of his quest for Mew would just lead to him getting a lot of unnecessary questions.

"Well, there are plenty of those around," Zoroark snickered, "Isn't the 'large' part superfluous?"

"Super… Huh?" Lucario replied with a confused tone, "Supposedly it was REALLY large. Like, the largest."

"Hmm… Judging by the location where you encountered Silver…" Zoroark mumbled to himself before snapping out of it, "Alright. Just curious."

"You already said that," Lucario pointed out, "Speaking of curious, how about you tell me why you've brought me here?"

"Let me get straight to the point, then," Zoroark said while sternly staring into Lucario's eyes, "I want you as second in command of this revolution."

A moment of complete silence passed between them. No outside noise, no wind whisking by, only complete nothingness.

"You want…" Lucario repeated with a very surprised expression on his face, "… Huh?"

"I trust my associates filled you in on what are trying to accomplish?" Zoroark asked, sounding overly smug despite Lucario looking more and more dazzled with each passing moment.

"… Everything BUT that, really…" Lucario muttered and thought back to Astrid's babbling, before his increasing confusion made him raise his voice while throwing his arms out, "… But, this doesn't make any sense! We met a day ago, and now you want to put me in CHARGE of your precious operation!"

"As I said, I've been keeping tabs on you for quite some time," Zoroark said with a slightly creepy delivery to the last three words, "You are the only one suitable."

"Still not making sense…" Lucario replied while trying to figure out an explanation with as little self-deprecation as possible, "How am I the only one? I've met a bunch of Pokémon stronger than me, and I'm pretty sure I'm not the smartest guy in the world."

"You might say… I felt intrigued by the celebrated fighter. We seemed to share a passion and a plan…" Zoroark explained with an interested look on his face, "Was all that I heard just sheer sensation… Or can you live up to your brilliant reputation?"

"Reputation? I don't have a bloody reputation!" Lucario shouted and created an echo in the cavern; the small penguin that haunted his mind showed herself once more, "And even if I did, it wouldn't be a good one!"

"Try not to be bashful, hmm? Word of your accomplishments has already reached my eyes and ears," Zoroark responded, suddenly raising his voice, "Besides, I care not for your current state… All I see is potential!"

"I, uh…" Lucario mumbled, trying desperately to think things over but had been too caught off guard by Zoroark's request to get his mind straight, "I don't know…"

"Surprised, no?" Zoroark asked with a sinister smile on his face, "Still nothing compared to what else I have in store for you." Lucario remained speechless as Zoroark took a few slow, almost seductive steps towards him.

"I brought you all the way down here for a reason," he whispered, "Far away from listening ears and seeing eyes…"

"Yeah, this is the part where you rape me or something, right?" Lucario tried making a joke to ease the heavy atmosphere. To his utter horror, Zoroark started scratching his chin while looking him over, as if he was considering the idea.

"Not… Quite," Zoroark responded nonchalantly, "But it IS something that I believe will change your mind about things."

"That WOULD change my mind pretty quickly, I've got to say…" Lucario said with a worried tone.

"In order to create an unbreakable bond between us…" Zoroark said with a previously unheard meekness in his voice as Lucario sharply inhaled, "I… I will reveal my greatest secret to you, and only you."

"Don't tell me, you're…" Lucario started, but stopped his joke as he noticed Zoroark looking down on the ground in a bashful manner.

"In exchange…" Zoroark continued as his voice regained his previous authority, "You should reveal something of a similar nature to me… Such as how you managed not to get caught by a master ball."

"… Eh?" Lucario uttered, bewildered by Zoroark's sudden change in demeanor.

"Not matter how strong or legendary, we Pokémon are forever prey before that accursed contraption…" Zoroark growled before lighting up, "But not you! You have found a way to defeat it!"

"Wait, so THAT's what this is about?" Lucario said and gave off a sigh of relief.

"Establishing trust? Indeed!" Zoroark exclaimed, "It has been a secret to everybody, but since it will help convince you to join me I am willing to share it with you… And only you."

"Wait, I didn't ask for any of this," Lucario responded while waving his hands around, "I haven't even known you for a whole day, so I'm pretty sure that I won't care."

"Oh… But you will," Zoroark said confidently before closing his eyes. Lucario thought about stopping him, but decided to see what the mysterious dark-type had in store. Who was he to reject someone willing to reveal their greatest secret?

A quick shudder passed through Zoroark as he gradually opened his eyes again.

"So?" Zoroark asked, looking expectedly at Lucario.

"… So, what?" Lucario responded with a confused tone in his voice.

"My secret," Zoroark continued, "What do you think?"

"I'm not seeing anything," Lucario replied and shook his head, not even having seen a hair rustle on the opposing Pokémon, "Where is it?"

"You…" Zoroark whispered as his face exploded in a mixture of surprise and disappointment, "You cannot tell…?"

"Tell what?" Lucario asked before groaning loudly and slapping himself in the face, "Man, I knew you were lying! There never was a secret, was there!"

"… But…" was all Zoroark could muster to say, at a complete loss for words for the first time in his life.

"Trying to get me to spill my guts…" Lucario kept going with a stern huff as he pointed at the bewildered dark-type, "You should've kept your fake 'secret' to yourself until I had told you mine, you moron!"

"I… Suppose I could show you in detail, later on…" Zoroark mumbled as his voice once more gained strength, "But, in that case… I need to make sure that you will join our cause."

"Your cause… Of 'cause…" Lucario mumbled with a smile before shrugging, "You know I still have no idea what I am going to be in charge of, right?"

"Really? You have seen it with your own eyes, I believe," Zoroark said while another quick shudder passed through him, "Liberating unjustly captured Pokémon from their tyrannical trainers… You actually helped us out with it, remember?"

"I… I did?" Lucario thought back, thinking of the Pokeball he picked up from the unconscious trainers, "That was, uh… That was just to get us moving faster. Really."

"Is that so? If I remember correctly, you helped the Legendary Trio retrieve their captured companion," Zoroark pointed out with an impressed yet also somewhat ominous stare, "Even when faced with a powerful enemy such as Rayquaza, you didn't back down!"

"Uh, yeah… I was just along for the ride, on that one," Lucario admitted while scratching his cheek, "I didn't really know what I was going to be doing, or who I was doing it for."

"Along for the ride!" Zoroark suddenly burst out, barely believing what he was hearing, "Against such overwhelming odds!"

"Uhh, yeeeah… In hindsight, I guess it was… Uh…" Lucario muttered before wondering why he had agreed to fight Lucas in the first place. Something regarding Zerobi, as far as he could remember.

"Hmpf…" Zoroark huffed annoyed, before his face broke up into a compassionate smile, "Fear not. There is no need for you to tiptoe around the subject for my sake. I know exactly why you did it." Lucario remained silent, amused at the notion that Zoroark would when even he didn't.

"Hunted by humanity for no reason… You must have thought that you were all alone in your plight, facing such powerful enemies all on your own…" Zororark said with a hint of sadness. He looked down at the lantern next to him, staring deeply into its fire as memories came upon him before quickly being brushed away.

"Worry not. You are not alone in your defiance against humanity," Zoroark continued as he quickly looked up from the fire and smiled, "One might say, you were a part of this revolution before even me."

"Defying humanity…?" Lucario repeated slowly, wondering how Zoroark could speak a sentence with such a bad ring to it with a straight face.

"The humans have NO right to capture us Pokémon, and use us as they please," Zoroark kept going while making several unnecessary gestures in the air with his hands, "All we want to do is to reclaim our freedom."

"… And how do you propose we do that?" Lucario asked.

"Their governmental structure is pitiful," Zoroark explained confidently, "A few select strikes, and humanity would fall to the bottom, letting us Pokémon rise to the top." He nodded as a particularly long waft of hair from his head fell in front of his eyes, which he calmly brushed aside.

"We could get them to do anything we want," he continued, "… Which we will not be abusing, of course. We are not as lowbrow as they are. We will have them make laws to promote more justifiable treatment of our kind, and nothing else."

Silence was all that followed after that, Zoroark eagerly awaiting Lucario's response. Meanwhile, Lucario had stopped listening around the time Zoroark had started explaining his plan for overthrowing humanity, the mere notion of which lessened his opinion of the dark-type.  
>A slight sensation of disgust arose within him when he thought of what Zoroark was requesting, but it was quickly replaced by one of amusement when he imagined how Zoroark would react to him revealing his human origin.<p>

"Doesn't sound too bad, I guess…" Lucario muttered sarcastically, "… But I refuse."

"… What?" Zoroark exclaimed in surprise, "Why?"

"You've obviously got some bug up your ass about humans," Lucario explained as calmly as he could, "But they're really not all that bad, especially when compared to Pokémon."

"… You…" Zoroark growled as his eyes and demeanor darkened, "You have been hunted, hurt, captured and almost killed by humans, and yet still you hold them in such high regard!"

"I've got my own personal reasons for that," Lucario said, suddenly realizing that telling Zoroark about his heritage might not be such a splendid idea after all.

"You are a Pokémon, yet you side with humanity!" Zoroark shouted while pointing accusingly at him, "Shall you become a traitor to your own species!"

"Apparently not…" Lucario mumbled as he felt the conversation turn sour and wished for nothing more than to get out of there, "Look, I owe you one for getting my butt out of jail, but this is just a responsibility I'm not ready to accept."

"Hmpf! Rejecting fame and glory, the chance of a lifetime…" Zoroark grumbled to himself, the conversation straying further and further from his plans, "What, you've got something better going on!"

"I guess you could say that…" Lucario said while turning around to leave, noticing Zoroark's worsening mood, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to find my way back to the large mountain."

"Get with reality!" Zoroark yelled angrily, "Where do you think you are?"

"I can find my own way out, thank you," Lucario said with a much too classy voice while waving his hand back and forth.

"Lucario… You were carried miles upon miles when you were captured," Zoroark said while calming himself down, finding a faint flicker of hope for his plans, "You're not even on the same continent anymore!"

"I'm not… W-What!" Lucario stuttered, stopped in his tracks and turned around, "M-Map! Give me one!"

"Had you been my second in command, getting a bird Pokémon to fly you there in a few days would be easy," Zoroark explained as the smirk from earlier returned, "Another perk to joining our revolution."

"I'm not joining your revolution," Lucario said bluntly, "Can you get me a ride?"

"Hah! How selfish of you…" Zoroark exclaimed while shaking his head, "… Still, seems that we are at an impasse."

"An impasse…?" Lucario repeated slowly, "Yeah, one that could be solved rather easily if you just, you know, gave me a fucking ride."

"Yes. It seems talking is getting us nowhere," Zoroark continued while ignoring him, "Luckily, men like us have a more definite way of settling conflicts."

Zoroark then turned around and walked back to the lantern, where he had been standing before moving forward to reveal his 'big secret'.

"Strength is not all that matters in this world, but it can open up quite a few doors…" Zoroark said with a mighty voice before turning around and facing Lucario directly, "How about it? If you manage to defeat me in combat, I will be more than happy to secure you a flight to your destination."

"… A challenge? A duel?" Lucario asked with a surprised voice, "Can I really beat up my savior with a good heart?"

"To tell you the truth, I was looking forward to this confrontation," Zoroark said while once having to stop himself from putting his hand to his ointment-covered chest, "Experience always surpasses education. We will talk with our fighting prowess!"

"… Uh, well…" was all Lucario could say to Zoroark's strange wording, "If it gets me a ride to my destination…"

"Certainly. Should I win, however…" Zoroark said as his smile bright brighter, "You will stay here, and join my revolution!"

Lucario decided to think it over for a moment before deciding. His previous battles had given anything but a clear winning streak, and losing would have disastrous consequences. Even so, Lucario thought that he could probably figure out a way to worm his way out of the organization if he lost. These actions of a poor loser were neither honorable nor fair, so Lucario felt they fit him perfectly.

Zoroark was also quite humanoid, which combined with the fact that he used physical attacks meant several points in Lucario's favor. He was ridiculously fast, but had mostly relied on letting Connor to the fighting during their previous escape, meaning that he probably lacked the ability to deliver and take strong hits. The only thing he would have to watch out for is whatever wave-like attack Zoroark had used while he was busy pummeling the Machamp, as well whatever else the dark-type had hidden in that busy hair of his…

"On one condition…" Lucario mumbled, trying to gain more favor for the upcoming battle, "No using those stunspores or whatever else you've got hidden in there!"

"Certainly not!" Zoroark responded while feigning a hurt voice, "What manner of scoundrel would use items during a duel between men?"

"… A Pokémon?" Lucario asked sarcastically before realizing that this joke would hopefully go over Zoroark's head.

Things were looking good. So far the odds had been stacked against him in every battle, and more often than not he would still come out standing. This time, the winds of battle seemed to be blowing in his direction.

"Alright, you're on," Lucario said before getting into his usual battle pose, "Let's do it." Much to Lucario's surprise, Zoroark didn't bother to do the same, simply standing around normally with his arms crossed. This display of confidence wavered Lucario's nary a twinge, as Zoroark suddenly started snickering faintly.

"Lucario…" he said slowly as his eyes grew thin and his smile grew wide, "You've lost."

"Maybe…" Lucario muttered defiantly against his intimidation tactics, "You never know until the fight's over."

"Oh really? What do you think would happen if I were to smash this lantern?" Zoroark asked while tapping the lantern with his left foot, making the entire room flicker in the moving source of light, "I can see in the dark, and you cannot sense my aura. I could have my way with you, EVERY way with you, and you'd be powerless to stop me."

"Y-You wouldn't!" Lucario stammered as an indescribably cold shudder passed through his body, "That's just not fair!"

"I know, and so I won't…" Zoroark said with a sigh as he took a step away from the lantern, "Just remember that technically, you've already lost."

"Bah…" Lucario huffed while preparing himself mentally, "The only winner is the one left standing!"

Wanting to prove his point, Lucario dashed toward Zoroark. He had seen the dark-type dodge attacks both quickly and nimbly before, and decided to use fast, irregular strikes. He reached Zoroark and started punching, but might as well have been doing so much earlier as his blows struck nothing but thin air, Zoroark moving around like a flickering shadow.

"I see that your fists are both determined and powerful…" Zoroark said smugly as he had somehow appeared behind the raging Lucario, "Still nothing compared to my ambitions."

"Tch!" Lucario spat, quickly leaping back much to Zoroark's surprise.

"Oh?" he exclaimed with an impressed tone, "Interesting. I was told your fighting style was little more than that of a 'berserker'."

"They must've been referring to my strength," Lucario said while striking a battle pose and waving his fingers back and forth, "You think you're the only one who knows how to parry blows? Come on."

"Hmm…" Zoroark mumbled with a smile on his face, moving back one of his legs to get into a ready position. Zoroark then charged at Lucario as quickly as he could, extending both his arms as to pierce Lucario's chest.

Lucario remained steadfast, using his own hands to push Zoroark's to the side. They went past him as Zoroark kept moving forward, and was stopped by a mighty headbutt to his forehead. He staggered as an uppercut quickly followed, making him stumble backwards.

"That…" Zoroark stammered with a magnified version of the same impressed tone from earlier, "… That was amazing! What a technique!"

"It's called 'martial arts', and the fact that you don't even know what it is makes this all too easy," Lucario said cockily before waving his fingers again, "Come on, keep going. Maybe it was just a lucky shot."

"Still, my forehead…" Zoroark said while carefully rubbing his head, not having been hit by a blunt attack in ages, "I'm surprised you didn't go for my chest. It has been weakened by Entei, your only hope of winning would have been to aim for that."

"I don't need to do that to win," Lucario said confidently, just now realizing his mistake and at least wanting to give a cool reason. He looked at the bushy hair and balm covering Zoroark's chest, wondering if he would even be able to penetrate those thick layers to whatever was underneath. Well, Entei's fire had managed to, but that had been a completely different type of attack compared to anything he had to give.

A completely different type of attack…

Suddenly, an odd thought hit Lucario.

"You know… The strange thing is, someone I fought not too long ago used fire attacks against me, too…" Lucario muttered while crossing his arms, "… Nasty stuff. Burnt my fur right up into cinders."

Recalling the tough battle, he silently wondered if he had been as brave as to face the fearsome Garchomp alone after seeing what happened to Kabuta. He came back to reality as Zoroark had at least been courteous not to attack him while he was reminiscing.

"… I can't help but notice that yours is fully intact, however…" he continued and looked at Zoroark's hairy chest, covered with white salve yet still seemingly unharmed.

"This ointment… Promotes hair growth," Zoroark lied, subconsciously making it more obvious than normal.

"Yeah, right," Lucario huffed while calling him out on it, "If such a lotion existed, bald people wouldn't. But they do, right?"

"… Perceptive," Zoroark said menacingly while eyeing the lantern next to him, "I should warn you, that should you reveal my secret now without my consent… I may need to silence you."

"Secret-this, secret-that…" Lucario muttered in annoyance, never having been one to take threats with a good demeanor, "I've had it! It's time for me to use MY secret ability!"

Lucario saw that he had caught Zoroark off guard, and quickly closed the distance between them. He moved in a zig-zag formation as to confuse him, but Zoroark just stood and looked at him, feeling confident enough to let Lucario show off for a while.

"KINGERIIII!" Lucario screamed as he leaped forward and his leg suddenly flew up like a bolt of lightning, landing directly between Zoroark's thighs. The dark-type's body levitated from the impact for half a second, before he immediately retaliated by delivering an elbow blow, making Lucario stumble backwards.

"You…" Zoroark growled with disdain while keeping his arms raised, "Such a cowardly attack…"

"N-No effect…?" Lucario stammered and coughed, once again coming to the conclusion that he was as unfamiliar with Pokémon anatomy as ever. Even so, he started wondering why Zoroark would claim it to be a 'cowardly attack' if he hadn't been aiming for the right spot…

Zoroark did not let him ponder over this for long as he rushed towards Lucario once more, this time jumping with a forward flip right before reaching him as to pass by his head and strike it at the same time. But Lucario ducked the moment he leaped, and then jumped backwards and managed to collide their bodies in midair, hitting Zoroark's already damaged chest with his head.

"Ugh… Another headbutt…" Lucario said grouchily after landing as he reached up and scratched his head, noticing that some of Zoroark's ointment had ended up on it, "Oh, cool. Bonus treatment."

"But… But I am faster than you!" Zoroark cough as he saw the ointment on Lucario's head and stopped himself from clutching his chest, "How did you-"

"Before a true martial artist, speed is meaningless," Lucario interrupted him with a triumphant voice as he thought of a way to sound smart, "By the way, how do you propose to handle a revolution if you can't even handle a single dissident?"

"… Hmpf. Don't get too cocky," Zoroark growled as his eyes received a dangerous glint, "See, when I said that I was faster than you…"

Lucario's brain barely had time to register as Zoroark suddenly ran to the left at a speed comparable to that of a punch, quickly leaving his field of vision. By the time Lucario had turned his head, Zoroark was nowhere to be found.

"… I meant it," a whisper sounded in Lucario right ear, before Zoroark pushed his claws forward while ramming him. The sharp crooks dug deeply into Lucario who fell to his side, yelping in pain as the claws dislodged from his fresh, bleeding wounds. He immediately tried getting up, but was stopped by Zoroark's leg trampling his chest and keeping him pinned down.

"Now…" Zoroark snickered menacingly, "You're all mine!"

"Like… Like hell…" Lucario while trying to get up, but Zoroark's weight upon him proved to be too great.

"Also, I cannot help but wonder why you asked me to not use any of my coatings…" Zoroark said, pretending to yawn, "A few stabs means defeat whether you're poisoned or paralyzed, no?"

"Shit!" Lucario shouted before trying to slide away from his foot, but his side burned in pain at the flexing of his muscles and he once again cried out.

"Face it – You're done," Zoroark said while pointing down at him, "Calm down, and let's get you some food and sleep upstairs. From this day on, you will be leading the great revolution against the oppression of the human species!"

The moment that passed between them seemed like a quiet eternity, the revolutionary's words slowly sinking into Lucario's mind. The silence was then broken as he suddenly burst out laughing.

"Ha… Ha ha ha…" Lucario kept going while facepalming himself, unable to stop himself even as blood poured more violently out of his wounds with each thunderous laughter, "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!"

"Things could be worse, no?" Zoroark chuckled, misinterpreting Lucario's laughter, "There's also the matter of my secret, which I will show you more thoroughly once you get better."

"… Heh… Zoroark…" Lucario said quietly, his voice having gone hoarse from laughter and loss of blood, "You talk about… How you hate humans…"

"Hmm?" Zoroark exclaimed with an amused tone.

"Organizing an army… A revolution like this…" Lucario said with a dissonant smile that reflected how he was feeling, "You're… More human than you know."

"… You would attribute a sign of civilization as a sign of humanity…?" Zoroark muttered slowly, "… Do you truly hold their species in such high regard?"

"How can I not?" Lucario said before stopping himself to cough, "I'm… Human, after all…"

"… Hmm?" Zoroark exclaimed once again, less amused this time.

"Yeah… Your precious second in command… The one _you_chose, mind you…" Lucario mumbled, feeling a great weight lift from his chest both from the revelation and as Zoroark removed his leg.

"What're you talking about?" Zoroark asked, both worried and annoyed.

"I'm completely honest. You wanted to know why the master ball didn't work?" Lucario mumbled as he carefully sat up, wincing from the pain, "… I'm not a Pokémon. I'm human."

"… Ridiculous," Zoroark muttered after a moment of silence, "Seems I accidentally broke your mind, somehow. Hope it can be fixed…"

"So do I…" Lucario replied and got up on his feet, "Can't wait until I'm not a Pokémon anymore, so I don't have to spend my days bleeding because of assholes like you…"

"You… You are serious, aren't you?" Zoroark stammered, a sad and somewhat fearful expression placing itself on his face.

"Yeah. Sorry 'bout that," Lucario said before clutching the bleeding wound on his side, amazed at just how good he had gotten at taking pain with a straight face, "Nothing I can do about it."

"You fool," Zoroark growled with disappointment rather than rage, "We would have been the greatest team there ever was."

"A human and a human-hater…?" Lucario responded, "… I don't see it…"

"You will regret not picking sides when you had the chance…" Zoroark said menacingly, turning around and walking further to the back of the cave into the unlit area.

"What, you're not gonna keep me here?" Lucario asked both sarcastically and quietly.

"Either you're human, or you're insane," Zoroark explained as his dark fur faded into the complete darkness and he became invisible to the naked eye, "Either way, you are unfit for this organization. Begone."

Lucario truly wanted nothing more to do with the person he considered a savior not long ago, and had a feeling Zoroark thought the same about him. Without saying a word, he slowly backed away to the entrance, his eyes never leaving the spot where Zoroark became one with the darkness.

"You have been an utter disappointment this evening, Lucario…" Zoroark's voice came from somewhere in front of him, "But should you come back to your senses… Don't hesitate to ask for another chance."

"I won't…" Lucario grumbled, "… Come back to my senses, that is. I'm already there…"

The passage back through the comparatively well-lit tunnel seemed much longer than before, as his wounds as well as a strange feeling of guilt weighed him down. The first time he had been so busy listening to Zoroark's story to really notice the time pass, and remembered that the ambitious dark-type had helped him out on more than one occasion.  
>He had also experienced firsthand how badly Pokémon could be treated by humans Quitely he swore that if he ever returned to his regular form, he would always treat Pokémon with respect… And also become a vegetarian.<br>The thought of this lightened his burden, and he immediately began thinking of a way to resume his quest to become human again. , but figured that he might as well go all the way with burning his bridges here. Heck, going with what he knew about Zoroark, he'd probably be impressed by it…

"Lucario!" Astrid shouted worriedly as Lucario emerged from the tunnel's entrance, having stood there waiting all the time as to not repeat what happened to the people that went into the back room of his old home, "Y-You're bleeding! What happened!"

"Just had a bet with Zoroark, that he'd give me a free ride on some bird-Pokémon if I managed to touch him in battle," Lucario lied with a fake smile on his face, "It hurt, but guess what…?"

"You… You won! Amazing!" Astrid burst out in pure joy before it faded all too quickly, "But… You're leaving?"

"Yeah… Sorry, little bud," Lucario muttered as he felt like reaching down to pet the eeveelution, but noticed that both his hands were dripping with blood after trying to cover up his wounds, "… I've got my own things to worry about."

"But… But…" Astrid stammered sadly while seemingly making his eyes turn hazy and grow three sizes, "Aren't we… Friends?"

"… Heh…" Lucario exclaimed with a smile, the Stoneon's childlike and innocent demeanor coming as a nice contrast to Zoroark, "You're alright, Astrid. Be careful who you associate yourself with."

"Oh…" Astrid said weakly, memories of Zerobi flooding his mind once more.

"We'll meet again, probably…" Lucario said quietly as he realized that they might no longer be on friendly terms then, "… When we do, make sure that you've manned up. I'll be counting on you…"

"Y-Yes!" Astrid replied with a hint of newfound confidence, "Follow me! The birds are all over here…"

Shooting through the sky like a low flying comet, at long last Lucario's wish to fly had been granted, but he was too busy clinging on to life to enjoy it. The bird-Pokémon he was riding on had refused for him to bleed all over him during the flight, so he had to exert himself further by creating makeshift bandages out of dirty cloth. He had been working quite fast, worried that Zoroark would appear from the tunnel and bring him to justice.

Even so, the bandages did little in stopping the salty wind that constantly whisked by, caressing his open wound about as much as a vat of acid would. Seeing the ground very far below was a sight he had long dreamed of, but knowing that the only thing separating him from breaking his neck against it was a Pokémon he was currently tricking kept him on the edge of his seat… Literally. The fact that the bird was constantly trying to pass the time by telling stories of how he learned how to fly, and apparently crashed over and over, made Lucario think that maybe he had been safer staying with Zoroark.

The events of the past days weighed heavily on his heart. In the end he was getting a quick ride to his destination and thus was much better off than before encountering Silver and Jirachi, but the events that led him here had taken a great toll on him.

He thought of the Dragonair, who he had forgotten completely in his own quest for freedom. Had Connor maybe placed her in a Pokeball and rescued her, too?

He remembered the Alakazam, who had almost made him crap his pants in fear by just looking at him. Not that something like overwhelming odds had ever stopped his hand before, which the wounds on his side could attest to.

Then came memories of Entei, the last and largest of the legendary beasts that had been hunting him for so long. He was glad that at least one of them seemed to be indifferent to his plight, instead of actively wanting him dead.

A hazy silhouette of Ethan passed through his mind, the legendary trainer beyond all trainers. Lucario truly wished that the day that he would encounter him would never come, and was not exactly looking forward to seeing either Brendan or Red ever again.

Finally, the words of Zoroark echoed in his head, and the sensation of his claws resounded throughout Lucario's nerves. Had he been wrong in not joining him? Had he been wrong in not stopping him? Many questions filled his head mind as his weary mind collapsed under the pressure, leading him to drift off into a deep and well-deserved sleep…

"G-GAH! AAARGH!"

_"Take him to interrogation. Bring me a new suit."_

**"Y-Yes, sir!"**

"GRR! GET BACK HERE, YOU... ARGH... Argh..."

**"Ambushing Giovanni... Idiot! Have you no will to live!"**

"T-Tell me... M-Mightyena... Is he alright...?"

**"No. That would be his brains covering your legs."**

"... Ah... AH! AAAAHHHHH!"

**"Hey, ease up! I need you to tell me something!"**

"MIGHTYENA! NOOOOO!"

**"Calm the fuck down! This is important!"**

"YOU... YOU... GRAH!"

**"Quick! Before they come back! How did this happen!"**

"... Shit... It... It hurts... What...?"

**"How did Giovanni kill him! How did he wound you like this!"**

"... Ahh... Ha... Ha..."

**"..."**

"... With his bare hands."

**"...!"**

"I saw it... He left his Pokemon behind... I thought... I couldn't lose..."

**"That's... That's impossible...!"**

"I know now... UGH! And my arm knows in particular... Why he was assigned this position... Why he's the head of this organization..."

**"..."**

"I thought it was out of heritage... That everyone feared him because of that... Hah... The man is... A monster... Both mentally and physically..."

**"That Pokemon over there is in pieces! You're telling me... He did this all by himself!"**

"Oh god... Mightyena... I... I'm sorry..."

**"Someone's coming... You should've saved your screaming."**

"... Please... I don't want to..."

**"..."**

* * *

><p>... So, did you figure out Zoroark's secret?<p> 


	32. Hopeful Widow Rukario

With his back luxuriating in the burning sun while icy cold wind beat upon his front, the novelty of flying had quickly worn thin for Lucario. The bird he was riding on flew high above foreign places of every sort, ranging from cities and forests to plains and even an ocean. The large stretch of water quickly became the worst of these, as they were unable to set down for the night had had to fly for two days without rest.

Despite the varying scenery, the days passed very slowly, making Lucario wish he had brought something to read or at least someone interesting to talk to. The bird he was flying on insisted on keeping quiet as it would help him focus, and Lucario was not one to tempt fate and gravity by breaking this rule. Far beneath them there would occasionally be strangers in the shape of humans and Pokémon, looking up at them. His wounds from the battle with Zoroark had mostly healed by the fifth day, and so he silently hoped a trainer or wild Pokémon would pick a fight with them, just to give him a chance to stretch his arms.

"Hey…" the bird suddenly said after hours of silence, apparently letting the solitude get on his nerves as well, "… I know a joke."

"… Shoot," Lucario said, keeping his eyes burrowed in the feathers before him to protect them from the never ending onslaught of wind.

"Knock knock!" the bird said.

"Such an intensely flawed attempt at comedy, setting up a pitiful excuse for a 'joke' which takes at least five sentences of our precious time to give form," Lucario muttered in a smarmy manner, looking down on the ground. They were above a field on plains, currently passing by an old man who looked up at him with a curious stare.

"You're supposed to say-" the bird started before getting interrupted.

"I KNOW," Lucario burst out annoyed, immediately forgetting about the man on the ground, "Since we're talking, can't we talk about something important or interesting?"

"… Or…" the bird responded with an equally annoyed tone in his voice, "You can let me finish the joke now, instead of walking the rest of the way."

"… Who's there…?" he responded weakly, having long since given up all hope of entertainment. In order to save his sanity, he pulled his ears down to the side of his head to stop himself from hearing the answer. All that came through was a muffled voice as he sighed out of relief, feeling victorious for some reason.

The muffled voice kept going, however. It seemed the bird was one of those people that enjoyed explaining the joke afterwards. Every missed syllable made Lucario's smile grow wider, like he was dodging bullets.

Suddenly, his entire world rocked as the bird started waving to the left and right, almost making him slip off him.

"Hey, are you awake?" the voice sounded as Lucario let go of his ears to grab onto his violent steed, "I said: We're here!"

By the horizon that stretched in front of them was a truly gigantic mountain, the top of which was hidden within a sea of clouds. Lucario now understood why the Gallade had said that it was impossible to scale. The sheer size of it would have made most other mountains look like pebbles. He was not even sure if this bird would be able to fly to the top. Not that it made any difference to him; he was only going to the foot of it, after all…

"Quite the sight, isn't it?" the bird said, "I hope you know what you're doing, coming all this way…"

"… You seem like a nice guy, so I guess I should warn you…" Lucario mumbled as he recalled how he had gotten here in the first place, "Zoroark might be in a pissy mood when you get back."

"Huh?" the bird asked with a confused voice, "Why?"

"I think he's on his period, or something," Lucario snickered.

"I don't understand…" the bird exclaimed slowly. Lucario knew that he would now have to get rid of this bird somehow, remembering that Mew would probably not be showing herself if there was anyone besides himself at the designated location. Even flying any further than this might be enough to scare her off. If he told the bird that he had been tricking him all this time he probably wouldn't be an ally anymore, but might also attack him out of rage and _really_compromise his mission.

Lucario's planning was interrupted as something yellow came upon him, the weight of it hitting him squarely in the chest and dragging him off the bird. He gasped and fell down, seeing the seat that had been hosting him for more than two weeks shrinking above him as the ground beneath that had been his background was quickly growing. Thinking himself hit by a solid and clingy bolt of lightning, he tried his best to spin around and stop the fall, but failed and smashed down on the ground on his back with a painful thud.

"GAH!" Lucario shouted while bracing the back of his head with both his hands, pain creeping up his spine, "This- Who- What-"

"Cyon!" a familiar voice came from above him.

"Gah… Grr…" Lucario stuttered as he tried putting two and two together after the brain-scrambling impact, "… I know that voice… And aura…"

"Lucario!" another voice came from above as the bird that had brought him this far suddenly came swooping down, "Are you all right! Get off him, you witch!"

"I-I just had to get you out of the sky…" Rukario insisted while putting her right hand on her chest in a gesture of defending herself, "I meant you no harm!"

"Yeah, right," Lucario muttered, scratching the back of his head. The pain had already faded away, and Rukario's appearance at least meant that he was back on the right continent again. He looked around and noticed that he was unable to see Mew, which was funny considering how the greatest Pokémon of all time would probably stand out quite a bit. Many questions filled his mind, but he had to put them aside as he needed to get rid of these two as quickly as possible, lest they scare away his target. It was then he figured out a perfect way to get rid of the bird.

"Hey, birdie. It's all right, you can go back," Lucario said, trying to sound cool as possible while being pinned on the ground by a woman, "I'll walk the rest of the way."

"Are you sure?" the bird asked with concern, "What's going on?"

"Just some marital problem," Lucario said jokingly and suddenly hoped that this wouldn't make Rukario get the wrong idea, "It'll be easier to handle with you not here."

The flying-type looked at him for nary a moment before abruptly turning around and quickly flying away. Lucario tried getting up to see him off, but noticed that Rukario still had a tight grip of him, as if she feared that he would instantly run away if she gave him the chance. This made him wonder if she had psychic powers or something.

"Hey, Cyon," Lucario said while facing her, getting a feeling that she would not be as easy to get rid of as the flying-type, "… Uh, no offense, but I kind of need to be alone right now."

"I-I'm not Cyon!" she burst out with a startled voice, "You're Cyon!"

"… Oh yeah," Lucario sighed, "You know you're crazy, right?"

"I-I have proof!" Rukario responded quickly, once again reaching into her pocket to most likely pull out the picture she had shown him before. As her right hand left his arm, Lucario saw his opportunity as he grabbed her other arm and pushed it off him, rolling to the side and quickly getting back on his feet.

"That's not what I mean," Lucario said while holding out his hand in an attempt to calm her down, "I mean that you're crazy, following me like this. I punched you in the face!"

"That's… That's fine…" Rukario whispered as she put back the newly extracted picture in her pocket, "You were just confused…"

"… What the hell are you even doing here!" Lucario asked with a stern voice, "How did you find me!"

"We're husband and wife!" Rukario quickly responded, "I can sense your aura from miles away, and I came here to get you!"

Lucario cringed, the idea that she would be chasing him from miles away sounding unappealing at best. At any rate, it didn't seem like she was going to leave any time soon. On the contrary, it seemed like she was planning on staying with him forever!

He was getting very tense. For all he knew his ticket to humanity might be hiding somewhere in the bushes, ready to approach him or flee at a moment's notice. From what the others had told him, he knew that chances were slim that Mew would even come to see him - If someone else was there too, her absence would be pretty much guaranteed.

There was no running away this time. He would have to stand his ground, and get rid of Rukario as quickly as possible.

"… I see how it is!" Lucario said snidely as he came up with a plan, "How pathetic! You're so desperate for a man that you can't even live on your own!"

"… No…" she responded in an unusually calm manner before taking a step towards him, getting dangerously close, "… But I love you. If there's even the slightest chance-"

"There isn't!" Lucario spat as he took a quick step back, "In this body there's no one but me, and I DO NOT like you!"

"Don't say that," Rukario replied slowly while still moving forward, "You are definitively my husband… There must be some way…"

"Seems to me, I'll have to settle this like last time…" Lucario grumbled as he smacked his fists together menacingly, "Beat it, or I'll beat you."

A chill passed through the air, Rukario gasping in shock and despair. Lucario felt worse than the time he had abandoned the tiny penguin in the snowy mountains, but knew that this was for the best for both of them. She was the crazy one, after all…

"In that case… I'm sorry, Cyon, but I can think of no other way…" Rukario said as she reached into another pocket in the back of her highly advanced pants, "Please, forgive me!"

Half expecting her to pull out a knife, Lucario saw that the thing now resting in Rukario's hand was nothing but a completely ordinary spoon.

Complete silence followed. He looked at the spoon, and then looked at the spoony chick that had presented it to him.

"… You were always deathly afraid of spoons…" Rukario whispered slowly, disappointed at Lucario's lack of a reaction.

"That's the single lamest thing I've ever heard in my entire life!" Lucario shouted, furiously knocking the spoon out of her hand, "And if you had even the slightest hint of self-respect, you'd realize that I'm not your goddamn husband!"

"That's not true!" Rukario responded while seemingly unfazed, "I still love you, Cyon!"

"At least TRY to listen to reason, will you!" Lucario growled before groaning at how quickly this conversation devolved into a continuation of the shouting match that reigned during their first meeting. Nothing had worked back then, nothing was working now. The only thing she cares about is this Cyon… Perhaps he could find a way to use that against her?

"The power of love surpasses everything…" Rukario whispered as she closed her eyes, "This will make you remember…" Suddenly, she started leaning in closer to while extending her lips, Lucario standing frozen in place from shock at his impending blight. It was then that he threw all caution to the side. He felt like he was losing control of the situation, and needed to put his newly formed plan directly into action.

"… You know what? Yeah! It's me, Cyon!" Lucario shouted right in her face, "I hated you so much I completely erased your existence from my mind! Thank you for reminding me, you filthy whore!"

Rukario cringed and stopped herself from leaning forward at the sound of this, her eyes slowly opening.

"You hear me! I fucking cheated on you with all your best friends, enemies and relatives!" Lucario kept going, his rage fueled by the apparent effect it was having upon her, "Why? Because I always knew you were a pathetic bitch who would never be able to live on without me!"

"S-Stop, please…" Rukario whispered sadly, her eyes tearing up.

"That's right! Now c'mere and give me a kiss, hot stuff!" Lucario said while cockily putting his hand on Rukario's cheek, "Embrace the misogynic asshole! Justify every bad female stereotype there is!"

"Stop! Stop!" Rukario suddenly burst out while falling to her knees, "Hearing those words… With t-that voice… Do you know how much it hurts…!"

Lucario was staring to get the idea as Rukario held her hands to her shoulders while shaking in sorrow. He was not completely unfamiliar with love, and noticing just how pained Rukario was made him realize she had been given the joy of experiencing a lot of it. A joy that fate had suddenly taken away from her…

Seeing this unfortunate woman reduced to tears at his doing devastated Lucario, getting the same impulse to protect her just as he had protected Zerobi after the green snake's verbal abuse. Only this time, he was responsible for it. Even if he regained the form of a human after this, he would never be able to call himself a 'man' again…

"Hey…" Lucario said while carefully approaching her, "I'm kidding. It's still me. You know, the guy who's not your husband?"

"S-Shut up…" Rukario growled while clenching her fists in frustration, "Don't you… Don't you th-think I knew that…!"

"Uh…" Lucario exclaimed while scratching the back of his head, "Well, with all the crying…"

"You're using my dead husband's body to call me a whore!" Rukario suddenly burst out furiously, standing up and facing Lucario directly, "How the hell would you expect me to feel!" Lucario was completely taken aback by this violent display and made a small leap backwards.

"Go…!" Rukario wailed as she averted her eyes from him, not bearing to look him in the face, "Maybe it's better like this, knowing what a jerk you really are…!"

"Uh…" Lucario responded, the conclusion of this fight turning out to be the opposite of what he wanted, "I can't really leave."

"Get out of my sight, you evil…!" Rukario continued while holding back her tears out of pure spite, "Why do you insist on torturing me!"

"No, like, I REALLY need to stay here," Lucario explained as calmly as possible, his mind telling him to stay while his instincts told him to get the hell out of there while he still had the chance, "You leave. Seriously, I swear I won't follow."

The two of them stood there for a while, miserable because of each other's company but both too stubborn to leave.

"… Wow," Lucario said after a while, "Awkward."

"Why…" Rukario said with a noticeably calmer voice than earlier, yet still deciding not to look at him, "Why do you stay?"

"For the last fu…" Lucario started, but stopped himself as he realized his rage had only made things worse, and that he'd have to use his smarts to take care of this situation, "… You're right. I'm sorry."

"… You're sorry?" Rukario repeated with a confused tone.

"I mean, put yourself in my position for a second," Lucario tried explaining, "As much as you want me to, I don't know you. I've never met you before in my life."

"But… In Snowpoint…" Rukario said before feeling that she had no need to elaborate on a situation they were both present for.

"Before THAT," Lucario pointed out, "I'm actually human, not a Pokémon. The thought of kissing you… Man! There aren't enough breath mints in the world to fix that!"

Lucario's only response was silence, and so he did not know whether Rukario had become offended or was simply busy containing her laughter from his extraordinary wit.

"Please. You seem like a reasonable person," Lucario lied, "Leave me in peace. If I ever meet this Cyon, I'll tell him how much of a pain… I mean, how much you love him."

"… I am not an idiot, you know…" Rukario finally said with annoyance before looking up into the sky, "Maybe you are right. Maybe I… I have been clinging on to hope when I should not have…"

"… Hope?" Lucario repeated slowly, the word hitting a peculiar note within his mind, "What do you mean?"

"I… I love Cyon with all my heart…" Rukario whispered sadly before sitting down on the ground, suddenly overcome with defeat and weakness, "I would gladly give my life, if he were to return… And meeting you, I thought… I thought…"

"… Hope…" Lucario whispered to himself.

"… What a fool I have been," Rukario continued while harrowingly grabbing at a tuft of grass, "I left my friends and home behind to follow you, just faintly hoping you would turn out to be my husband, despite you having told me otherwise…"

Suddenly, Rukario's persistence did not seem as foreign to him. Her determination for a single, seemingly impossible goal… Recklessly abandoning everything to reach it… Not wavering in the slightest, even in the face of failure…

Her quest to find Cyon… His quest to become human… They were the same.

"… I sympathize, if that counts for anything," Lucario said before immediately wanting to slap himself for expressing himself so poorly.

"… Thank you…" Rukario responded, apparently lenient with anything that wasn't crushing her heart at this point.

"I feel bad, I really do… But…" Lucario said as the mental image of a large, mighty Mew looking down at them from somewhere before turning her back came upon him, "… I'm waiting for someone very important, someone with the ability to change my life. She won't come here if she sees anyone but me here, though."

"Worry not, she is already here…" Rukario said depressingly before finally looking at Lucario for a moment before pointing behind him. Lucario frowned before turning around, suddenly noticing that there was in fact a very faint aura approaching them.

A man was walking towards them.

"… That's not a 'she'…" Lucario said while squinting his eyes against the sunlight that had been upon his back during his long journey.

"You can sense that?" Rukario asked with a curious look, unable to distinguish genders with her aura-based abilities.

"I can only sense one thing…" Lucario said ominously as he mentally prepared himself for what was to come, "… Trouble."

Lucario faintly recognized both the appearance and the aura of the approaching human - It was the old man that he had passed by from above not too long ago, only that from this angle he did not look as old. There were hardly any wrinkles on his face, and his clothing was both modern and spiffy with a leathery look to them. However, more notably than anything, there was a certain color to them that stood out and permeated his being…

**BLUE**


	33. Original Rival Blue

"Oho!" Blue exclaimed before holding his hand up to cover his eyes from the sun, forgetting that it was currently located behind him, "A shiny AND that spikeless Lucario! I haven't had a catch this lucky in fifteen years!" He then smiled to himself, the memory of the summer when a Feebas swam into his Pokeball by accident always bringing him joy.

"Who is he?" Rukario asked while looking at Lucario.

"No idea," Lucario replied calmly as he saw several Pokeballs attached to the trainer's belt, "But he's human, and he's got Pokémon. Odds are he'll be trying to catch me."

"Ahh, I knew I should've brought a few of my regular Pokémon…" Blue sighed before showing his white teeth in a bigger smile, "… Oh well! It'll be a perfect time to test out my new team!"

"… I can't tell if he's talking to himself or us," Lucario muttered while scratching the back of his head.

"Trainers have a habit of doing that," Rukario explained with a sigh, "Must be from spending too much time with us Pokémon."

"You don't have to stay, you know," Lucario said, naïvely thinking this to be a good chance to get rid of Rukario, "He wants me. Go on, I've caused you enough grief."

"No, I…" Rukario whispered sadly before looking down at her own body, "I am a Shiny. He wishes to capture me. Worry not - I am used to this, and can handle myself."

"Heh… If you say so…" Lucario snickered, trying to remember what Zerobi had told him a 'Shiny' was supposed to be, "All right. We're a united front, then."

Blue kept walking towards them before stopping at about the same distance as Lucas and Silver once had been at, making Lucario wonder if there was some kind of official rule for trainer placement during battle. Blue then swiftly extracted two Pokeballs from both his sides and held them in front of him.

"Hear me, Lucario!" he shouted with a mighty voice, "I am Blue, commander of the Heavens and the Earth! Master of Water and Fire! Bringer of Light and Darkness!"

"Blue…" Lucario repeated, as out of all those words that one in particular stuck out, "… Blue? You're Blue!"

"So, you DO know him?" Rukario asked, trying her best to figure out what was going on.

"Not personally," Lucario clarified before the weight of Zoroark's story hit him like a ton of bricks, "Whoa, this is bad! He's a champion trainer! He'll kick our asses!"

"A… Champion!" Rukario exclaimed in surprise, "Are you certain!"

"This is bullshit! How do they keep finding me!" Lucario shouted before remembering what Zoroark told him about gathering information from trainers and started gritting his teeth, "… Bastard! He must've told them!"

"Brendan has made me intrigued of your adaptive abilities, Lucario!" Blue kept going as he was unable to understand anything the two Pokémon were saying, "Show me what you can do, and I'll reward both of you!"

"Reward?" Rukario repeated with a confused tone, "Does he mean he will let us go free?"

"Not likely. These guys really want me caught for some reason," Lucario huffed as he calmed down, noticing that at the very least Blue seemed as surprised over their encounter as he was, "He probably means he'll give us a berry or something, which in my case means I REALLY can't lose."

"In that case…" Rukario said with a previously unheard voice of confidence as she placed herself into battle position, "… Let us win."

"… Damn it…" Lucario groaned while envisioning himself get struck by piercing icicles, electrical currents, burning jaws, as a flutter suddenly went through his ribcage, "This is going to suck."

"Oh Heavens!" Blue yelled as he threw the first Pokeball into the air, "I summon thee, Skarmory!"

The Pokeball burst open, leaving an already flying Pokémon in its wake. Lucario likened it to a skeletal figure of the bird he had just been riding, much sleeker and thinner with a white, hard material covering its body. Even its feathers were covered in it, making Lucario wonder how it was even flying in the first place.

"Oh Earth!" Blue shouted before tossing the second Pokeball on the ground, "Give us a thrill, Excadrill!"

Bouncing off the ground, a red light escaped the Pokeball and gave form to a large beast. Its body was shaped like a ball with arms, legs and a head sticking out of it. Even so, it was very buff, and the thick broadsword-like appendages it had for hands made Lucario cringe at the thought of its destructive powers.

"Four Steel-types?" Rukario said with a surprised voice, "What an interesting matchup."

"… There is not a single part of your previous statement that made even a lick of sense," Lucario muttered while looking at her, "Four? What, are humans Steel-type?"

"We're Steel-types," Rukario told him before nodding towards their enemies, "They're Steel-types."

"Hey, I'm not a Steel-type!" Lucario yelled and decided to pep himself up for the approaching battle, "I'm a… Winning type!"

"… Oh my," Rukario exclaimed with worry, "You cannot remember anything about this, either? Let me handle the Flying-type, then…"

"… Uuhh…" Lucario replied as he compared the size of the thin bird to the giant mole, "Actually, I'd prefer it if you took on the hulking beast… You know?"

It seems Rukario had taken to ignoring him, as she without warning leaped towards the airborne bird and smacked it one. Lucario became amazed at this display, but did not have time to linger on it as Blue yelled something and the Excadrill started walking in his direction.

"So… Uh…" Lucario stammered fearfully while looking up at the huge Pokémon, just out of arm's length from it, "… Man, you're big."

"… Chatty?" it responded bluntly with a gruff, manly voice, "I hate that."

"You've got a point," Lucario said, hearing his seemingly implacable opponent speak making it seem like a typical enemy instead of the cohort of a champion, making him swiftly regain his confidence, "Let's just do it!"

The Excadrill lashed out with both his arms, but much to Lucario's surprise not at him. Instead, he aimed them at the ground, digging his massive claws into the ground. Suddenly, the claws started spinning around in circles like a drill, pushing layer after layer of dirt aside as he quickly disappeared within a large hole.

"Oh no, not this shit again," Lucario groaned while memories of the Garchomp came upon him. Even though the giant was out of his sight, he sensed the aura of him burrow itself deeper and deeper underground, and knew exactly what was going to happen in a few moments.

"… You know what? Screw waiting around!" Lucario shouted and decided to break the rules for once. Without hesitation, he jumped down the newly created hole and fell into the ground. Dirt and dust covered his every side as the sunlight faded above him, bring back memories of a very filthy visit he had in a grave once.

"… Stupid…" the Excadrill muttered, making his dangerous arms spin around once more, this time with the intention of skewering Lucario. A quick mental flash of him getting stuck on one of them and having his innards being spilled all over this newborn cavern was all it took for Lucario to swiftly turn his tail and flee.

"Oh shit oh shit oh shit!" Lucario rambled while quickly climbing upwards to escape the approaching menace. Looking below, he noticed that he was outrunning him - There was no longer any dirt between them, so his smaller body was better designed for climbing.

Still rushing up, his hand slipped as it came upon a hard gray surface instead of the fairly soft ground. His toes shivered as he almost fell down, but was able to stop it by pinning himself to the walls surrounding him.

"Too damn close…" Lucario muttered, and noticed that the Excadrill was quite far beneath him. A nasty idea hit him as he started digging away the dirt surrounding the gray material he had found, until it revealed a large rock which tipped into the stretchy chamber he was in.

"Special delivery!" Lucario shouted as he climbed up on the heavy rock, and then kicked it down with all his might. It loosened from its holdings and went speeding down like a comet, not stopping until Lucario heard the sound of something cracking open, which he presumed was his opponent's skull.

He climbed up to the surface as the Excadrill immediately burst out of the ground, covered in dirt and with a furious expression on his face.

"YOU…" he growled, a small river of blood trickling down the side of his head.

"Oh yeah, you didn't want me talking, eh?" Lucario said cockily, "Sorry about that. The rock was OK though, right?"

"RRAARGH!" the Excadrill bellowed as he lost his cool, dashing toward Lucario who easily jumped up on his already damaged head and kicked him into the ground.

"Softhead," Lucario said as he landed behind him, "Is that an insult? If not, it should be."

He casually walked towards the collapsed body of his enemy and sat down on the Excadrill's head to relax for a moment. Feeling no stirring from beneath told him that victory was his. Hearing yells and screams from his side, he turned to see Rukario twisted around a flightless Skarmory, keeping it in a full-body lockdown as Blue shouted commands.

"Metal Sound! Autotomize!" Blue said loudly, while Skarmory could only struggle against Rukario's tight grip, "Excadrill, come here and hel… E-Excadrill!" Blue suddenly turned around and saw Lucario sitting on his companion, waving at him with a smug grin.

"Excadrill, that's enough! Return!" Blue quickly yelled while holding out a Pokeball which shot out a beam of red light. Lucario flinched as he felt his seat turned gooey before disappearing, and he found himself instinctively leaping to his feet.

"You too, Skarmory!" Blue continued as he used another Pokeball to recall the flying-type, "This isn't your fight!" The Skarmory turned into a being of light as Rukario relaxed her arms and legs.

"Already?" Rukario asked while rising to her feet, "I was expecting more from a champion."

"Wow, way to go!" Lucario said loudly while walking towards Rukario, very surprised at her competence and confidence, "I think I like you better when you're not love-struck!"

"Not now!" Rukario snarled dangerously at him, desperately keeping her mind on the battle to assure they would not be captured.

As she said this, however, she realized that if that were to be the case, they would be together again. Lucario insisted that he was not Cyon, but the fact that they had the exact same appearance and aura told her that there was something more to it that what even Lucario knew. If they were to serve this trainer, she would have plenty of time to find out exactly what… Not to mention a chance to rekindle the romance that she had been seeking for so long!

"Wow, not bad!" Blue suddenly said and snapped her out of her thoughts, "You're both pretty strong! Against a typical trainer, you would've won for sure!"

"We already won!" Lucario shouted at him, "Beat it!"

"The thing is, my team is built to tackle any type of matchups…" Blue said as he attached the two Pokeballs back on his belt and pulled out two new ones, "So… I'm afraid your luck has just run out!"

"He has more Pokémon," Rukario said quietly while still lost in her own thoughts, "Six in total."

"Fiery fire, scorch their bodies!" Blue shouted as the Pokeball in his hand opened, "I know you'll do fine, Arcanine!"

The familiar red flash of light filled their eyes as a large, orange Pokémon on four legs appeared. While not quite as big as the Excadrill, it had a far more magnificent posture as well as a thicker fur. It reminded Lucario of Entei, and seeing how it was considerably smaller he felt confidence take form in him.

"Serene water, guide their souls!" Blue yelled, the Pokeball in his other hand also relieving itself of its inhabitant, "Do your best as well, Floatzel!"

Another orange Pokémon manifested itself, this one standing on two legs and being about the same size as the two Lucario. Its body was curvaceous and covered with very fine fur, and it had two fins sticking out of the back of its hands, much like Rukario's spikes.

"Fire and water?" Lucario said while scratching the back of his head in confusion, "I know you'll chastise me for being an idiot, but that sounds like a REALLY counterproductive team to me."

"… No…" Rukario replied, showing the same amount of confusion, "Actually, this seems rather strange."

"Arcanine! Fire Spin!" Blue suddenly shouted while pointing at the two Lucario, "Floatzel! Mist!"

Immediately following his command, the fire-type's mouth started shooting out small embers of light as a thick gas escaped the water-type. The Arcanine twisted his head around in a circle, making the embers float in front of and behind the two Lucario, who were surprised to see that they did not need to dodge.

"Did he miss?" Lucario asked, the painful memories of the Garchomp's fiery bites being the only thing keeping him from taunting their enemies.

"Fire Spin…" Rukario repeated as the name of the attack was unfamiliar to her, "I wouldn't be so sure. Anything could happen."

The mist slowly laid itself over the area, but neither Lucario nor Rukario were too concerned about it, as they could still perfectly sense the aura of their enemies. They were more concerned about the embers, which as they made contact with the grass ground suddenly exploded and created a large fire on the ground, reaching up to the sky. Before they knew it, they were in the middle of a circle of tall towers of hot flames.

"Oh, shit!" Lucario shouted as he looked around, the mist preventing him from seeing anything beyond the veil of fire and smoke rising high above them, "We're surrounded!"

"Shh…" Rukario hushed while trying to keep herself calm, "I have a bad feeling about this. Keep your senses sharp."

A faint flutter in the air was heard as their current area lit up. A fire in the shape of a crudely drawn human came from the veil and sped past them, barely a foot in front of Lucario's face. The intensity of these flames were unlike anything he had felt before, hotness spreading through him as if he had been ignited just by standing near it for a second.

"WHOA!" he burst out in terror while taking a step back, "T-Too close!"

"Cyon!" Rukario suddenly shouted as she moved forward, "Look-"

Another strangely shaped being of fire came out of the wall of flames, taking them both by surprise. This time it was aimed at where Rukario was heading, and just barely missed her.

"Damn it! We can't see in this mist, and the fire doesn't have an aura!" Lucario yelled as the heat of the fires were starting to get to him, "This is SO dangerous! Let's jump out of here!"

Rukario's battle experience told her that this is exactly what their enemy was trying to get them to do, seeing how it was such an obvious way out. She was about to stop him, but was herself stopped by a very sinister voice in her head, reminding her of her opportunities in this fight. Win, and return to a dreadful life where she would never know love again…? Or lose, and possibly reclaim what she herself had lost…?

Lucario spent no time waiting for his partner as he bent his knees, jumping very high into the air and moving past the flames.

"Keep 'em in there, Floatzel!" Blue suddenly shouted, pointing at the airborne Lucario. Lucario swallowed hard as he felt a large beam of water hitting his stomach, not causing much damage but launching him back in the direction he came from. He spun around in midair and landed on his feet, having returned to the circle of fire.

"What-" Rukario started, but was interrupted.

"Gah! That orange thing!" Lucario spluttered while falling to his knees, "It… It shot me back in here! It's making sure we don't jump o-"

Having seen Lucario launched back by its partner, the Arcanine knew exactly where to aim. A fourth flaming human came through the veil of fire behind them, rushing in Lucario's direction. The fire passed through him, disappearing behind the other side of the circle as quickly as it had appeared, only this time leaving a remnant of itself behind.

Lucario's body immediately ignited, and the fire spread to cover him from head to toe in nary a second. He screamed in pain and terror, falling down and rolling around on the ground in an attempt to get rid of it. However, the fire was much too intense to be stopped in this manner, his body just a waning silhouette behind the bright flames. Keeping his eyes closed he stumbled around in complete darkness, finding no escape from the fire eating away at him and his approaching death. A voice echoed from somewhere beyond the fire's crackling noise as he rapidly felt his consciousness fade…

The smoke from the totem pillars of hot fire was beginning to darken the sky, turning the once wonderful day into a hellish scene. Blue was starting to realize just how badly his strategy was affecting the surrounding area, and was just about to have his trusted water-type douse the fire when he suddenly heard anguished cries from within the circle of fire.

"Well done, Arcanine!" Blue said while giving his Pokémon both thumbs up, "Be ready to douse him on my signal, Floatzel…"

"AAARGHH!" Lucario wailed in panic while trying to brush off the fire, having run out of ideas on how to get rid of it. In his mind, he already knew it was over, feeling his thoughts grow foggy as darkness engulfed his being…

"CYON!" Rukario shouted, completely drowning out the sinister voice in the back of her head as she saw her love burning to death right in front of her eyes. With no hesitation blocking it, her mind worked quickly as she ran up to Lucario and grabbed a hold of his flaming leg. She winced from the pain before throwing him away from the circle of fire, Lucario making a startled noise as the increased oxygen quickly increased the intensity of the flames.

However, he did not have to bear with it for very long as he was suddenly struck by a beam of water, getting thrown back into their entrapment and landing on the ground.

"Haahh! Haahh!" Lucario breathed in deeply, the fire previously covering him having sucked up all the air around him, "Argh… Choking AND burning to death…?"

"Cyon!" Rukario shouted as she ran up to him and noticed that he was mostly unharmed, "You…"

"Oh hey, thanks for helping me so fast!" Lucario said while looking at his body with a pleased expression, "Didn't even burn up my fur!"

He was completely wet and had been so even before the fire hit him, so the damage had been minimal. Rukario was about to say something, but stopped herself as yet another body of fire went zooming by them, this time nowhere near where they were standing.

"They're not letting up, are they…?" Rukario muttered, noticing that her hand which had been dry was more badly burned than Lucario's entire body.

"I know!" Lucario burst out as a plan hit him, "Let's jump out at the same time! The Floatzel can't shoot us back at the same time!"

They looked at each other as Rukario nodded, both of them turning their backs to each other before leaping in opposite directions. Lucario escaped the veil of smoke first, and saw the Floatzel beneath him. Once more, the orange being doused him in water and threw him back from whence he came, Lucario smiling to himself the entire way.

As he landed, he saw that Rukario was no longer there. He sensed her aura outside of the circle, colliding with the aura of the Floatzel from earlier.

"Lucario!" a voice came from beyond the veil of fire, "Now!"

Outside the tower of flames, the Floatzel immediately used its pores to lubricate itself in a slippery substance, which made Rukario lose grip of it. Sliding backwards on the grass, it started calculating a way of throwing her back into the raging fires when something very heavy landed on its back and brought it crashing down on the ground.

"This one's mine," Lucario said as he was standing on the Floatzel, "Go do something about mini-Entei."

Rukario looked at him with a strange expression before nodding and running around the constantly burning circle of fire, towards the aura of the Arcanine on the other side. Lucario did not bother to see her off as he felt himself slipping, the Floatzel gliding away under him and making him lose his balance. However, he managed to land on his feet, and slowly started moving towards the Floatzel who was quickly backing away from him with eyes wide open in fear.

"Why are you scared?" Lucario asked while menacingly cracking his knuckles, "I just want to thank you for dousing the fire and, you know, throwing me into it in the first place."

"I-I'm not scared!" the Floatzel stammered, "I'm trained by the great Blue! I'm not scared at all!"

"You should be," Lucario whispered as a dangerous smile spread across his face, "Fire? Dangerous. Water? The opposite. Actually, I'm feeling a bit thirsty, give me a cold glass and I'll let you off easy…"

"… Don't make fun of me!" the Floatzel suddenly burst out, spitting several floating bubbles at Lucario who effortlessly ran around them and grabbed a hold of the Pokémon's head.

"Hahah! Oh, I wasn't making fun of you!" Lucario laughed before pressing down his hand and shoving the Floatzel's head down into the soft soil previously ploughed by the Excadrill, "THIS is making fun of you!"

The Floatzel quickly scrambled to try to get his head out of the ground as Lucario slowly went behind him, charged his leg back and then kicked the water-type so hard that its head was pulled out, making it fly forward and land on its stomach.

"Huh. I always thought a swift kick in the rear end would have the opposite effect…" Lucario sighed while shrugging, "… And people say fighting's barbaric! I'm practicing medicine!"

He looked around and became disappointed that no one was around hear him, and noticed that the fire that had kept him trapped for so long as mysteriously vanished when he was busy dealing with the Floatzel. He then received quite the shock as Rukario came flying in his direction, and jumped up to catch her as a reflex.

"Oh shit, are you OK?" Lucario said, but stopped himself as he noticed Rukario looking back at him with a surprised expression, "… I mean, uh, that fire circle…"

"I kept him busy," Rukario responded bluntly as they landed on the ground, "He was unable to refuel it."

"Cool. Meanwhile, I totally beat the crap out of that other thing!" Lucario said loudly while letting her stand on her own feet, fishing for compliments as he pointed to the defeated Floatzel.

"Oh. Thank you for knocking our only hopes of dousing a fire unconscious," Rukario sneered, hiding her worries on how to rescue Lucario in case he was hit by the Arcanine again.

"Ha ha ha! No problem-o!" Lucario laughed in response, currently too confident in himself to care about her snide remark, "Let's give this doggy the same treatment, eh? How about we attack him from both sides at once, so he can't get us both at the same time?"

Rukario nodded in response once more as they split off, running towards the Arcanine in an arc. The Arcanine became confused, twisting its head around and being not sure of who to attack first.

"Arcanine! Overheat!" Blue suddenly shouted, holding up his right hand with fingers spread. The Arcanine stomped down on the ground in response, charging up an attack. Just when Lucario and Rukario were about to jump it, the fire-type suddenly exploded into a huge ball of flames. They immediately halted themselves as the area immediately heated up, the intense fire covering the Arcanine while showing no signs of stopping.

"Did he just… Set himself on fire?" Lucario asked while staring at the furred creature, not knowing how to react.

"He might be using Flash Fire," Rukario replied in a calm manner while closing her eyes, "Which means that he is actually becoming far more powerful by doing this."

"Shit!" Lucario yelled while looking around for a large rock to throw at the fire-type, "Now what?" His question was answered by Rukario suddenly opening her eyes again and thrusting her palm towards the bright flames.

A bright blue light crawled around her wrist and began shaping itself around her outstretched hand. Lucario gasped in surprise as the glow amassed in front of her palm as a growing ball of swirling blue energy, becoming as large as a her head before shooting towards the Arcanine at an amazing pace.

The Arcanine was too focused on charging up and did not even see the attack coming from beyond his own veil of fire. He suddenly felt something pass through his body, like an acidic chill. It went through his side and hit his stomach and lungs, immediately making him lose his breath and keel over as he felt like barfing. Unable to continue the fiery attack, the Arcanine felt something very hard strike his head as he immediately fainted.

"Arcanine!" Blue yelled with both surprise and sadness as he saw his companions fallen on the battlefield, "You too, Floatzel! Both of you, return immediately!"

"WHOA! Was that an aura sphere!" Lucario shouted with an impressed voice as Rukario calmly turned away from the defeated fire-type, "You've got to teach me how to do it once we're done beating this trainer!"

"Oh…?" Rukario exclaimed hopefully before her voice gained a hint of disdain, "If we manage to, that is… If he is a champion like you said, odds are we will not."

"He's not Blue," Lucario suddenly said while shaking his head, "He can't be. His Pokémon are much too weak for a champion."

"He said something about trying out a new team," Rukario explained, still seemingly completely unfazed over having so easily defeated the Arcanine, "And his tactics are exceptional. Unless we want to refer to him as 'master' for the rest of our lives, we should not underestimate him."

"… A fate worse than death…" Lucario mumbled as once more the mental image of a tough, burly Mew leaving the area hit him, "You're right. Whatever he brings out next, I'm giving it my all to finish this quickly!"

They both fell silent and looked at Blue, who had just finished recalling the two Pokémon. He stared intently at the two Pokeballs in his hands for a moment, before placing both of them on his belt.

"Amazing…" he whispered to himself before suddenly raising his voice, "Just… Simply amazing! I see how you bested both Red and Brendan…"

"Red?" Rukario repeated in confusion before looking at Lucario, "You… Have you fought Red?"

"You know Red, but you don't know Blue?" Lucario replied with a shrug, "Now I know this guy's small fry for sure."

"Still… My brand new, finely crafted team, annihilated by two wild Lucario?" Blue continued talking as he cracked himself up, "Haha! I'll never live it down! I think it's time for my most powerful tag team!"

Shuffling his jacket backwards, the two Lucario saw that Blue had two more Pokeballs attached to the side of his belt. Rukario had fully expected this, while Lucario was occupied with noticing that the colors of these Pokeballs were different from the others. They were both black and white, instead of the regular red and white.

"Darkness, engulf the light! Light, illuminate the darkness!" Blue as he swiftly pressed the two Pokeballs to his sides as if part of a western quick draw duel, making them open up while still attacked to the belt, "Finish this, Umbreon and Espeon!"


	34. Somber Psychic Espeon

The red lights shot out Blue's balls simultaneously and landed next to him. In their wake, they left two rather matching creatures, both reminding Lucario of Astrid. They were standing on four legs and their bodies were of the same size, but the similarities ended there.

The one to their left had a ruffled fur as dark as the midnight sky, with circular yellow markings on its limbs. It had an odd stance, which Lucario imagined to be the four-legged equivalent of slouching. The one to their right was colored pink, with a more refined posture and finer hair. This one also seemed to have a tail which split in two at the end, both ends constantly moving in separate directions.

"Hey, look!" the Umbreon said with a boyish voice while nudging his head towards Rukario, "A shiny Lucario!"

"… So?" the Espeon sighed with a serene, female voice before giving Lucario an interested look, "The other one… Has no spikes."

"So!" the Umbreon repeated with a shocked tone, "Dude, we're fightin' a shiny! Do you know how rare they are!"

"Not as rare as a Lucario lacking spikes…" the Espeon responded with a hint of annoyance, "… Which should not even exist in the first place."

"Espeon! Umbreon!" Blue shouted in an attempt to make himself heard among the two new arrivals, "Attack plan B! This is an important battle, so do your best!"

"Like, who cares about some genetic defect?" the Umbreon asked, seemingly ignoring his trainer before starting to move towards the two Lucario, "We've got a live shiny right. In. Front. Of. Us!"

"The one with the genetic disorder would be the one with odd colors…" the Espeon muttered before she also moved forward, stopping herself a few steps behind the Umbreon, "… The one without spikes is a miracle of nature."

"Oh, man… Listen to their jabbering…" Lucario muttered while scratching his forehead and focusing his internal aura sensor, "… What the hell's this? I sense no aura from the black one, and a very weak aura from the white one."

"They're Dark and Psychic, respectively," Rukario explained while trying to remember the last time she fought an Eeveelution, "Our aura will not function accurately against them."

"Hmm… No relying on aura spheres, then?" Lucario asked with a slightly disappointed tone in his voice.

"Huh?" Rukario exclaimed confusedly, "No, I meant the aura sensing ability. The aura spheres should be as effective as always."

"Man, you know a lot more than I do, that's for sure… What can you tell me about these two?" Lucario said as he suddenly saw the Espeon wink at him and started to stutter, "F-Fighting-wise, of course!"

"Well…" Rukario said while thinking of a way to explain it to her oblivious partner, "Our attacks will be super effective against the Umbreon, and we possess natural defenses against the Espeon."

"Which one's the Uber-eon?" Lucario asked while watching the two Eeveelutions bicker back and forth about some unknown matter.

"… The black one," Rukario said, realizing her explanations would have to be even more simplified in the future.

"… Seems easy," Lucario muttered as he started feeling guilty at what he was about to do to the poor kittens, "But we didn't come this far to lose in a place like this. Let's go all-out from the start."

"Good thinking," Rukario replied in agreement, "In that case, let us gang up on the black one and finish this quickly."

"Sounds perfect!" Lucario exclaimed excitedly before he set off towards the dark-type, Rukario immediately following suit.

"Yeah, come on! I'll take you all on!" the Umbreon laughed as he ran towards the two of them in response. His focus was primarily on Lucario, and rushed towards him in the hopes of striking fast and hard. However, just before reaching Lucario he noticed too late that the Shiny one had ran around him just outside his field of vision, and she quickly delivered a low kick to trip him up. At the same time, Lucario charged his leg, preparing the most powerful kick of his life.

Their plans were halted as Rukario's leg struck a barrier surrounding the Umbreon, leaving him unscathed. At the same time, Lucario felt himself lose balance as he became repelled by an unseen force. Unhalted by their attacks, the Umbreon leaped up and struck Lucario squarely in the chest, bouncing off him and running between Rukario's legs while tripping her up. Lucario flew back with a pained groan while Rukario tried to regain her balance before a crushing force came upon her head, smashing her down on the ground.

"Sorry 'bout this, sweetie!" the Umbreon apologized while turning around and bowing his head courteously to Rukario, "Let me treat you to dinner tonight as an apology!"

"Not in our house…" the Espeon muttered, her voice dripping with venom.

"Argh…" Lucario groaned in a strained manner, "What the hell…?"

"That Espeon…" Rukario said while wiping some dirt from her face, "She's assisting the Umbreon with her psychic powers. They do not affect him, so only we are getting hit…"

"Alright…" Lucario said as he immediately knew what to do, "… Let me take care of that!"

Pounding his hurt chest once for good measure, he set off towards the Umbreon. The Umbreon stood ready to counter his attack, but struck nothing but thin air as Lucario jumped over him, heading towards the Espeon behind.

The Espeon was taken by surprise as she erected a powerful barrier between them. Lucario felt himself become pushed back by an invisible force, reminding him of the time he had fought the Gallade. Since the force came from directly in front of him he managed to keep his balance, and decided to keep moving forward with quick progress. The Espeon reared back in an attempt to get away, but Lucario fully pushed through the invisible force field and tackled her, pinning her down underneath him.

"Go for it!" Lucario shouted to Rukario, who immediately set off against the Umbreon, who in return was heading towards them.

"Oh my…" the Espeon said calmly while blushing at Lucario's touch, "Perhaps in another time and place, you and I could get … Better acquainted."

"Hey!" the Umbreon shouted while running towards them at a speed much faster than Rukario, "Paws off her, you pervert!"

Lucario gulped as he braced himself for impact, and the Umbreon rammed him hard in the side, making him fall off the Espeon. The Umbreon then followed up by headbutting him at an upwards angle, sending him to the sky before crashing to the ground shortly thereafter.

Rukario came behind them, having charged up an aura sphere which she used at point-blank range. It flew half a foot before becoming twisted around and reflected by the Espeon's psychic abilities, burning through Rukario who pointlessly tried to cover her face with her arms, transforming every particle in her head into one of focused pain. Despite having trained herself in the ways of the aura her entire life, it became too much as she screamed and fell back.

"Whoa, whoa!" the Umbreon burst out with a shocked voice, "Be careful! Never harm a lady's face!"

"With a nose that ludicrously large, missing it would be a miracle…" the Espeon replied with more venom in her voice.

"Hey, pick up the slack, you slow…" Lucario growled at Rukario, but his voice changed to one of worry when he saw her still covering her face in her hands, "… Aw man, right in the face! How're you doing!"

"… Ugh…" Rukario groaned, the lingering pain keeping her from making any effort of getting up, "… I have been better…"

Lucario sympathized, his side and chest aching like never before. Every hit from the Umbreon, no matter how it was delivered felt like someone beating him with a large blunt object. He shook his head in an attempt to focus, as the thought of actually losing to these two had yet to enter his mind.

"The sooner you give up, the faster we can become friends!" the Umbreon shouted from a distance, "I'm really a nice guy! Honest!"

"Shut up…" Rukario muttered bitterly with a palm covering her face, noticing Lucario shaking his head in the corner of her eye, "… What's wrong?"

"Damn it, I still have no idea how to deal with these four-legged assholes!" Lucario shouted with his fists clenched, "If they were more human, this would be over by now!"

"I will… Think of something…" Rukario said weakly as she rose to her knees, "Just… Stay back… And be careful…"

The sight of his female counterpart struggling with simply getting to her feet in order to protect him burned through Lucario's eyes, piercing the brain behind them. He gritted his teeth and flexed his muscles, ready to fight once more. But in an instant, all his powers drained as everything around him came crashing down.

Who was he, thinking he could do anything? The only reason he had even survived so far is because others had been there to save him, sacrificing themselves in the process. If not for betraying the small penguin and sacrificing her freedom, he would have become prey at the hands of Brendan. He had already lost count of all the times Zerobi had saved him, when as he had later found out, she had her own worries to deal with.

The Zubat… The Dragonair… Ivy… His many failures seared through his body worse than the aura ever had. Feeling like doing everyone a favor and ridding the world of the blight that he was, he was given the impulse to simply lie down on the ground and die.

"… No!" Lucario shouted defiantly while clutching his head and firmly planting his feet on the ground, "I won't take the backseat! If you think I'll just lie down while some girl steps up and rescues me…"

Lucario felt his anger and determination soar, finally standing up for himself and gaining some reprieve from the haunting visions of the small penguin and everyone else he had let down on his journey. He saw that Rukario was quietly looking at him with a bewildered expression.

"… What!" Lucario asked, still fuming.

"… Cyon said the same thing…" she whispered slowly while looking into his eyes, at long last seeing her love reflected in them.

"Alright, THAT DOES IT!" Lucario bellowed with rage as he threw his hands out, "Get the hell out of here! Piss off!" Rukario was abruptly snapped out of her daydreaming by his loud voice, having to use her arm to brace herself from falling back.

"Getting captured is not the end, but if I have to spend another minute with you, I don't think that I can survive!" Lucario kept shouting as he felt his anger slowly leave him, "This is MY fight, stay the hell out of it!"

"Uh… What the hell just happened?" the Umbreon whispered back to the Espeon, the hostile atmosphere making him feel uncomfortable.

"I attempted a simple mind destabilizer against the strong one, who quickly broke out of it," the Espeon explained slowly, the vision of her cradling Lucario as he cried like a baby vanishing from her mind, "He seems to have been unaware of it, however… Is this his first battle against a psychic type?"

Lucario now felt as calm as ever, wondering why he had become so mad all of a sudden. He quietly placed the blame with Rukario as he remembered what he had said, and suddenly came up with a plan.

Rukario sat still on the ground, shocked at what she had heard and once more being reminded of how different Lucario was from the Cyon she once knew and loved. However, as her dazzled mind processed what she had heard the Espeon saying, she suddenly realized exactly why Lucario had become so violent. She was about to say something to him before noticing that he was pointing towards the Umbreon.

"Hey, you! The black one!" Lucario yelled with a mocking tone, "How cowardly, needing a girl's help to fight!"

"Says you," he responded quickly, making Lucario cringe.

"I-I mean, there's no need to get the women involved!" Lucario shouted, using a card out of Zoroark's deck, "I say we duel, like real men! No support, no distractions, no holds-barred-beatdown!"

"Huh?" the Umbreon exclaimed confusedly, "We're winning, why would I want that?"

"Come on, don't you see…?" Lucario said as he leaned closer to the Umbreon and lowered his voice, "This is your chance to impress on the girls! Show them what you're really made of, pal!"

"I'm not your pal, buddy…" the Umbreon muttered bitterly before lighting up, "… Still, it'd be more fun than this stomping we're giving you right now…"

"Mm-hmm," Lucario said while nodding feverishly, "Let's duel, and let the best man win!"

"Alright!" the Umbreon yelled excitedly while striking a battle pose, "Sorry, but I'll have to kick your ass now!"

Rukario could not help but smile as she saw Lucario crack his knuckles in excitement. She was impressed at how easily he had turned the battle in their favor. The Espeon and Umbreon duo's power came solely from teamwork, while hers and Lucario's were far from as efficient. They had just recently met, after all. Lucario's chances of taking out one of them in single combat were much higher than otherwise, and after that the rest of the fight should be easy.

"Umbreon, ignore his provocations and stick to the plan," Blue sighed.

"… Spoil-sport," the Umbreon muttered as he calmed down, "Fine, the duel's off."

"… Huh? No, wait!" Lucario burst out with a terrified voice, "You're really gonna listen to him!"

"Duh," the Umbreon responded with a shrug, "Our duel will have to wait until after you're caught. Actually, I can't wait, so I guess I'll beat the shit out of you preemptively!"

The Umbreon then started running towards Lucario, who had no idea what to do. His physical attacks were all being halted by the barrier, and aside from that there was not much he could do. However, Rukario's frightened stare from earlier when he had been shouting at her suddenly passed through his mind, and he thought of something.

"HAAAAAHHHH!" Lucario suddenly screamed with all his might, making the approaching Umbreon flinch in terror. Lucario took his chance to kick the dark-type's face, but his leg was stopped by the same barrier from before. Using the same leg, he lifted it above his head and let it come crashing down on his opponent, only this time there was nothing stopping it, to everyone's surprise. The heel of his foot struck the Umbreon's back hard, making him lose his foothold and crash on the ground with his stomach.

"AAHHH!" the Umbreon yelled with a pained cough, "What the hell!"

"Forgive me!" the Espeon said with a louder voice than usual, "I was distracted!"

"Distracted? You mean…" Lucario said with a smile before opening his mouth wide, "BAAAAHHHH!"

"Ow! My ears!" the Umbreon groaned as he pulled down his ears to the sides of his head, "Knock it off, asshole!"

"Hah! I bet that barrier doesn't stop sound from coming through, does it!" Lucario kept going, "YAAAAAHHH!"

"Grr! You want a piece of me!" the Umbreon growled in response, "I CAN SHOUT TOO, YOU KNOW!"

"GOOD!" Lucario shouted back, not covering his ears to prove that he was more macho than his enemy, "HOW'RE THOSE HUMONGOUS EARS FEELIN', PUNK!"

"THEY'RE SMALLER THAN YOURS, ASSWIPE!" the Umbreon continued defiantly, as an unseen force suddenly pushed Lucario and sent him sliding backwards.

"Could the two of you stick to fighting, lest you shatter our eardrums?" the Espeon said in annoyance as Rukario could not help but nod in agreement.

"… What?" Lucario asked, clearing out his ears and hearing a rumbling sound. At first he thought he might have developed tinnitus from all the shouting, but noticed that there were thick darkened clouds above them, the sun having completely vanished behind them. His idea of these simply being smoky remnants from the pillars of fire faded as he suddenly felt the faint touch of a rain drop on the tip of his nose.

"She said…" the Umbreon started before leaping up and knocking Lucario straight on the mouth, making him stumble backwards a few steps before collapsing from the heavy blow.

"Ow…" Lucario grumbled, reminding himself of not attempting a bite to pierce through the barrier.

"Easy on the teeth…" the Espeon muttered dangerously, "How will you take responsibility if he loses his heroic smile…?"

"Better give up soon, or your body's gonna be mush once I'm done!" the Umbreon chuckled confidently, "I train by splitting boulders with my head!"

"Wouldn't that cause severe brain…" Lucario said after rising to his feet, stopping himself as the Umbreon looked at him with a vacant stare, "… Never mind."

The Umbreon then came at him again, as he tried dodging but was knocked off balance by the Espeon's psychic abilities. Thinking that the Espeon would be able to knock him down and create a barrier at the same time, he snuck in a kick at the Umbreon as he was falling, only to feel it strike the same force field as usual. What followed was another powerful blow to his head, making him fly backwards in a flip.

"Hahahah! Too easy!" the Umbreon chuckled, his boyish voice making it come off as more of a snicker.

"You sound rather confident…" the Espeon said, not all too happy with seeing her Lucario take such a beating, "… Should I let you handle him alone, perhaps?"

"Oh, man… I am NOT losing to these two idiots!" Lucario bellowed as he got up, filling up with rage that somehow felt more pure than the one he had experienced earlier, "I'm just not. I REFUSE!"

Lucario rushed towards the Umbreon with a mighty bellow, suddenly wanting nothing more than to feel the dark-type's skull crumble under his fist. The Umbreon was more than happy to accommodate as he headbutted Lucario in return, while a barrier blocked Lucario's attack.

Lucario took a step back but soon lounged, attempting another attack. They continued exchanging blows long after Lucario's stamina had run out, his aggressions fueled on sheer spite alone. However, in the end his body would no longer comply with his hatred, as he stumbled backwards and fell to his knees after a particularly hard blow to his stomach.

"Ugh…" Lucario groaned while feeling dizzy from exhaustion. The rain was really starting to come down now, as if the weather itself was signaling his impending defeat. He wobbled as he tried to stand up, and was knocked on his back by yet another blast from the Espeon's psychic abilities, temporarily making the raindrops around him fly vertically.

"Hahah! This is it!" the Umbreon laughed as he suddenly ran towards the collapsed Lucario, who was too weakened to move out of the way. The Umbreon's path suddenly became blocked by Rukario appearing from the side, lifting her leg and getting ready to drop it like a thunderbolt from the skies. However, the mere sight of Rukario's sudden appearance was enough to make the Umbreon hesitate, as he started leaping backwards as a defensive reflex.

"Gah… You… Why're you still here…?" Lucario muttered weakly as Rukario crouched down beside him, his eyes halfway closed in an attempt to block out the rain that was now falling directly on his face, "I told you to piss off…"

"You obviously need my help!" Rukario shouted at him, too taken aback by his brashness to hold back herself, thinking he was barely able to keep his eyes open from exhaustion, "Why will you not see that!"

"… Don't you… You still don't get it…?" Lucario groaned while looking away from Rukario, her pained expression filling his heart with sadness, looking just like the one he had been forced to endure in his nightmares for so long, "They want me, not you. Run. I… I'm tired of having everyone around me suffer for my own damn problems…"

"… W-What…?" Rukario stammered, not believing what she was hearing.

"If they got you too, on top of everything I've put you through…" Lucario continued with a sad expression, his worries about the helpful yet tragic Rukario genuine, "… Only then, I don't think I could survive…"

Looking down at Lucario with a shocked expression, Rukario felt herself more taken aback by this than anything else he had done so far. This brute that had robbed her of the love of her life, punched her and screamed at her… Did he just say that he was willing to sacrifice himself for her?

Had she judged him too rashly? Was he a good soul, simply thrust into a bad situation? Although Lucario was much less delicate, the kindness that had made her fall in love with Cyon in the first place appeared to still be with him, only hidden from sight. Although she was still bewildered by the whole situation, she now understood that Lucario and Cyon were two sides of the same card.

"… Lucario," Rukario whispered, finally being able to accept the entity beneath her for what it really was, "I promised to help you out. I will not go back on my word."

"Circumstances have changed…" Lucario mumbled as he started planning on how to contact Celebi, so she could return the favor and rescue him from Blue, "We have no hope of winning, but at least you have a faint chance of escaping…"

"… To where…?" Rukario said slowly as she knew there was only one thing she could do to help Lucario now.

"… Not here?" Lucario smirked.

"The journey that brought me here… The only thing that kept me going was the hope of reuniting with Cyon," she said while looking into his eyes, finally realizing that what she could see in him was not something he could see in her, "The journey home… Away from all this… I do not think I can bear it."

She slowly rose to her feet, frightened of what she was planning. Cyon or Lucario, both would have called her insane had she told him what she was about to do. Even so, she knew that if she were to withhold her intervention that could change everything, she would never forgive herself. Her life was already without meaning, this would be a chance to make her delayed suicide something worthwhile.

"But… At least…" Rukario whispered as she shot Lucario one last glance before walking towards the two Eeveelutions, Lucario feeling impressed by her determination to keep on fighting.

The rain had picked up into full storm, pouring down fiercely but without any wind whatsoever to accompany it. All the participants in the battle were silently ignoring the rain, even though the wetness made them all uncomfortable. Rukario knew this would be the last out of everyone's problems in a few moments.

The Umbreon was watching the two Lucario, the sappy atmosphere between the two of them making him feel left out but still wanting to be respectful and not come off as a jerk to his future girlfriend. He realized this might not have been the best of ideas as Rukario's approaching body suddenly started to glow.

"For Lucario's sake…!" she said to herself as every muscle in her started to flex and every individual cell started working overtime, "No… For Cyon's sake…!"

While the insides of her body turned into a flurry of pain and turmoil, the only thing visible on the outside were tiny sparks of blue fire seeping out of random spots of her body. Lucario winced as he recognized the pale blue flames bubbling over her body, remembering just how painful enduring a single moment of them had been. Rukario shared his sentiment and felt like every last inch of her was being covered in acidic fire, the pain of her burned hand and damaged face growing number and number.

Bracing herself, she used all of her strength to jump straight up into the sky. Everyone's neck craned as they saw her soaring above them, glowing like an angel in an aura of blue fire. Her mind entered a state of insanity from the internal suffering she was going through, reasons to both stop and keep going filling her up and helping her ignore the pain a little.

Amidst the sea of painful sensations, she could feel that the attack was finally ready. She thrust both her arms and legs downwards, aimed at the two Eeveelutions who were looking up at her.

"G-GET BEHIND ME!" the Espeon suddenly cried out in sheer terror, as the Umbreon snapped back and started running towards her. Every inch of Rukario's being now wanted them gone, the very hairs on her body stretched out like sharp and hostile spikes towards them.

"AURA STORM!" Rukario screamed with all her might in an attempt to combat the pain overtaking her mind, before she felt her every nerve become ripped apart as she commenced with the attack.

A gigantic beam of bright blue energy left Rukario's body with the sound of a never-ending explosion, striking down on the two Eeveelutions in the matter of an instant. An almost solid-looking wall prevented the beam from fully reaching them, the Espeon blocking the aura with her most powerful barrier as the Umbreon cowered in fear. Five seconds passed before the aura storm broke through the barrier, both of the Eeveelutions screaming in pain as the aura overtook them. The beam covered them completely as it struck into the ground, not even making a dent in the soil but instantly evaporating the grass which lay upon it.

Lucario and Blue were completely frozen, seeing the beam growing thinner and Rukario's aura fading away. Finally the beam went away completely, and as it was no longer keeping Rukario propelled in midair, she fell down to the ground. Lucario quickly rose up in order to catch her, but his exhausted body failed him as he stumbled in the rain. She fell down hard on the soggy soil, alone and with no one to depend on.

The aura had successfully eradicated every bit of growth where it struck but left the ground intact, leaving a peculiar bald spot. In the middle of that spot was the Umbreon, seemingly unharmed but completely motionless and unconscious. By the outskirts of the barren crater was the Espeon, still moving around a little but shaking badly and struggling to get to her feet.

Lucario paid no notice to this as he ran as quickly as he could towards Rukario, who was lying in the rain with her eyes closed. He saw what looked like small cracks in her skin wherever there was no fur to cover it up, and smelled burning flesh.

"Rukario!" Lucario shouted as he fell to his knees, "Damn you! DAMN YOU! I told you this was the LAST thing I wanted!" He was given no response and grabbed a hold of her wrist, struggling to find a vein so he could check her pulse. No matter how hard he tried, he was unable to find any signs of life.

"Stop dying!" he shouted, the raindrops dripping down his face starting to turn salty, "Stay the hell out of my conscience, you… Come on! You can't just…"

An odd yet familiar sound came from behind him, as he realized that Blue had just recalled his Pokémon. His eyes were transfixed on Rukario, so he could not bear to look away from her even as Blue slowly walked up to them in the pouring rain.

"… What a tragic end…" Blue said with a dismal voice, unfitting of his shocked expression, "Why would a wild Pokémon do something like this…?"

"Damn it! Was this my fault…?" Lucario shouted, smashing down both his fists on Rukario's lifeless chest in anguish. The impact from his blow suddenly made her left leg jump as she groaned painfully, making Lucario fall back in terror.

"No! She needs medical care!" Blue suddenly yelled, rushing forward and keeping the two of them separated with outstretched arms.

"She… She's alive…?" Lucario stammered hopefully before realizing that the man responsible for this had just pushed him away from her, "… Hey. Is she alive? If not, get that hand out of my face or I'll break it off."

"… I left all my items at home, but I'll take her to a Pokecenter and hope for the best," Blue said as he bent over and carefully picked Rukario up, the old man surprising Lucario with his strength, "Sorry, but there's no time to waste." The fainted Pokémon was the same weight that he had expected, meaning that his Pokémon would be able to carry the two of them at the same time. As his hands were currently occupied, he decided to summon his Pokémon the old fashioned way.

"SKARMORY, I CHOOSE YOU!" Blue yelled loudly, as one of the Pokeballs on his belt suddenly opened itself, bringing out the Skarmory that Rukario had earlier defeated. It was in bad shape, cracks covering its previously untainted helmet, but was still seemingly capable of flying as its peculiar wings were intact. It looked at Rukario with an annoyed stare before bending its head down and letting Blue place her on its back.

"… Listen, when she wakes up, could you tell her I said…" Lucario said before seeing the confused expression on Blue's face, "… No, I guess you can't…"

"I'll tell her," the Skarmory said with a sharp, almost screeching voice.

"Uh…" Lucario exclaimed, imagining his beautiful words being presented by the Skarmory's horrible voice, "That's OK. I'll, uh… Tell her myself, some day."

Blue sat down on the skeletal bird, holding Rukario down so that she would be secured during the flight.

"She's… Too good for this fate," Lucario said with a pained expression before looking at Blue with a quiet rage, "If you think this counts as you catching her…"

"I swear upon my status as a trainer…" Blue said, getting an idea of what Lucario was saying from the look of his face, "… I will set her free once she has healed."

"You had better. If you don't…" Lucario said menacingly with pure murder in the depths of his eyes, "I will hunt you down, Blue."

"… Time is wasting, but…" Blue said as he thought of something to say, "You are… Extraordinary. I…"

Blue then suddenly kicked the sides of the Skarmory, making it fly up a few feet into the air where it kept itself floating with regulated wing flaps.

"Lucario! This must not be our last meeting!" Blue shouted to him with a determined voice, "I will make sure your friend is healed, and then challenge you with a new team of Pokémon!"

Blue then snapped his fingers while smiling and pointing down at Lucario, who looked up at him with anger. The champion trainer got the idea and quickly secured Rukario before the three of them flew off, leaving Lucario alone on the ground below in a pool of rain and regret.

"… Hey… Assholes…" Lucario muttered with disdain while clutching his aching chest, "… I could use some medical care too, you know…"


	35. Revelations: Epilogue of Episode VI

After searching the area around the foot of the mountain without finding any trace of Mew, Lucario settled down disappointedly. Considering the ruckus that had just taken place at her secret haven, Lucario figured Mew would have disappeared into another dimension by now.

There was no hope of him climbing the mountain either, the foot of it reaching up high and vertically like the impenetrable walls of a castle. The thought made him shrug, knowing that he would be fine just waiting by the foot of it and never having had that mountain-scaling impulse so many people talk about.

He knew that Mew was a shapeshifter, and a very shy one at that. Every now and then a Pokémon would pass by and chat casually, Lucario trying his best to figure out if they were actually Mew in disguise and wondering about it long after they had left. He felt his sanity waning rather quickly, doubt spreading through his mind as the days passed slowly.

Rukario's magnificent display had left quite the impression on him, more so than the destructive aftereffects. Willing to try anything to pass the time, he decided to train himself in the ways of the aura so he could recreate the aura storm. After exactly one attempt followed by a lingering aching all over his body, he decided to that his previous decision would be overturned in favor of taking a well-deserved vacation.

Much to his chagrin and continued survival there were several bushed filled with berries in the area, so he did not have to starve or deal with a pleasurable sensation in his mouth. With nothing else to do and far too much confidence in his own culinary skills, he tried mixing random herbs and spices he found growing nearby into his meals. The various plants added a nice taste, as well as several more days to his recovery when he came down with food poisoning.

Lying on the ground and twisting in agony, he would compose himself whenever someone passed by, pretending to be occupied with something. He felt that nothing would sting quite as bad as the pity of complete strangers. His stomach aching and his body hurting, he slowly begun to realize that free time was posing him with far more danger than anything else so far, and hoped Mew would make her appearance while he was still among the living.

Then, about a gruesomely slow week after he had started his waiting, something finally happened. A rustle in the nearby bushes caught his attention as he walked up to it to see what it was. He was not sensing any aura, meaning that it had to be a Dark-type… Or, as he suddenly realized, someone was just trying to distract him…

"YOU!" a dignified yet soft and sweet voice came from behind him, instead of the backstab he had been expecting. Turning around he saw a small, pink being floating in midair by the foot of the mountain, a little to the left of where he had been sleeping most of the time.

"… Mew?" Lucario asked with a surprised expression plastered on his face, too sick of waiting to care about subtlety in his inquiry, "You're Mew!"

Her size was the first aspect that left an impact with Lucario - She was barely larger than his own torso, and was the same as Celebi. Lucario became very shocked at this before he realized that taking on a weak-looking form would let her hide her presence as the greatest Pokémon of all time much easier.

Her head contained a set of everything you would find on a normal creature, her eyes blue as both the ocean and the sky. She had short arms and large hind legs, neither being used as she was hovering above the ground in a shimmering yet barely visible bubble. The bubble suddenly faded away as a tail as long as the rest of her body started flailing around behind her, happy to be let out of its transparent confinement.

Even so, her small form echoed of grace, simple yet somehow unnaturally clean and bright, almost like a cartoon character come to life. One would have to be blind, deaf and dumb to miss that this was not a regular Pokémon.

"You remember!" Mew said excitedly as her face lit up in pure joy, "You remember, you remember! I never would have thought-"

"Of course!" Lucario exclaimed confidently, not really sure what exactly she was referring to but getting many a strange feelings from looking at the pink cat, "Hey, Celebi told me you're a shape shifter; this is not your original form, is it?"

"I cannot believe this! For so long, I have been…" Mew continued happily, before trailing off as her expression turned into one of slight confusion, "… Not my original form?"

"Yeah!" Lucario kept going while scratching the back of his head, "I mean, this form's cute! I like that you've got a sense of humor, but I want to see what you really look like!"

"Oh, I see, you are still… But that cannot be…" Mew mumbled while her delighted demeanor slowly faded.

"Don't tell me…" Lucario said as a devastating possibility struck him, "… You're not Mew, after all?"

"Are you… Your mind…" Mew continued while countering his curiosity with her own, "Is your mind human or Pokémon?"

"Human!" Lucario exclaimed with a very impressed voice, "Wow! You really ARE good! How'd you know?"

"But… I… You…" Mew stammered while being unable to make heads or tails out of what was happening, "… Something here is amiss."

"Really? A miss?" Lucario asked, "But you hit it right on the head!"

"This simply cannot be a coincidence," Mew told herself while analyzing the familiar aura, "Tell me, are you suffering from amnesia?"

"Hell no!" Lucario burst out with an offended tone, "My memory's the best there is! I'll recite the periodic table right here, right now!"

"But… You do not remember me?" Mew asked with a worried expression.

"Why would I remember you?" Lucario asked in return, shrugging his shoulders. He wasn't even sure if this Pokémon was truly Mew, having forgotten to ask Celebi for a description. He thought that like genders, normal Pokémon would probably be able to tell who she was just by looking at her, which in turn led to Lucario realizing something.

"Wait… Now that you mention it…" he said quietly while thinking to himself, "All this Pokémon stuff is completely new to me. Yeah, I didn't know anything about Pokémon back when I first woke up in this body."

Mew's response was silence, as she seemed to drift off into another world with a vacant expression.

"… Mew?" Lucario asked, wondering if this was normal or not.

"… Oh! Excuse me!" Mew exclaimed as she woke up, "I… I think I know what is wrong. Tell me, do you remember being human?"

"Well, duh!" Lucario said confidently while thinking of ways to prove it, "I was a brawny guy who loved to explore, I always got straight As in school and my mom would always spend my money when I wasn't looking! I remember every little detail!"

"But you cannot remember anything about Pokémon…" Mew whispered slowly before raising her voice, "And you cannot recall how you became a Pokémon, either?"

"That's true, but… You mean that those two are related?" Lucario said before slapping his forehead, "I mean, uh, of course they are! But how?"

"I should probably tell you," Mew started before looking down on the ground with a worried expression, "… But…"

"… But?" Lucario repeated while also looking at the ground, wondering if there was anything interesting down there.

"… It will change everything," Mew spoke clearly as she lifted her head, "If you are satisfied with life the way it is now…"

"Hell no," Lucario said bluntly, "I came to see you to help me transform back into a human."

"… Oh," Mew exclaimed softly with a blink, "Truly? That is… Hmm…"

"OK, so out of this whole conversation, I understand nothing so far," Lucario muttered while shaking his head in annoyance, "Let's take things from the beginning, shall we?"

"Then, allow me to tell you of what happened…" Mew said, secretly reluctant as she began to tell Lucario her story…


	36. Catastrophic Apocalypse Deoxys

Death... Death is beyond our comprehension. The more we begin to understand the complete end of everything we define as existing, the more we realize just how unspeakably horrifying it is. Even so, it is the unavoidable fate that awaits all living things, without any exceptions. Our only hope of survival lies in our ability not to think about it, to appreciate life for what it is and to not needlessly wallow in sorrow over our already decided demise.

This was a peace of mind that Mew came to long as she saw the line of maimed corpses and razed ground heading directly into a city.

She had been out flying this cloudy afternoon for no particular reason, when she had suddenly come across a group of dead Pokémon. They had been scattered around what seemed to be a long line of dead grass, stretching in both directions as far as she could see. Following the line in the direction to her right, she had wondered if she was heading towards or away from the origin point. The fresher corpses of both Pokémon and humans she had come across while following the trail told her that it was the latter, as it now led her into a newly destroyed human settlement.

The city was in ruins, crumbled buildings lying among slaughtered people and Pokémon randomly strewn about. The foul stench of blood and gore lay heavy in the air as Mew used her psychic abilities to disable her sense of smell, keeping herself from vomiting.

Children and adults alike, there was no discrimination. What had once been living creatures were now all but slabs of meat, waiting to rot into nothingness and sink into the earth. The cruelty of whatever was responsible for this knew no bounds, Mew being unable to tell which death had been the most agonizing. A Sandslash with a slit throat and bloodied claws caught her eye, because next to his corpse lay two headless Sandshrew. While pinning this whole disaster on the deceased Sandslash would ease her mind quite a bit, she thought that he must have simply been driven to madness from witnessing the hellish scene.

Mew felt her sanity tearing with every passing moment, and decided to keep on moving. Imagining a single passing would be enough to keep her awake at night; actually seeing so many innocent torn to bits was something far beyond what her mind could handle. She quickly blocked it out and followed the trail of destruction once more, out of the city. Despite being so in love with this world and always seeing the good in everything and everyone, she could not help but feel as if her innocence would never again return.

"Oh no..." she whispered to herself, seeing the trail of destruction leading directly through a forest, the outskirts of which now were riddled with pieces of Pokémon. Silently she prayed that there would even be a single flicker of life still present, for if she would find a survivor she would no longer care for her long kept secrecy and safety.

She would show herself. Anything to keep her from being alone in this hell!

But all she felt was nothingness. Whatever this menace was, it was effective and left no one alive within a radius of hundreds of feet. She had come across Pokémon of every type, size and strength, all dead and frighteningly often mutilated. Neither she nor Mewtwo would be able to cause such extreme carnage so quickly, and if this monster was more powerful than him, even she would not be able to stop it.

It could destroy the world.

No... It WAS destroying the world. This was the apocalypse.

She flew over the forest, sparing herself the horrific sights inside while still being able to follow whatever caused it due to a clear path of withering trees. Whoever was responsible for all this had eradicated all life nearby, but had apparently not considered the surrounding flora as sentient despite technically possessing life. This meant that it was not completely mindless, and the thought brought a shiver to her form - What if this was the cause of someone she already knew? Only one Pokémon would have the potential to be this powerful and mercilessly evil...

Her train of thoughts abruptly ended as something she never thought she would feel again came upon her - The sensation of life. A few miles ahead, she sensed the aura of several humans and Pokémon. She increased her speed and moved as quickly as possible, noticing that the auras were rapidly vanishing one by one. In the midst of the chaos she knew they must be experiencing, there was a faint flicker of a terrifyingly powerful aura, going on and off at an irregular and quick pace.

The long distance took her barely a minute to cover, her determination to rescue them from this nightmare making her move at a speed like never before. Whatever was causing this was not slacking, either - Already the multitude of auras had disappeared, leaving only three more. A scream of agony resounded through the air and hit her ears, as she finally laid eyes upon the source of the auras she had felt.

One was a Lucario, bleeding severely and standing on his knees. He was in bad shape, the spikes usually found on their hands and chest gone and replaced by heavy scar tissue. The other was a Medicham, now in four pieces and scattering herself over the bloodstained area, a permanent expression of terror formed upon her cleaved face. The third one was the origin of the extremely powerful aura Mew had sensed earlier, and she knew without a shred of a doubt that it was cause of this whole situation.

It looked human. It had a human arm, a human head, a human torso and human legs. However, likening this perversion of nature any further to anything remotely definable as "human" would be an insult. Its skin was bubbling, red and irritated, seemingly infected by hundreds of diseases. Just being in the vicinity of it made Mew fear that she would be infected by a quarter of them and die on the spot. While one arm was that of a human, the other one was nothing but two tentacles flailing about restlessly, like the severed tail of a lizard. Two large ears seemed to be sticking out of the sides of its head, but upon closer inspection she noticed it was actually a pair of cancerous tumors, constantly pulsing.

Its face was covered with what looked like a green platter, sown into its skin and nailed into its cranium. The only thing visible of the actual creature underneath was its eyes, as large holes had been cut out for them. They were of the darkest black Mew had ever witnessed, the nightly skies seeming like a sunny day in comparison. The eyes were empty enough to only be comparable to black holes, so non-existent that it nearby objects ran the risk of being sucked in and turned into oblivion.

"No! Stop!" Mew shrieked, making the Lucario turn his head towards her in surprise. The monster did not pay her any notice as it slowly moved towards the Lucario, almost slithering in the way it walked.

"I said..." Mew growled as she unleashed her most powerful Psychic attack upon the creature, "STOP!"

However, the monster was no longer where she had aimed, having completely vanished from her sight. A painful cry struck her ears as she turned her head, seeing the monster now having impaled the Lucario with its two tentacles. Mew shot a speedy Aura Sphere as a reflex, but the monster easily deflected with its human hand, not even turning its head towards her as it was completely focused on the Lucario in front of it.

The Lucario coughed, the sharp tendrils writhing around in his wounds, and Mew could tell that he was quickly dying. He would soon be beyond even her help, while Mew could do nothing but helplessly watch as his life trickled away. His blood splashed over Deoxys, the red liquid sinking into its cancerous flesh and leaving no trace behind.

Mew started to panic as she had never felt so weak before, covering herself in a barrier so strong that the very air around it evaporated into nothingness, creating a miniature vacuum effect. She then zoomed toward the humanoid at a speed comparable to that of light, putting all her power into the attack that had once made even Mewtwo stagger from sheer force.

The monster quickly moved itself backwards from the Lucario, not even turning its head to face her. She was still in full control and turned to the left so that she would still be able to hit it, but suddenly noticed that it had completely vanished once more. Making a swift U-turn, she saw the monster now coming directly towards her, and braced herself for the impact.

Then, the monster was suddenly flying beside her, swinging its tendrils in her direction. Panicking, Mew swerved to the side, only to have it stay right next to her in perfect coordination, as if it were slowing itself down to match her speed. One of the tendrils grazed her face, making her lose all control and unleash her most powerful shockwave, the grass beneath them ripping from the ground and scattering in all directions.

The monster did not even flinch. Instead, it used its own shockwave in response, sending Mew flying against her will for the first time in her life. The power of it even made the Lucario's body fall down and roll over like a ragdoll, despite now being almost twenty feet away from them.  
>As the last flicker of the Lucario's life faded, so did Mew's hope. It was over. As she had feared, this monster was strong beyond her wildest imaginations, faster than anything she could measure up to and utterly ruthless. She would become another one of its prey, before the rest of the world would follow. The fact that everything she knew and loved was coming to such a tragic end was enough to make her eyes tear up, even though she felt like she had already become emotionally dead from what she had seen on this day to end all days.<p>

In her despair, she did not notice a pathetically weak aura coming up from behind her. A human man was approaching them, stopping himself as he gazed upon the destruction. He was in his 30's, carrying a strong build and unusually hairy arms. His clothing was ragged and torn, wearing common jeans and a brown cloak to cover himself, and he had a backpack which slid off him as he stood stunned in surprise.

"What... On... Earth..." he stammered to himself in disbelief, making Mew visibly twitch as she turned around.

"Human! Flee!" Mew suddenly cried out, looking down at the human as she instinctively floated up into the air for protection.

"Whoa! What the..." the human exclaimed as he looked up and saw Mew, "... Is that... Mew!"

"Human, you must escape!" Mew yelled loudly while snapping her vision back and forth between the human and the monster, "You will die!"

"You can talk!" the human shouted out in shock before turning his head towards the creepy humanoid not far away, "Wait, what the hell is that thing!"

Reaching behind his cloak, he quickly pulled out a small technological appliance, which he pointed towards the monster. The small machine beeped lightly, before giving off a metallic voice:

Deoxys

"... Aw come on, you've got a name for it!" the human cried out as he started rattling his Pokedex in frustration, "Give me something helpful, here!"

Mew was about to say something, but had no time as Deoxys suddenly flew towards them. She raised her most powerful barrier, bracing herself as a mental image of it having no effect and her getting impaled by the sharp tentacles passed through her mind. Instead, Deoxys used its human hand to punch through the barrier with the force of a comet, shattering it with a loud boom as Mew was thrown back.

"Mew!" the human shouted in surprise, "No way, how strong is that thing!"

"... Run..." Mew said weakly, her mind was still scrambled after the strong impact, "I will... Distract him..."

"Distract!" the human exclaimed with a panicked tone, "If you can't stop him, who can!"

"... No one..." Mew continued with utter despair in her voice, "I fear... Human, this is the end of the world..."

The human flinched, hearing these words. He was about to interject, but had to stop himself as he looked at the area around them once more. Terror filled him as he saw pieces of flesh in varying colors of skin lay about, completely unrecognizable from the people and Pokémon they had once belonged to. The once dimmed clouds in the sky had turned hellishly black, as if heaven itself had been corrupted by this unspeakable display. In the middle of it all stood Deoxys, about to murder the purest Pokémon in all existence, seeing her as nothing more than a slab of meat to be chopped up and discarded.

The end of the world...

"... Bullshit..." the human muttered to himself while gritting his teeth, before clenching his fists and raising his voice, "I'm Ethan, the goddamn champion of the world! That thing's gonna be _sorry_it ran into me!"

"I cannot look after you, human!" Mew shouted and completely ignored his bravado, "Leave, or this monster will kill you!"

The two of them looked at Deoxys, whose attention was still solely with Mew. Ethan gasped as he saw a faint yellow spark form beneath the monster's abdomen, recognizing it from the time he had been defeated by Red's Pikachu.

"Mew, look out!" Ethan burst out, "It... It's using Thunderbolt!"

Mew tried to ignore him to keep focused on the battle, but as the words passed through her head, a memory of the charred corpses of a family of Pidgey she had come across earlier crossed her mind as she instinctively tore up the ground beneath with her psychic powers. Manipulating the free floating soil into a circle covering both her and Ethan, lightning suddenly struck as Deoxys exploded into a ball of thunder, gigantic sparks flying in every direction.

Ethan fell back in shock, the bright light seeping through tiny holes in their shield powerful enough to make his corneas burn. Not even Red's Pikachu had been able to do that. The attack stopped as their shield of earth crumbled, Mew breathing out in relief as Ethan noticed a corpse as far as fifteen feet away having turned into charcoal.

"Awawa..." he stammered, "That was a big fucking Thunderbolt..."

"Are you alright!" Mew asked with concern, amazed to see the human still in one piece. From her experience, humans were not the most durable of creatures, what she had witnessed this day reinforcing that.

"Yeah..." Ethan said as he rose to his feet and rubbed his eyes, "A barrier made out of ground? I've never seen anything like it..."

He looked at Deoxys, trying to make sense out of what it was. All he knew that if it were to touch him, he would probably come down with enough diseases to make him explode into a cloud of germs. Rubbing his eyes once more, he noticed that the area around Deoxys was a lot brighter than before, making it glow in a green light. Keeping his sight fixed upon the unfamiliar fiend, he once more gained a hunch of what was happening.

"Watch out, it's charging up a Solar Beam!" Ethan yelled before pointing up to the sky where the dark clouds had inexplicably separated, "The sun! Cover up the sun!"

Mew followed his finger before quickly clasping her hands together, remembering the technique Celebi had forced her to learn. The air around her hands suddenly began to turn denser, until it became a thick smoke visible to the naked eyes. The smoke quickly rose and spread, covering the sky as Deoxys stopped glowing, but still did not even bother looking up.

"You did it!" Ethan burst out in surprise, this display making the exciting feeling of directing a Pokémon battle return to him after having been absent for so long, "That totally stopped him!"

"Yes!" Mew replied while sounding even more surprised than Ethan, "How did you know what move it was using?"

"The outer skin turned brighter, meaning that it was absorbing light..." Ethan explained as he involuntarily started thinking of his very first Pokémon, "... I've countered that move a thousand times before!"

Ethan shook lightly, the sensation of once more being a Pokémon trainer overwhelming him. The feeling that had vanished and remained dormant for so long came back, as he felt like he was fighting his first gym leader all over again. Somewhere between directing the most powerful Pokémon of his life and fighting the most powerful enemy he had ever faced, his spirit had awoken.

"... Mew, let me guide you!" Ethan suddenly said, looking up at Mew who was busy observing Deoxys carefully, "I'm Ethan, the best trainer there has ever been! Follow my directions, and we've got a chance of winning!"

"Are you certain it will help!" Mew shouted to him, her eyes never leaving Deoxys. It was just standing there, staring at her and seemingly unable to comprehend why she was not yet dead. She knew that if she were to even blink just when the monster decided to attack, her eyes might never open again.

"What is there to lose!" Ethan yelled back at her, their depressing situation somehow being repelled by his indomitable fighting spirit.

Mew already felt sick to the stomach, but the thought of adding herself to a trainer's collection made the feeling worse. Even so, by working together they had managed to completely repel two of the monster's attacks, and if there was even the slightest possibility of them winning, there was nothing she would not do... Even if it meant going against everything she believed in.

"... Fine!" Mew said loudly while mentally bracing herself for the Pokeball that was sure to follow, "But it will make no difference! This monster is too fast, even for me!"

"In that case..." Ethan responded, wondering why the small legendary was cringing so badly with each word he said, "Mew, legend has it you can use every move there is, is that true?"

"Yes!" Mew responded, going with a simple answer as this would be the worst time possible to go into too much detail, "Every element! Now, please-"

"Then..." Ethan whispered before stopping, not being able to withhold a dramatic pause despite being in such a dangerous situation, "Use Trick Room!"

Mew turned back and looked at him, suddenly realizing that he was not going to capture her, but simply help her out as an ally. This came as an utter shock to her, having known nothing but trainers rabidly trying to catch her at even the slightest hint of her presence. Scanning his body with her superhuman senses, she noticed that this so-called trainer was not even carrying any Pokeballs with him, the only piece of technology on him being the small machine that had given a name to Deoxys.

Figuring out what this meant would have to wait until a better time, and she now felt more confident about teaming up with the human beneath her. But even so, what he had just said...

"... What is that?" Mew asked, looking bewildered.

"T... Trick Room!" Ethan repeated as his momentum disappeared and the wind was taken out of him, "You know! Speed altering! Psychic! The room where trickery is plentiful and had by all!"

"I have never heard of it before!" Mew replied with a worried tone, cursing at herself for not studying trainer terminology more thoroughly.

"Oh shit!" Ethan shouted while pulling out the Pokedex. His swift fingers had already brought up the menu for recorded attacks by the time the automatic lighting activated.

"C-Create a large fermionic field and, uh..." Ethan read the instructions out loud while realizing that if Mew did not know what a Trick Room was, she would definitively not be able to make any sense out of this, "... Fluctuate the gravitational constant inside of it!"

Much to his surprise, Mew quickly closed her eyes and started focusing intently. A purple translucent box appeared between them and Deoxys, growing at a very high pace. Ethan flinched as the wall of purple consumed him, a very peculiar yet quite familiar sensation passing through him. Deoxys simply stood still, making no attempt at dodging as the seemingly harmless box overtook him as well. By the time Mew was done the box had reached preposterously large dimensions, taller than a skyscraper and wider than an arena.

"... THAT you understood!" Ethan burst out with annoyance before being taken back by the sheer power of Mew's psychic abilities, "Whoa, what a gigantic trick room... My Misdreavus wouldn't even be able to make one half this size..."

"Brilliant!" Mew exclaimed happily, more impressed by his idea than her own actions, "Ethan, you are a genius! I never would have imagined something like this!"

"Well, I didn't exactly invent it..." Ethan chuckled as he scratched the back of his head, "Be careful though, only his speed is affected! Now, beat his ass with a Zen headbutt!"

"A... What?" Mew tried repeating, quickly forgetting what he had even said.

"I don't know," Ethan growled hopelessly while throwing his hands up into the sky, "Surround yourself in energy and tackle him, or something!"

While removing the distance between her and Deoxys was the last thing Mew wanted to do, her energy tackles were both fast and powerful and would be the perfect course of action, had this monster not been so absurdly powerful. She decided to put her trust into Ethan, and formed a mighty barrier around her as she zoomed towards the monster, not noticing any difference in her own speed.

The Trick Room's effects made itself apparent when Deoxys started moving out of the way, only to feel himself tugged in every direction at once. From his vision, Mew was lagging around the area, making him unable to tell where she actually was. She was about to strike him when he calmly moved to the side in the last second with the same speed she was using, her attack barely grazing him. Mew felt hope return as she made a sharp U-turn, Deoxys trying to follow her like the last time but being unable to move faster than her, getting outrun by Mew's higher velocity. She struck his human arm as she passed by, quickly moving back to where Ethan was before Deoxys had the time to counterattack.

"You've got him!" Ethan exclaimed excitedly while pumping his fist in the air, "Way to go, Mew!"

"Ethan! Beware!" Mew shouted as Deoxys suddenly came towards them. He was moving at a more reasonable speed this time, which led to Mew unleashing a powerful Psychic attack against him. Deoxys was forced to make a long backflip to avoid the attack, so agile that it made Ethan gasp out loud.

"Oh, what the hell!" Ethan burst out in shock, "He's still THIS fast, despite being in a Trick Room!"

"Ethan!" Mew said to him while feeling like she could finally finish this, simply not knowing how to go about it, "Please, snap out of it!"

"Huh? Oh, yeah!" Ethan exclaimed before shaking his head, "Hit him with an attack that cannot miss! He won't have the time to counterattack!"

Mew's first impulse was to use the Aura Sphere, but remembered how easily Deoxys had reflected it earlier. Instead, she cupped her hands several times, and each time she opened them there was a round object made out of steel that had not been there before. She felt that making seven of them would be enough, forcing a magnetic field upon her new creations which hovered around her like tiny balloons.

Sending them flying in the monster's direction, he tried dodging to the side as the balls easily followed him, guided by Mew's psychic abilities as well as the magnetic field homing in on the metallic plate covering his face. Mew suddenly pushed the balls forward, making them speed up and attach themselves to the monster's face. The instant the seventh one connect with him, they all exploded in a cloud of white smoke, the blast radius making the ground tremble.

"Magnet Bomb..." Ethan said slowly with eyes wide open, "Holy shit, you managed to make seven of them!"

Mew could still sense Deoxys aura underneath the smoke and knew that he was still alive, but her other senses told her that something very peculiar was happening beyond the veil.

As the smoke cleared, they could see that there was a whole lot less of Deoxys around. He had become thinner, the red infected skin on his body mostly having been replaced by a black armor of unknown material. His double tentacles and human arm had been replaced by slender appendages, looking like the tentacles but were seemingly more firm. The metal plate covering his face was still intact, but his head had been elongated to twice the original size by a massive tumor, looking like a large, malignant hat.

"What..." Mew whispered while looking back at Ethan, pleading for answers, "What has happened to him?"

"... Ludicrous..." Ethan whispered to himself while trying to comprehend what had just happened, "Did he just restructure his entire body...?"

In an instant, Deoxys had closed the distance between himself and Mew, making her raise a barrier in the last moment before one of the tentacles came crashing down upon it, almost shattering it right away. The other tentacle followed, as Deoxys kept himself floating beside her and began pounding her barrier with amazing speed and strength.

"I-Impossible! He made himself faster! But..." Ethan stammered in utter shock as he saw Mew pointlessly trying to move away from the monster's continued onslaught, "... Mew! Don't give up hope! He's faster, but his body looks more fragile! Try that attack ag-"

"He has become too fast even for that! Something else!" Mew shouted in a very fast voice as she quickly moved back, Deoxys coming upon her once more and smashing his powerful tentacles against her barrier. Each blow felt like one of Mewtwo's vicious Psystrikes, and she knew she would not last long at this rate.

"Give me a moment!" Ethan shouted, trying to collect his thoughts and keep himself from panicking at the same time. He knew that Deoxys could not have made himself faster in a Trick Room, as it equalized the speed of everyone within it. No matter how fast, inside the Trick Room there was a limit to one's speed, which had been reached by these two powerful Pokémon long before.

Instead, he knew it was all in the monster's body switch... While its speed had not increased, this body was more suited for swift movements, letting it land a hit and dodge attacks more easily. Ethan dared not think of what would happen if Deoxys left the Trick Room while in this state - They would both be dead before they could even react.

"Ethan!" Mew cried out, a particularly powerful blow piercing her barrier and making her narrowly avoid being run through by the monster's left tentacle.

"GIVE ME A FUCKING MOMENT, GODDAMN IT!" Ethan burst out at her, feeling frustrated as he thought as hard as he could without coming up with a plan.

"Have it, then!" Mew shouted back angrily before deciding to attack Deoxys on her own. Tearing several tufts of grass from the ground while heating up the air around them with her psychic abilities, she sent off a burst of fire at Deoxys. The monster dodged the attack by a long shot as it headed towards her once more, striking her barrier once as she flew back.

"... I've got it!" Ethan suddenly yelled with clarity, "He's only aiming for you since he's got a one track mind! There's no way he'll attack me!"

"What are you..." Mew started, but ended up too surprised to continue as Ethan suddenly ran in front of her with arms outstretched.

"Hey! Deoxys!" Ethan shouted with his determination soaring, "You can't even see me, can you!"

Despite not being directly between Mew and Deoxys, the monster turned its head slightly and looked at him for the first time. Ethan gazed into the empty abyss of the monster's eyes, as the abyss also gazed into him.

**"HUMAN"** a voice as hollow as space and equally encompassing filled Ethan's mind, engulfing his being. His brain started running haywire as he lost his balance and fell to the ground, his senses dimmed and his consciousness somewhere else.

"Ethan!" a weak noise came from somewhere, "Are you OK!"

Blood was running out of Ethan's ears as he slowly began to regain himself from the depths of the monster's soul, recalling how to breathe after what seemed like an eternity of choking.

"OK...?" Ethan repeated as he struggled got up to his feet and covered his bloodied ears, "I... I once took a Horn Drill to the chest in the Safari Zone... This is NOTHING!"

"YOU FOOL! Never do that again!" Mew screamed at him, making him lose his previous confidence and take a step back in surprise. Seeing him bleeding led to her remembering that no matter how powerless she was in front of Deoxys, a human would be nothing more than a speck of dust. The corpses of the dead surrounding them would serve as a constant reminder from this point on.

"Uh..." Ethan mumbled in embarrassment, completely forgetting the pounding headache was now feeling, "I-I just thought he wouldn't notice me..."

"Stay back," Mew continued with a calmer voice but a more worried expression, "I need you. You are more valuable in a passive role."

"... Suits me..." Ethan muttered in response, wiping some of the blood away from his ears. She would have to protect him more carefully... But what could she do when she was barely keeping herself alive?

Noticing that the monster had stopped its attacks and was just standing there, Mew tried to figure out if it was preparing its next move or simply catching its breath. This seemed like something Ethan would be able to figure out more easily, but he was too shook up at the moment to contribute.

"What is this thing, anyway?" Ethan muttered while clutching his pained forehead in an attempt to focus, "Why's it doing this?"

"As much as I hate to admit it, it seems to be nothing more than a mindless beast," Mew said with disdain, her mentality that even the most thorough evil had some good in it pretty much shattered at this point, "Nothing with even a shred of conscience could stomach the atrocities he has committed."

"I wonder..." Ethan continued as his vision began to improve, "If it's a mindless beast, why's it not constantly attacking us in a berserk rage and letting us talk?"

"You... Surely you do not think it has a conscience?" Mew asked him with surprise, amazed that he would even consider such a thing in a battlefield riddled by the monster's prey, "That we can converse with it?"

"Well, my gut says no..." Ethan said with a faint snicker as he held a hand up to his aching chest, "... My scrambled, disoriented gut that got damaged when last I tried sparking a conversation with that thing."

They both stared at Deoxys, who was simply staring into space, seemingly having given up on his rampage altogether.

"... Maybe..." Mew whispered slowly, "... I think it is trying to comprehend why we are not yet dead."

"... No..." Ethan whispered back and started trembling for reason unknown, "... Look... It's doing something, all right..."

They both focused so intently on Deoxys that they failed to notice that the purple box around them was becoming more and more transparent. As silently as it had appeared, the Trick Room had now disappeared, the two of them not even noticing that anything was happening before it was too late.

"... H-Holy shit, the Trick Room's gone!" Ethan stammered frightfully as he looked around them.

"... No!" Mew burst out, seeing that he was right and cursing herself for not having been more attentive.

"We're dead!" Ethan screamed in pure terror as hopelessness washed over him, his heart pounding louder and faster than ever before. Deoxys finally turned his head towards Mew again, making her visibly flinch as she was expecting the attack to kill her before she could even feel it.

However, as the seconds passed, they realized that Deoxys had returned to standing completely still once more. Its body shook slightly as if it was in pain, even though telling the emotions of this mysterious creature was more or less impossible.

"... H-Hey..." Ethan said with a shaky voice, "... He's not killing us..."

"... Or moving..." Mew said with a sigh of relief before realizing that currently they had absolutely no chance of winning, "Quick! We need another plan, before he attacks!"

"Alright, a plan! A plan..." Ethan repeated to himself while forcing his brain to work overtime, their poor odds mocking him and making him wonder if there was even a slight possibility of them coming out of this nightmare alive, "... Uh, can we expect any reinforcements on your end?"

"Most likely not, no one has been left alive for miles..." Mew whispered while seeking auras, shuddering to think of just how many of her friends had come across this unstoppable monster.

"Damn it..." Ethan grumbled with regret, "If I'd only brought my own Pokémon... No, it wouldn't have made a difference, he's just too strong..."

Their conversation was interrupted as Deoxys' tentacles suddenly retracted into his body, visibly crawling around underneath his skin. Ethan felt sick to his stomach and Mew winced as the rumblings underneath his skin grew larger and more violent, seemingly expanding the body of the monster right before their eyes.

A red bubbling liquid started seeping through cracks in the black armor protecting his torso, pouring over him and covering Deoxys in a membrane of sorts. They could hardly believe it as the liquid around him turned solid, creating layer after layer of new flesh and finally making his torso look like a ball. Two pieces from where his shoulders once were then broke off from the ball, creating a new set of thick, flat arms.

"This is not transformation... He is actually rebuilding his body to make it stronger!" Mew exclaimed with a worried tone, trying to distinguish exactly what manner of material composed the body of this monster.

"Such a bulky body..." Ethan mumbled, wondering why it would bother with that instead of just rushing in and killing them, "If I were to guess, I'd say his speed has been lowered, but his defense and possibly attack must've gotten stronger."

"... In that case, it shall be his undoing," Mew said with a hint of confidence, knowing that she knew several attacks that completely ignored defense. Even so, she remembered how easily Deoxys had deflected her Aura Sphere earlier, and decided that she would try to land a critical hit no matter what.

"Mew..." Ethan interrupted her train of thoughts with his own as he noticed that Deoxys once more had yet to simply move forward and kill them, "... Going out on a limb here, but since he's not moving, I think he's going to use Mirror Coat or Counter."

"Pardon?" Mew asked curiously.

"It's... It's really annoying, but he'll put up a barrier that either reflects physical attacks or special attacks," Ethan muttered while scratching the back of his head, still thinking this to be much more preferable to dealing with the blinding speed of Deoxys' earlier form, "It's impossible to tell which one he's charged up before striking. Physical or special, you've got a 50-50 chance of hitting him!"

Mew thought to herself, remembering a very long time ago when uncle Giratina had used a similar strategy against her, in order to show her just how superior his abilities were and how strong she could become if she decided to stay with him instead of running off to explore the world.

She responded the same as back then, firing an Ice Beam from her left hand while slashing her right hand at Deoxys, forming a Psycho Cut. The two attacks roared towards Deoxys and collided with him simultaneously, covering him in ice while making a large gash appear over his thick torso.

"Physical AND Special! Nice one, Mew!" Ethan yelled while smiling and giving both thumbs up. His celebration was short lived as the skin on Deoxys upper body bubbled, covering up the gash and making the ice around him melt away, the monster looking completely indifferent as he stared at them intently.

"That's some pretty impressive defense, all right..." Ethan groaned before perking up, "Still, this is a perfect chance to figure out his weakness! Try something else!"

Mew nodded and struck Deoxys with a Shadow Claw with her right hand while making him burst into flames with her left one. Once more, Deoxys' outer shell simply reformed itself, he himself remaining immobile.

"He's not even reflecting them... Has he given up, or something?" Ethan said out loud while scratching the back of his head, "Healing takes energy, he's definitively going to lose at this rate."

However, a nagging feeling was in the back of his mind as he saw Mew commence with another barrage of powerful attacks, Deoxys not even bothering to dodge or reflect them. He scratched harder, thinking it was a persistent bug in his hair or something of similar nature, but found nothing. Looking very closely at Deoxys, he saw that the monster's usually red skin had gained the slightest tint of white, making him wonder if it was because he was taking damage.

He came to realize that his confidence had clouded his intuition when Deoxys suddenly started turning more and more white, glowing brightly under the darkened skies.

"H-He wasn't using Mirror Coat at all!" Ethan stammered as he stumbled backwards, "He was using Bide! Mew, RUN!"

A blinding light filled the area as Deoxys unleashed his stored powers, the ground beneath him ripping into bits from the sheer power and forming a massive crater. Mew was already holding on to Ethan and fleeing while raising the most powerful barrier of her life when the blast radius came upon them, striking like a million bolts of thunder. In a last ditch effort, Mew shot Ethan ahead of her with all her psychic power, making him outrun the brunt of the Bide as she herself became covered in the force of destruction.

Her barrier shattered as the impact struck her entire body, making her bones creak and threatened to collapse her entire skeleton. Enduring pain that was unlike anything she had felt before, she used telekinesis to keep her body in one piece, her inner workings remaining intact but her outer flesh rending. In the end the pain made her consciousness fade as she passed out, faintly dreaming of a better time and place in her life.

"Ahh..." Ethan groaned, lying down with his ears ringing and his entire body aching. He had flown far away and tumbled around on the ground, and was still feeling dizzy from it. He tried getting up only to notice the small legendary lying on his knees, seemingly resting.

He lightly tapped her head, and immediately panicked when he was given no response. With her many abilities she was a hundred times more powerful than him, but physically he had a feeling that she was much weaker. If she had been hit by that previous attack...

"Hey, Mew!" he said with fear apparent in his voice, "Wake up!"

"... Ooohh..." Mew responded groggily as she stirred, "... I feel... Pained..."

"No time for that!" Ethan shouted, resisting the urge to slap the drowsy legendary back to sense, "He's coming!"

Far away, Deoxys was approaching them slowly, looking quite different from before. At first, he seemed to have reverted to its original form, his body having lost the powerful build of his last form. However, the black armor from the speed form had returned, the slimy skin covering his torso having repositioned itself.

The most noticeable feature of this new form was four tentacles almost as long as his entire body, sticking out his arms should have been with two on each side. Unlike the previous tentacles this creature had sported, these looked far stronger and if possible even more flexible, going from sharp poles to wiggly spaghetti in a manner of seconds.

"He's changed forms again..." Ethan gulped loudly, "... Twice as many tentacles as before? I do NOT want to know what he's planning to do with those..."

"The others..." Mew whispered sadly while remembering the passing of the Lucario she had seen firsthand, "They were penetrated to death."

"Oh hell, are you serious!" Ethan exclaimed in terror as he involuntarily clenched his nether regions, "Get up, Mew! Fight, for the love of god!"

Mew groaned as she floated off Ethan, never having been forced to deal with pain on such a tremendous scale before. Had this been a regular battle, she would probably just have let the trainer capture her at this point. However, knowing that the fate of the world was at stake, she knew that as long as her mind was still functional this battle would not be ending.

"Damn it! This is all my fault..." Ethan muttered to himself in anger, "All the high level trainers always used Counter and Mirror Coat, I completely forgot about Bide..."

"... Ethan," Mew responded while trying to help Ethan recover his hope, but noticed that she herself had very little left to share, "Do not surrender... I need your help a little longer."

"Almost makes me wish I hadn't asked Arceus to-" Ethan started, but was interrupted as Mew suddenly came back to life.

"Arceus...?" she repeated slowly before raising her voice, "Arceus! You have met Arceus!"

"What, even you're impressed?" Ethan said while forcing a snicker, "... It's a long story, but I asked him to erase all my memories regarding Pokémon."

"Wh-What!" Mew burst out in surprise and confusion, "Why would you-"

"Later! For now, let's focus on the battle!" Ethan interrupted her before noticing Mew's midair posture wavering slightly compared to when he had first met her, "Hey, you look hurt, how're you holding up?"

"It matters not. One tentacle on each side was enough to break my strongest barrier, while two tentacles easily pierced it," she explained with disdain, her mind still burning with questions regarding his previous statement, "With those four tentacles... I will die for sure if he comes near, no matter what."

"A ranged attack... A fast attack... A powerful attack..." Ethan spoke to himself as a thought suddenly hit him, "... Mew, can you use the Aura Sphere?"

"Yes, but it had no effect on him earlier," Mew said with a depressing tone, "He just deflected it with his hand."

"... What hand?" Ethan asked with confusion, looking at Deoxys' multiple tentacles.

Mew blinked, her eyes suddenly brimming with intelligence. Thinking through her plan one last time, she launched an Aura Sphere towards Deoxys. The monster no longer had a human arm with a flat palm, and was forced to dodge to the side to avoid the attack. However, he had grown much slower than before, and was struck right on the chest by the Aura Sphere the size of a coconut, passing through him while leaving a bluish burning residue.

"A-A Critical hit!" Ethan gasped in surprise, "Wo-hoo! Damn, he's gotten slow!"

Deoxys responded by firing an Aura Sphere of his own towards Mew. This Aura Sphere was four times as large as hers, and Mew just narrowly avoided it by flying under it.

"Mirror Coat!" Ethan burst out in shock.

"No! That was his attack!" Mew responded quickly before catching her breath and resuming her heart's beating, "The size of that Aura Sphere... If it had hit me..."

"The first form was balanced... The second form was designed for speed... The third form meant for defense..." Ethan counted up on his fingers before pointing the middle one at Deoxys, "... Yeah, this one's got sky-high attack power, for sure."

"Any way of lowering his attack?" Mew asked, hoping for another Trick Room-like solution to their problems.

"... Well..." Ethan mumbled to himself before shrugging, "... I suppose you could try growling cutely at him, or something..."

"This means his other stats are lower than before!" Mew shouted while ignoring Ethan's response, "There must be a way to counter that!"

"... Of course! Just-" Ethan started, but was interrupted as Deoxys suddenly raised his four tentacles threateningly. Mew saw her life flash before her eyes as Deoxys threw them in front of himself, but instead of attacking her shoved them into the ground. Both Mew and Ethan remained quiet and stared, as the monster did not make another move.

"He's attacking from below," Ethan pointed out.

"Obviously," Mew nodded in agreement, wondering if she should pick up Ethan and fly high to avoid the approaching attack.

"This is your chance, Mew!" Ethan said with fists clenched as he was unable to deduct the true nature of Deoxys' attack, "Hit him with your strongest Psychic, while he's charging up!"

"I have a better idea," Mew said as a plan suddenly hit her. Remembering her days in working with tectonics when she and Celebi would make the mountain they lived on impossible to scale, she analyzed the ground structure and noticed that Deoxys had chosen a very poor spot to put his tentacles underground. She knew she did not have much time, and used her intellect to its full extent as she discovered the location for the main driving force, calculated the Earth's rotation and measured the effects of gravity upon their current location.

Ethan hoped Mew was not lying as a mighty earthquake started shaking the ground. He fell on his stomach and held on for his dear life, feeling like he was going to be thrown off the planet by the rumblings while wondering why Deoxys would use a ground-based attack against a hovering Pokémon. The answer was given as a hole in the ground cracked open and a pillar of lava erupted from it, shooting straight up into the sky while spraying drops of lava around it.

"H-He's u-using E-Eruption o-or s-s-someth-thing!" Ethan exclaimed with his voice shaking as badly as the ground, never having seen the attack used at such a large magnitude and knowing he would not be able to dodge the oncoming droplets with the earth's constant movement, "H-He m-melted d-down th-the b-bedr-rock, th-there's a m-molten p-pot of l-lava r-right b-beneath u-us! M-Mew, wh-why're y-you j-just ha-hanging th-there g-god-damn i-it!"

"Just a minute..." she whispered in response, more pillars of lava bursting out of the ground and threating to roast them both at any moment. The area was heating up quickly, and noxious fumes were spreading around as Deoxys seemed completely unfazed by the nightmarish ordeal, enough to send even the mightiest warriors panicking.

"... There!" Mew suddenly exclaimed while swiftly putting her hands together.

In response to this seemingly simple movement, the planet Earth shook. Even Deoxys' powerful earthquake was like a small trembling in the wake of what seemed like Terra deciding to move itself a few feet towards Venus.

Using the natural force of plate tectonics, she had forced the continent they were standing on to move in order to fill up the newly made cavern in the ground. The earthquake and spewing lava instantly stopped, being pushed much deeper underground while leaving both Mew and Ethan in safety, the trainer breathing out loud as he enjoyed the sensation of immovable soil beneath him.

Deoxys did not have to bother pulling his arms out of the ground, the tentacles that had once been there now completely pulverized by the very planet he was attempting to destroy. Mew now became certain that he could neither think nor feel, the monster simply looking at them without even acknowledging the loss of his two most important limbs.

"Mew! Look!" Ethan exclaimed while pointing excitedly at the unfazed monster, "His arms are gone! He's just a torso!"

"I know," Mew replied bluntly before feeling hope return.

"We... We did it!" Ethan cheered loudly, "We can just leave this thing to die from loss of blood!"

Mew was inclined to agree with him, even though she did not see anything seeping out of Deoxys' massive wounds. She was still relieved to see the monster that had killed so many innocent people and Pokémon finally getting to experience what it was like to be beyond all recovery. However, her inner celebrations were interrupted when she suddenly sensed Deoxys already powerful aura spike, making her shudder as he glowed in white.

"Hyper Beam!" Ethan shouted to her confidently, "Dodge to the side, and then counterattack when he recovers from it!"

Hyper Beam... The term echoed in Mew's mind as she could not help but smile to herself, knowing her response to Ethan would have to wait. With ample time to prepare for the attack, Mew soared high up into the sky and then stopped herself to get ready to dive down and counterattack.

The Hyper Beam had been the decisive move in the first battle between her and Mewtwo, where she had taunted her prideful clone into matching powers in a beam struggle. Both of them knowing Mewtwo had the superior raw power, she simple dodged the Hyper Beam and moved in close, where Mewtwo was recovering from exhaustion as she put him into a non-lethal stasis and won the fight. The time that brains surpassed brawn would soon repeat itself as she saw Deoxys starting his firing sequence.

The beam was twice as big as the one Mewtwo had used, utterly massive in every dimension and larger than a skyscraper. Raising a barrier in panic she was able to move to the edge of the beam before being struck, getting thrown out of it by the sheer force as her brains rattled from the impact.

Breathing heavily in surprise at how close she came to being completely evaporated, she saw her chance and immediately rushed down towards Deoxys, who was bending over. He would be too slow to dodge her, too rigid to defend and too armless to counter. If he were to try countering in any other way, she would be able to see it coming and dodge it in the last second and still have her attack hit him.

This time, the stasis effect would not be non-lethal, but instead designed to implode every particle of this monster. She summoned up her energy she moved towards Deoxys, still crouched over and making no attempt at moving away.

This was it.

However, Deoxys thought otherwise. He suddenly slammed his upper body into the ground beneath them. Mew thought of this as an attempt at suicide, before feeling a powerful shockwave hitting her from below. Caught completely off guard by the direction of the attack, she flew up into the air and past Deoxys, uncontrollably spinning around.

"MEW! DODGE!" Ethan yelled as loudly as he could, seeing what Deoxys was planning. Mew peered through her dizziness to try to see what was happening, and sensing the aura of the monster beneath her skyrocketing there was no mistaking it. She yelped in terror as she swiftly moved in a direction, praying that it was not directly away from the monster as it fired off yet another Hyper Beam.

She was not as lucky, this time. Although she managed to avoid the brunt of the beam, her tail was still running haywire from the spinning and accidently got caught up in the beam. She cried out in pain as the tip of the tail, which was normally slightly thicker than the rest, quickly scaled off from the rest and left a dripping mess of blood.

Mew was unable to focus through all the pain, and started healing her tail as quickly as she could by moving around tissue to cover up the wound. It was a thin and weak layer of skin, but at least it stopped the searing pain.

"Two Hyper Beams and a Giga Impact, all at once!" Ethan shouted angrily from below while raising his middle finger in fury, "That's cheating, you fuck!"

"What kind of energy does this monster possess...?" Mew wondered with disdain as she lowered herself to the ground, eyeing the unfazed Deoxys.

"He must have strong special attack as well as physical strength..." Ethan muttered while shrugging with a confident expression, "Not that that last one matters any more, eh? The moment he lost his arms, we won."

Deoxys suddenly looked at him again, making Ethan hide his face under his hands in fear that the encompassing voice would possess him once more. Instead, Deoxys kept his stare on him in silence, as Mew saw something crawling around beneath the monster's skin.

"I think he is changing again," Mew pointed out, wondering what would come out next, "If he uses the speed form..."

"Don't worry," Ethan said and peered between his fingers, "No arms. As long as there are no arms-"

Suddenly, like popping out of a bubble, several new appendages protruded out where Deoxys' tentacles had once been. It did not take long for them to take form, becoming solid as both Ethan and Mew gazed upon Deoxys' new set of tentacles. Furthermore, Mew could sense that Deoxys' aura had not grown faint in the least, showing he was still at full strength despite all their efforts.

"A... A complete... Recovery...?" Ethan stammered with both shock and hopelessness, "That's... That's just not fair..."

Deoxys did not stop there, letting the skin on his body drain into the black armor, instantly reverting to the form he used when he had displayed ungodly speed while inside the Trick Room. Only this time, there was no Trick Room, and he would be able to kill them both in an instant.

"Oh, no..." Ethan whispered sadly, finally realizing that they never even had a chance to begin with, "It's... It's hopeless..."

"Yes..." Mew whispered in return, her greatest fears coming to fruition when she understood the fate that awaited the world. With more luck than they could ever expect again they had still not been able to make a dent in the monster, and so not even if every legendary attacked at once would it make a difference. He was too fast... Too strong... Too merciless...

"I'm sorry, Mew..." Ethan apologized while looking at her, thinking of how absurd this seemingly normal day had turned out to be, "... At the very least, it had been an honor to meet you."

"You too..." Mew responded slowly, wishing that they had met during an earlier point in her life so they could have been friends for real instead of just in combat. She sighed at her own hypocrisy for a moment, realizing that there under any other circumstances she would have avoided Ethan like the plague in fear of being captured. Regret filled her as she thought over her life, thinking that if she had known how soon it all would end she would have taken more risks and probably had a more exciting life as a result.

"... Running is our only hope..." Ethan said with a hint of hope in his voice, "If we run in different directions... One of us might make it."

"... What? No!" Mew burst out with a devastated expression, "We must not escape!"

"Why?" Ethan growled at her, the stress getting to him, "Come on, we did our best, let's run and maybe we can take this monster on another day!"

"There is nowhere left to run!" Mew shouted back in response, "If this monster is not stopped right here and now, he will destroy this entire planet!"

"So, what then!" Ethan kept yelling with anger, "We're just gonna stand here and let him kill us!"

"I would GLADLY give my life if it means slowing down this beast for even a second!" Mew exclaimed with a loud voice, hiding her own anxieties, "Preserving the life of everyone remaining in this world for even a second is worth far more than my existence!"

Ethan gasped, taken aback by her words. He had simply come along and found her and Deoxys fighting, wanting to lend a hand against the monster like a true hero.

A naïve hero. Mew had always known what was at stake here, and had been more than willing to give her life right from the start. The thought of dying had never even crossed Ethan's mind, as he had seen this fight as nothing more than a large scale Pokémon battle. He did not require use of his trainer's experience to tell that he had already lost this fight, and soon he would be dead, with the entire population of the world following not long after.

Still, was this truly the end? Was this, as people would say, "it?" The devastation that had led him to this place did not lie. It had been the work of a mindless monster, which now had turned out to be too powerful for even the strongest Pokémon teamed up with the best trainer to handle.

The best trainer... That was him, was it not? Sure, he had been defeated once or twice in the past, and a whole decade had passed since his true glory days, but there was no challenge he had yet to accept or conquer. Had he not been complaining about a lack of new challenges, not long ago? Now, when faced with the greatest and most important one of all, would he miss his chance by cowering pathetically in fear? Would he back down like a craven coward?

No.

"... Mew..." Ethan muttered menacingly while rubbing his irritated eyes, "What is your single most powerful attack, in terms of damage?"

"... It will not work..." Mew whispered, thinking back to better times when she and Celebi used to compete over who could most easily reduce a mountain to rubbles, "Even if in the previous form, he would be too fast."

"If he were still, could you hit him with it from here?" Ethan continued while stretching his arms and legs, making sure they had not taken excessive damage.

"Yes, but..." Mew said with a questioning voice, "... What are you thinking?"

"I've got a plan," Ethan replied before cracking his neck, "Charge up the attack, get ready to launch in approximately 20 seconds."

"Charging it to maximum power will take at least 30, I fear..." Mew responded with a worried tone.

"Better start charging, then..." Ethan said with a dissonant smile, "You'll know when to fire."

Ethan then nodded confidently, making Mew calm down a bit as she started charging up her attack. She thought it would be best not to question his plan, for if it could get them out of this situation she would be willing to pay any price.

She immediately regretted this line of thinking as she saw Ethan strutting towards Deoxys. He felt himself growing more fearful the nearer he came to the brutal monster, wondering if it was still too late to put his idea of running away into action. However, rehearsing what he was about to say in his mind, he knew that he would not want to trade the glory of the approaching minute for anything else in life.

"DEOXYS!" Ethan shouted loudly, hardly five feet away from the implacable beast.

"I am Ethan, the greatest trainer of all time!" he continued shouting while pointing at Deoxys, "Every enemy, I've defeated! Every Pokémon, I've been able to handle! Even if only for a moment, I commanded the mighty Arceus himself!"

Deoxys' tentacles twitched, as Mew gulped loudly.

"There is no Pokémon in this world I cannot control!" Ethan yelled confidently before suddenly running towards Deoxys with arms outstretched, "THAT INCLUDES YOU!"

Deoxys did not even bother to move out of the way as he rammed his two tentacles right through Ethan, making them protrude from his back like slithering snakes.

"ETHAN!" Mew gave off a shrill scream, not realizing that this was his plan along and hesitating with her attack.

"DO IT!" Ethan shouted, the tentacles wriggling around inside his body and widening the holes while damaging the rest of his inner organs. With the last of his strength he latched on to Deoxys, surprised to find that the monster that had given them so much trouble was even lighter than he was. He saw his blood pouring down his body and become swallowed up by Deoxys, who stared at him with the empty eyes that did not seem quite as bad this time around.

"Hah... What a glorious end...!" Ethan whispered weakly before one of the tentacles smashed against his left lung from the inside, making it rupture as he gave of a painful wheeze of blood. He could faintly recognize a loud noise crashing from behind him while staring into the inhuman face of his assailant, which all of a sudden became brightly lit, allowing him to see what was beyond the mask. In his last moment, Ethan started at Deoxys who stared back at him, a strange familiarity sparking between them.

Raw, untarnished psychic force as bright as the sun and in the shape of a fiery beam suddenly came upon Ethan and Deoxys, Mew putting all her powers into the attack. Deoxys tried to throw Ethan away from him as to remove all encumberment before trying to escape the beam, but could not shake Ethan's tight grip. Even in death he held on, Deoxys becoming locked in by the incomparable power of Mew's beam attack.

Had he been in possession of a mouth, he would have screamed. Instead he twisted around in pure agony as piece by piece his body separated, flying back in the stream for a few seconds before evaporating into nothingness.

Mew still kept the beam firing, feeling her energy wane and knowing that she would not be able to keep on fighting after this should it fail. Several seconds after there was no aura but her own in the vicinity, she calmed herself down. The beam trickled away as the huge fluctuation in power made her lose control of her levitation for a moment, and fell down to the ground.

"... Ow..." she groaned at this pathetic display, before instantly lifting her head to see what had happened.

Deoxys was no more. The spot where he had been standing had become a vertical crater reaching miles behind, a remnant from her attack. Her heart jumped in joy, before quickly sinking as she saw a human-sized lump of coal lying next to where the beam had passed by.

She moved closer, fearing the worst as she examined the piece of charcoal, seeing that it was faintly in the shape of a human. Ethan had been within the beam for barely a second, but had still been hurt so badly.

He had died... By her hand.

"Ethan..." Mew whispered sadly, feeling more depressed than ever before, "No..."

The fact that the world had been saved now seemed like a minor footnote as she gazed upon Ethan's corroded corpse. It had been a companionship forged in the fires of battle, but for their short period of time together he had been the greatest human she had ever met, having never taken such interest to another being before. Realizing that he had given his life to save hers, it made her feel like she had lost her most dearest of friends.

"You... You were too good for this fate... You were the only human I have ever..." Mew said while crying faintly, before throwing her hands to her face in an action of defiance, "... No... No! It cannot end like this! There has to be a way...!"

Desperately she scanned his body for any signs of life, failing to feel his heart beating, his blood moving or his lungs breathing. However, much to her surprise, she noticed faint sparks moving around in Ethan's brain.

"But that means... Th-The conversion theory!" she exclaimed with hope as she thought back to one of her many past experiments, "There is still a chance! His body is destroyed, but that means nothing if I can make him a new one!"

She knew that the brain usually survives a short while longer than the actual body, and became utterly delighted by her discovery.

"I will make it just like his old one, but stronger! Faster!" she giggled, barely able to keep herself from laughing out of joy, "He will thank me for it! He has to! And then he can tell me all about what it is like being human, and I can share with him all the sights of the universe! Everything will turn out fine, after all!"

Giddy with herself, she noticed that the brain activity was rapidly diminishing, shutting itself down for one last time.

"... No time to make a new body, his brain will die..." Mew whispered to herself, relieved as she actually had no idea of how to create a new body from scratch, "I have to... Use another one..."

Looking around the area, she saw that she had a large surplus of fresh corpses to pick from. She felt like a kid in a candy store as she soared around and looked at the carnage, barely containing herself with laughter as she saw an Arbok which had seemingly imploded and turned completely red instead of purple. Silly Arbok, dressing up at a time like this!

None of the bodies where in a well enough condition where they could support a new mind. Mew sighed in disappointment before laying her eyes upon the Lucario that she had seen die when she first arrived, far away from the position where the battle had first started. Luckily, it was relatively unharmed apart from the gaping hole in its chest. She wondered if she could manage to heal the wound, lightly giggling to herself at the thought. It's not like she could screw up fixing a patient who was already dead, right?

The healing process went surprisingly well, as she used the surrounding tissue to seal up the hole and reform vital arteries. She gazed over her masterpiece for a moment before moving the body of the Lucario next to that of Ethan. Compared to the state all the other corpses around them were in, the two of them practically looked still alive!

"There you go! Perfect!" she told Ethan with a smile as she prepared herself for the operation, "Worry not! This will have you back to life in no time! I have done this many times before!"

Scanning Ethan's brain structure, she forcibly used her psychic powers to reform that of the Lucario to liken it. Then she started with the transfer, but was having a hard time with it, noticing an awful amount of internal bleeding hindering her progress.

"O-Of course, i-it..." she stammered weakly while losing her focus, "... It never worked... B-But... I-In theory..."

The walls of joy within her mind set up for protection finally broke down, sorrow flooding in and threatening to rip her apart inside.

She already knew it was not going to work.

"... Please... It has to work..." she pleaded with herself, losing her breath for unknown reasons. Her heart pounded with frightening power, making her feel like the rushing blood was tearing up the inner walls of her arteries.

"He's dead," the nearby corpse of a Nidorino spoke sternly.

"No... Only temporarily..." she continued while trying to keep her mind on the transfer, completely losing herself in the procedure. She got rid of some of the skin blocking her way to Ethan's brain, not exactly sure of what to do at this point to restore life to someone already dead.

"He's gone, forever..." another dead Pokémon whispered in her ears, its body mutilated to the point where she had no idea what manner of creature it once was.

"Only I can do this... I cannot let hesitation stop my hand...!" she said nervously as she accidentally struck a vascular in Ethan's brain, spraying her with his blood.

"He's gone. He's dead. You killed him! Your weakness led to his death!" various corpses all started shouting in unison, covering her in blood and guilt as she felt her mind on the verge of snapping.

"I..." Mew stuttered, unable to even speak as she felt the transfer was having no effect, only helping to bring the dead to life in her own mind.

"We're gone. We're dead. You killed us... Your weakness led to our deaths..." the corpses around her started silencing down, returning to their original state of immobility.

"... No..." Mew whispered while shaking her head in an attempt to regain clarity, "I... I am losing my sanity... I cannot..."

She turned her vision downwards, looking down at herself. She was covered in blood, sitting by the now visibly bleeding brain of Ethan and the badly patched up body of a Lucario, neither fit to sustain anything at this point.

"... Wh-What am I doing...?" she stammered to herself as her tears began to appear in the corner of her eyes, "Why... Why...!"

She moved back away from the corpses in terror, frightened of what she had done. She could not help but start crying as the memories of this horrible day came upon her, her cries growing in intensity with each passing moment. There, among the bodies of the innocent, she wept for several minutes, overtaken by sorrow and anguish unlike any she had ever felt before, tears she did not even know she had rolling down her cheeks in streams.

"Oh, Ethan..." Mew said with a shaky voice when she had finally calmed down, her face wet with salty water, "... Forgive me for making a mockery out of your bravery... Your sacrifice... I will honor it, instead..."

She respectfully bowed to his body, before quickly stopping herself, not wanting to add to her already dubious behavior. All her life she had thought herself immune to the effects of insanity, but now she feared any little thing might put her over the edge.

Luckily, what came next turned out to be a source of relief. Her heart filled with an inexplicable joy as she felt several auras closing in on her position, that of both humans and Pokémon. The humans riding on a couple of very fast Pokémon, no doubt, as she felt pride in having been the one to protect these lives and allowed them to continue.

The source of relief quickly turned into one of worry, as her logic finally spoke up and told her that the arriving humans would probably try to capture her, or worse, think this massacre was her doing. She was covered in enough different blood types to cover the need of any Pokecenter, after all.

She looked down at the sad state of Ethan's body, no longer recognizable as something human from all the damage, her own incessant experimenting not having made things any better. She felt she no longer had the right to touch him, and could not even bear to look at him anymore.

Next to him lay the body of the Lucario, dead but in perfect condition after she had healed his wound. Despite the healing also having been part of her madness, she felt the Lucario to be a better symbol of what she had done this day, and faintly in the back of her mind there remained hope that at least he would come back to life. Shaking her head as she was once more overcome by shameful feelings, she could not help but pick him up with her telekinetic powers before flying off into the dusk, away from the approaching humans and Pokémon that were about to find out that Deoxys was no more.

Sun. Wind. Clouds.

Grass. Flowers. Trees.

People. Pokémon.

The world had never looked this beautiful before. She gazed at its magnificence; feeling like every little piece of it was her own child. Coming to the understanding that this serene landscape and the hellish scene far behind her were of the same world, she dared not even imagine what would have happened if they had failed and the destruction had spread, permanently ending the beauty of this planet. Many had died... But they had given their lives for a good cause. The world would continue existing thanks to their bravery, making them kings in their own right. Their deaths had not been in vain... On the contrary, their deaths had possibly been the most important and valuable since the dawning of time.

Suddenly, the lifeless body of the Lucario hanging beside her in midair seemed out of place with her newly acquired thoughts. Her mind once more filling with shame, she started flying lower. They were in the middle of the field of grass and flowers, and she felt that there was no other aura nearby. Finding a nice spot on a miniature hill, she moved close to the ground.

"I... I cannot do this," she told herself sternly, fighting off the insanity with fierce determination despite feeling so bad inside. She lay down the Lucario on the ground, knowing that she would have to get rid of the body somehow if she were to regain her sanity.

She remembered an old human ritual that she had seen before many times. She had always scoffed at it, but that was back in a time when she was not as familiar with death as she was now. It had never been meant to give closure to the dead - It was meant to give closure to the living.

Using her psychic powers she burrowed a small hole in the ground, carefully placing Lucario's body within it. She covered up the hole once more, and stared at the newly dug patch of soil.

Something was missing.

Looking around, she saw a fairly large rock not far away. She picked it up with her telekinesis and started cutting away from it, until the rock was given the shape of a symbol. The symbol stood for "Bravery", which she had once seen a picture of in one of her books. Smiling to herself, she shove the rock into the ground where the Lucario was lying peacefully, before closing her eyes putting her hands together in a praying motion.

"Earth," Mew whispered respectfully and recalled the process of the human ritual, "This Pokémon fought hard to protect you. Please, take care of him."

Paying her last respects, she sensed another aura coming up behind her. Spinning around and staring far ahead, she saw that it was but an Ivysaur, possibly just out for an evening walk. With one final look at the grave she had created, she flew high up into the sky, once more vanishing into obscurity to hide from the very people and Pokémon she had just saved.

They would never know of what she had done, but she did not mind.

Their joy was gratitude enough.


	37. Peerless Ace Ethan

"Whoa," was all Lucario could muster to say, snapping out of the haze induced by Mew's story. He came to be aware that he was now in a cave, just faintly remembering having climbed up there, and wondering how on Earth that had even been possible with the unfriendly territory he had spotted earlier. Even so, his focus remained on the tale he had just been told, feeling his stomach tighten as the realization slowly sunk in.

"You mean..." he said with a careful tone, finding no way of making what he was about to say sound sane, "... That Lucario was me?"

"Yes," Mew replied with a nod, glad to see he had understood her story, "Rather, you were Ethan."

"... Whoa..." Lucario repeated, more slowly this time, "You mean, I had the same name as that really famous champion?"

"I am rather certain you _were_that champion," Mew pointed out as her worried expression returned, "Do you really not remember any of this?"

"I..." Lucario mumbled quietly, having gained a whole new level of empathy for Mew after her valiant story and wishing to tell her something different to cheer her up, "... Honestly, no. But... Somehow..."

Lucario had to redirect his concerns for the legendary for a few moments, as he was experiencing an inner turmoil of his own to sort out. He had absolutely no recollection of anything she had told him, but the events that had been painted up in his mind resounded strangely within him. Thinking back to his most recent memories as a human, he tried to figure out if the story had any plausibility beyond him getting a "strange feeling" about it.

"... I remember wandering around a lot. I think, the last couple of years of my life, I was just traveling places on foot," Lucario said while crossing his arms and thinking to himself, "Searching for something..."

"Arceus, perhaps?" Mew chimed in before feeling her heart start to pound faster in excitement, "You... Would not happen to remember where you found him, no?"

"No..." Lucario said bluntly as Mew sunk down a bit, "I don't even know who that is."

"Arceus is thought to be merely a legend, even among legendaries," Mew explained in the hopes that she might jog Lucario's memory, "He is spoken of in lore from times long, long gone. Should he still be alive, he would be the oldest living creature in the world."

"... What was it he did, again?" Lucario asked confusedly, "Erased my memories regarding Pokémon?"

"Bear in mind that altering a being's mind is impossible, even on a theoretical level," Mew said before suddenly lowering her voice, "But... If anyone could do it, it would be Arceus..."

"Huh," Lucario said bluntly while starting to feel disappointed, "Great, I went all this way to find the greatest legendary of all time, only to find out it's not you, but Arceus..."

"There is no such thing as a 'greatest' legendary..." Mew replied, but was unable to withhold a faint blush from appearing, "But... Why were you looking for me?"

"... Oh, yeah!" Lucario suddenly burst out, realizing that none of this was the reason he had been searching for the small legendary in the first place, "Mew, you've got to make me human again!"

Mew simply looked at him for a few moments, letting the silence in the cave drift around them. She wondered if Lucario would realize that she was not busy figuring out a way to help him, but rather contemplating how to tell him the bad news.

"... Human... Again..." Mew repeated slowly, trying her hardest to not look away from Lucario's hopeful eyes. She hoped they would remain that way just for the duration of her explanation, but knew that to be nothing but wishful thinking.

"Celebi told me you're the master of shapeshifting, and..." Lucario said cheerfully as his heart lifted at the thought of returning to his human form, "... Apparently you're the one that put me in this body in the first place! It should be easy!"

"Easy... Is the last thing it would be, I fear..." Mew said carefully, finally letting her gaze drift down to the ground.

"I'm begging you, Mew!" Lucario continued while putting his palms together, "I've traveled far and wide, fighting for my life every second just to get here... Please! I'll do anything!"

"Will you?" Mew asked with a slightly sardonic tone as she looked up, "The inherent risks-"

"I don't care!" Lucario kept going and interrupted her, not wanting to lose the momentum and steadily growing more frightened of what would become of him if he did, "Luck's been the only thing keeping me from death, so far! I'm fully determined to do whatever it takes!"

"But... Your old body was-" Mew tried to explain, but was interrupted once more.

"Destroyed, right?" Lucario said while giving off a strained shrug as his voice became more and more desperate, "Like I give a damn. Make me a new one, and I'll whip it into shape, no matter how-"

"Ethan, listen to me!" Mew interrupted him in return, also starting to sound desperate, "This is a fool's request! You cannot-"

"Shut up! I'm not going to let you tell me I came all this way for nothing!" Lucario lashed out while throwing his right arm to the side in an angry sweep, "That I have to go find some other bullshit deity just to let me reclaim what is rightfully mine!"

"I am not telling you to do that!" Mew said loudly while moving back a little, half-expecting a fight to break out, "I am telling you, you will never be human again!"

Lucario's angry demeanor immediately faded, swiftly replaced by one of surprise and hopelessness. This is what she had feared, and what he had never expected.

"W..." a syllable passed through his mouth, more a small breeze of air than any form of communication.

"I committed myself to some further research about the technique I used to place you in your current body," Mew said, relaxing at the thought of not having to fight but growing more depressed as she saw Lucario helplessly looking at her, "... It has less than a 10% survival rate."

10%. 1/10. One tenth. The term echoed through Lucario's mind, not making any sense. Not for his lack of mathematical skills... Rather, because of them. Never before had hopelessness been expressed so well in numbers.

"When I did it, I was in a... Highly destabilized state of mind," Mew said slowly as the memory forced her to suppress a shudder, "I... I do not think I can ever return to that dark place while keeping my sanity intact."

"... Bullshit..." was all Lucario could say in response, not believing what he was hearing. The very legs he had used to climb this unforgiving mountain now suddenly felt too weak to simply carry his weight, as he slowly slumped down on the ground. Mew's heart ached as she saw his anguished display, never having had to deliver bad news of this magnitude to someone before.

"I cannot make you a new body, either... For the procedure to work, you would require a freshly expired human," Mew continued explaining, deciding to get the whole thing over with so Lucario would no longer cling on to false hope like she once had, "And if you think you I will let you create one of those..."

"... No..." Lucario whispered, seeing an image in his mind of a wild Lucario assaulting and killing a human being like a real monster, before finally starting to come to terms of what was happening, "... No, that's just... This can't..."

"Ethan..." Mew whispered softly while suddenly feeling guilty, letting her joy from having found him still alive seep away, "... No, Lucario..."

"**SHUT UP!**" Lucario bellowed, suddenly rising to his full height as he felt like his lungs were going to explode from shouting, "**I'M NOT A GODDAMN POKÉMON, I'M A HUMAN BEING! MY NAME IS NOT LUCARIO, IT'S ETHAN!**"

However, as the words escaped his lips, he noticed a distinct unfamiliarity about them. Between a name he had been using for several months now and one he did not even remember having been called, it seemed his mind had gotten used to the first. Angered by the reaction of his own body, he repeated it over and over again in his head.

_I am Ethan, I am Ethan, I am Ethan..._

Slowly, the strangeness surrounding the name began dissipate, each new statement sounding clearer than the last. Amazed by his success, he began thinking back to his life as a human, focusing with his full mind and trying to add the word 'Ethan' into his memories.

Nothing happened. Aggressively forcing the story Mew had just told him into his memories, a faint recollection of the event suddenly began to form. Nothing solid, but rather sensations his senses had picked up during his previous life. It felt like Déjà vu, but magnified a hundredfold. It was getting sickening, even painful.

Lucario was faintly beginning to realize that he was no longer freely exploring his mind, but had lost control of himself on his inner journey. The new memories were coming in too fast for him to handle. Struggling to keep them away, they kept flowing in unhindered by his will and made his awareness grow foggy. He could not escape it any more than he could his own head, and whatever was approaching was already beginning to overtake him.

As quickly as he had gotten to his feet, they lost grip of the soil beneath as his mind swirled and the cavern swiveled around him in a blur of grey and pink...

* * *

><p>Strong winds whisk by, relieving me of the heat that had been creeping up my every crevice. Time seems to stand still as the fearsome Pidegotto once more tries to rise to its feet, quite successfully this time. I brace myself as it stretches out its wings with a weakened growl, before letting its eyes roll back into their sockets and completely toppling over.<p>

"D-Defeated by a Grass-type...?" Falkner says with an impressed tone, his face showing a mixture of disappointment and interest, "I never would've thought..."

"Never underestimate poison powder!" I shout out, before running up to my beloved Pokémon and lifting her up to give her a hug. For a moment I worry that the pressure of my arms would only add to the damage she had taken, but it all goes away as she with affection nuzzles back into my chest.

"Ha ha! You did great, Chica!" I exclaim, never having been so proud of her before. It had been a long and tiresome journey, but finally...! Finally...!

"Hmm... Such a strong bond between you two..." Falkner mutters to himself while scratching his chin, making him look like a real grown-up despite being only two years older than me, "How long have you known each other?"

"Two weeks, tomorrow!" I reply cheerfully, too happy to hold any grudge against the man that had knocked my awesome Geodude into unconsciousness. Ah, Chica looks happy, too! That leaf on her head is wagging around excitedly... Geez, I hope there isn't any poison powder left on it...

"T-Two weeks!" Falker bursts out in utter shock before falling to his knees in a dramatic display, "I was defeated... By a total newbie...?"

"Uh..." I mumble, not knowing what to say. He looks really sad, much sadder than the other trainers I beat before getting here. Of course... No one likes losing, especially not when you've got dreams and ambitions... Even so, this is something I have to get used to if I'm going to become a champion! I'll be defeating a lot of opponents, after all!

"You're really something else..." he says while getting to his feet and recomposing himself into the professional I had met when I first entered the gym, "You must be a natural born trainer!"

"... Me? Really?" I ask sheepishly, looking down at Chica. Wait, but Chica's the one who won! I didn't have anything to do with it... Did I?

"Uh, it's all thanks to Chica!" I quickly reply as my Pokémon looks up at me with a worried expression, quickly melting into one of utter pride, "She's been really friendly!"

"You've got great potential," Falkner admits before pulling something small out of his pocket, "Never give up! Let this badge be the first of many!"

Oh.  
>My.<br>God.

A... A badge? For me? But... But... WOW! And it was only my first try! But that Silver guy said... And everyone else thought...

Oh, wow... The badge... So cool to the touch... So shiny...

_Shiny..._

* * *

><p>"... Shiny?" I ask while trying to act nonchalant, "I, uh, didn't even notice..."<p>

Somehow, the atmosphere in the café seemed to be turning sourer than the disgusting berry juice I ordered to not look too out of place.

"Oh, don't pretend!" Rukario says, giving me quite the shock. Uh oh, this really is taking a turn for the worst... Better say something smart!

"I mean, I don't care!" I respond with a much too alarmed voice, "I mean, uh, why should I? What matters is what's on the inside, right?"

"Yeah," my so-called buddy snickers while nudging my side, "All pink, right?"

If I don't die from embarrassment, I SWEAR I'm gonna-

"What do you mean? Blue and yellow are my primary colors..." Rukario exclaims with a confused look. Phew.

"Of course!" I shout while quickly trying to change the subject, "What I mean, is... That..."

Damn, a little too quickly. What the hell, think of something to say...

"... That you and me are the same?" Rukario suddenly says with the confused expression obscured by the permanent beauty gracing her face, "Since you've got no spikes on your chest and hands, you're also different?"

"Uh..." I stammer as I'm taken aback by her comment and appearance, "Well... That's..."

I hadn't really thought of it that way. Man, girls are way too sharp for me! Retreat! Regroup! No, wait, damn it! I'm the guy here, no matter what happens I can't just-

"Really, here I thought I was the only one of my kind..." she says in her normal voice, which in itself sounded sweeter than anything my tongue had ever encountered, "It must be quite rare..."

Rare? Oh, like you wouldn't believe. But not as rare as...

_As..._

* * *

><p>"I don't want any candy, rare or not," I tell the strange man, his eagerness to gain my hard earned cash getting on my nerves. I was expecting lots of wild Pokémon and trainers in this cave, but peddlers...?<p>

"Oh! But this is not just any candy, my good sir!" he shouts in my face while holding up the blue wrapper, "This is GUARRANTEED to boost your Pokémon's strength! Truly the breakfast of champion trainers!"

"Do you have any Ekans oil to go with that?" I say, but seeing the old expression mom always uses glancing by him I decide to clarify myself, "Sorry, mister. I'm not interested."

"But sir!" he continues, making me wish the repel I bought in the Pokemart in Violet would be super effective against salesmen, "Don't you want to make your Pokémon grow strong? Just give them a few of these, and they will become more powerful in an instant!"

"Even if that was the case..." I mutter with skepticism before feeling myself fill up with determination "... I want my Pokémon to become strong on their own! Only that is real power..."

Oh wow, that felt awesome! And look at his face! Priceless! I have to do this more often... Hmm...

Power is what's in your heart! Nah, way too corny...

Power is a privilege, not a right! Wait, what?

Power is not something that you can just... No...

_Power..._

* * *

><p>"... It's not fair!" I shout, feeling my face grow hotter than the sun-warmed steel beneath my butt, "G-Girls have more powerful legs!" Ugh, I can't believe I was defeated so easily...<p>

"Making up excuses for losing to a woman?" Rukario says while looking down at me with a disappointed face, "You really are pitiful." Damn it! Not only does she kick my ass, I then start blaming our gender differences for it! Argh, why am I such an idiot...!

"I..." I stammer pathetically while slowly rising to my feet, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean-"

"Save it," she growls with dark eyes fixed upon me, "I will not waste my time on a weakling like you. Go away."

Go away. So, that was it. After all the preparations, all the pep talks, all the effort... No, she's right. There was never any chance for a girl like her to be together with a guy like me. I knew that from the start, damn it, why'd I even waste my time!

"Fine," I huff, trying to regain what little pride I have left, "But one day, you will understand that one's fighting ability isn't everything..."

I stumble away while doing my best not to show just how much my leg hurts. Ow.

"To me it is," a voice suddenly echoes behind me. But it's not a voice of scorn or mocking, but one of mixed sadness and determination. I turn around sheepishly to see Rukario staring at me, beautiful eyes burning like a hot fire, but somehow pleading to be doused by... By...

_... Water?_

* * *

><p>"Why couldn't Silver have picked a water-type...?" I sigh to myself before falling back on my sleeping bag, way tired from the fight against my rival, "Stupid Cynda-something..."<p>

Chica seems to agree, throwing a miniature fit as she places herself in a battle pose... Wait, she hasn't spotted a wild Pokémon, has she! Naw, she's just... Showing that she's ready to fight?

"I know you've defeated him before, but he's learning more fire-based attacks for the specific purpose of beating you," I try to explain to her while sitting up as she looks up at me with a confused stare, "But don't worry! The next time, I'm gonna use Geodude instead!"

Her response was the last thing I had expected, as she suddenly tackled my chest and made me fall back on the sleeping bag again. It wasn't painful, but I scramble around in panic anyway, remembering the aggressive Sentret on Route 29 that had gotten way up my personal space.

"Ch-Chica! What're you-" I start, but stop myself as she climbs up on top of me and I see her looking at me with a very angry expression. Did I say something wrong, here?

"Th-That thing about Geodude?" I stammer while trying to make sense out of my Pokémon's odd behavior, "But... But why?"

She then proceeds to start throwing a fit again, leaping up and down on my chest while huffing madly. Aw man, she's really angry at me...

No, wait... That jumping... She's... Copying me? She's acting just like I did when fighting Silver? That means...

"You mean..." I ask quietly, "... That Cynda-something is YOUR rival?"

Finally Chica's expression brightens, before looking at me with fierce determination. Finally... Man, figuring out Pokémon is difficult...

**What's so hard about figuring out Pokémon? Now, figuring out women, however...**

Not to mention Pokémon women... Wait, what's so hard to figure out about that?

**Who am I talking to?** Who are you?

**W**h**o**..**.** W**h**o **a**m I**?**


	38. Suppressed Personality Cyon

Suddenly, Lucario was aware of himself once more. It had not been a natural awakening, but more of a forceful smash back into reality, as if two alarm clocks tied around his brain had simultaneously gone off.

He was still in the cave, still lying on the ground. A worried Mew was floating above him, hanging upside down in midair so that she could face him directly.

"You lost consciousness," Mew said softly before blinking, "What happened?"

Lucario looked at her for a moment, still coming to terms with his abrupt awakening and wondering why his head felt so heavy. As he erected himself into a sitting position, the cause for his highly encumbered mind came back to him as he started moving away from Mew with a scared expression.

It had been far too vivid to be a dream, and much too detailed to be an imagination. He had been relishing in victory over the gym leader Falkner, before going on a very first 'date' with a young Rukario… Just thinking about it made him shudder all over.

… Why? Why did his own memories feel so distant and unfamiliar? And why had there been _anything_ regarding a young Rukario?

"I noticed severe brain activity…" Mew spoke up, but Lucario's troubled expression made her wonder if maybe she should have kept quiet for the duration.

"Nothing much… Just had a terrible nightmare…" Lucario muttered defiantly while forcing the past away to focus on his current situation, "… It was something about you telling me you weren't going to make me human."

"It is out of my hands…" Mew sighed sadly, never having expected such lamentation to be born from her saving his life, "There is nothing anyone can do about it."

"That can't be," Lucario said while slowly shaking his head, "Not after everything I've done… Not after all this time…"

He noticed that his own voice had a hint of bitterness he had never heard before. It brought back the strange sensation of hearing an unfamiliar voice escape his mouth, just like the time he had first woken up as a Lucario, crawling out of that grave so very long ago.

Having spent so much time within the body of a Pokémon had made him forget what his original voice even sounded like. Closing his eyes, he realized that it was far from the only thing he had forgotten, as he tried to visualize the peculiar memory flashes he had just experienced.

Defeating Falkner, the gym leader… Mew's story pointed towards the fact that he was actually Ethan, could that have been something he had done and simply forgotten about? But the vision of going on a date with a young Rukario… She had kept insisting that he had been her love Cyon, with plenty of hard evidence to back it up. Perhaps the Lucario's body he was now housing had once belonged to Cyon?

But in that case, why did he have memories from both Ethan and Cyon?

And why did neither of them feel like his own?

"Damn it, Mew!" Lucario burst out angrily as to shout down out his own thoughts before they could lead him to a very dark place, "I've had it with you Pokémon! I'm going to be a regular human again, with or without you!"

"Why are you so miserable as a Pokémon?" Mew asked with a bewildered tone to her voice, getting to be annoyed at Lucario's stubbornness.

"Are you fucking kidding me!" Lucario growled loudly while rising to his full height, "When I'm not busy living in the wilderness and eating SHIT for dinner, some asshole trainer is killing me!"

"A human trainer, mind you!" Mew snapped back as she too rose to her full height, but as the effect was rather disappointing she instead floated a bit higher with her psychic powers to match Lucario, "Pokémon are not to blame for that!"

"He could've been my friend if not for this body!" Lucario kept going while angrily tugging at his bushy chest hair, the pain not even making itself noticeable in the turmoil of his mind, "Hell, if I really was Ethan, that means I was praised, hailed and treated like a damn king just for being human!"

"Those were results of your actions, not your form," Mew explained calmly, before regretting her words as he suddenly gave her a nasty glare. She realized that she actually had no idea what Lucario had been doing since becoming a Pokémon.

"Well, _excuse me_ for only saving the world _once_!" Lucario muttered with a snide tone before pointing to himself, "Geez, I can't wait to selflessly help someone out again, just look at what I got out of it the first time!"

"You got a second chance at life!" Mew replied quickly, deciding to take a more aggressive role in their dialogue to see if she could reach out to him more easily that way, "Do not waste it!"

"That's out of my hands, and you know it!" Lucario answered with equal aggressions before pulling down his ears to his sides in frustration, "I'm screwed! I'm a fucking monster, struggling just to sustain a miserable existence! I… I can't live like this!"

"Of course you can!" Mew countered while subconsciously making herself float a little higher, "There are millions of Pokémon around the world, all living happy and fulfilling lives! If they can do it, so can you!"

"No, I can't, because, here's a shocker, I'M NOT A GODDAMN POKÉMON!" Lucario burst out once more as he let go of his ears, letting them return to their normal position as his face contorted in rage, "I AM ETHAN!"

Again, the unfamiliarity of the term rang in his head. Claiming a name and life he did not even remember… It felt even less acceptable than his current form as a Pokémon. But still, the strange inner journey from earlier had shown him pieces from the life of a Pokémon trainer… But there were no guarantees it had simply not been his mind playing tricks on him.

Besides, he had also gotten to experience the very familiar sensation of being a Lucario in those visions, and encountered a Rukario even younger than the picture he of her he had been shown in Snowpoint City. How was that possible? He thought about it for a while before he suddenly came to a conclusion, so frightening it immediately took all the air out of his lungs.

"I…" he wheezed, his face aghast as he looked down on his body, suddenly very aware of the long ears he had manipulated earlier, "I am… Cyon…!"

The unfamiliarity of his words once more came upon him, but the relief he had been expecting did not, for at this point he had almost hoped that would have turned out to be the case. As things stood now, he was neither Ethan nor Cyon, or possibly both, with nothing to show for it but useless visions.

"Fucking hell…" he growled while clenching his fists and closing his eyes in frustration, his mind suddenly feeling very heavy, "… What the hell am I…?"

"You are Lucario," Mew said calmly, Lucario having completely forgotten about her presence. Somehow, her indifference to the whole situation only served to fuel his anger.

"… No!" Lucario burst out while helplessly flailing his arms about in denial, "I'm not a fucking Pokémon! I'm human! I'm-"

"You are a Pokémon who used to be human," Mew interrupted with a voice as calm as before, her blue eyes glittering in serenity, "Simple as that."

"SIMPLE! Mew…" Lucario groaned as he put his shaking hands to his head, thinking of a way to explain to both Mew and himself what was happening, "… I'm living two realities at once! I'm Ethan, and I'm also Cyon! But at the same time, I'm neither!"

"That is because you are Lucario, and nothing else," Mew said sternly while nodding in a display of assurance, "What you were a year ago… Even what you were one second ago… Does nothing to determine what you are right now."

"… What the hell are you talking about!" Lucario yelled out in confusion, already having his own inner struggle to handle and not paying much attention to her words.

"You cannot change the past, but your actions of the present are what shape your future…" Mew muttered with disdain, Lucario's obvious lack of attention causing something to flare up in her as she suddenly screamed, "… But if you wish to wallow in self-pity instead of growing a pair and seeing what lies ahead, SO BE IT!"

Lucario staggered and looked up, completely taken aback by the unexpected loudness of her voice. A voice that had always seemed so soft and harmless had suddenly gained such a mean tone, and Lucario could not help but stare in bewilderment as she glared at him with eyes suddenly set on fire.

As her words sunk in, memories of when he himself had said something of similar nature to a pitiful Astrid came upon him. Memories of events, which unlike the earlier visions had definitively been his. Those memories held within them thoughts which had also been his, at least before finding out his quest for humanity would not succeed.

The quest that he had been enduring for so long, having turned out to be fruitless… Traveling across the world, fighting for his survival more than once… All of it for nothing. A complete failure. Even so, he had been faced with failure more than once. Every time he had fought on defiantly…

… But… Why? Was it all so that he could continue trying to become human again? If so, what was this familiar feeling rising up within him, telling him to keep pushing forward despite now knowing there was no hope for him to regain his old body?

Could it have been his survival instincts acting up? In that case, why he had he been so eager to risk his life by even going on this quest in the first place? Surely he would have been far safer fleeing and hiding somewhere, instead of openly defying all the champion trainers he had encountered.

Perhaps… It was simply who he was.

Who _he_ was. Not Ethan, not Cyon, not even Lucario. The mind and will currently thinking this, possessing the body under his command… It was the only _him_ he knew to be true.

Mew was right. Whoever he had once been; a human within the body of a Pokémon… Ethan or Cyon… It did not matter anymore. He still wished to become human, but if that was no longer an option…

"… You're right…" Lucario said quietly after a long period of thinking, noticing that his entire body had started shaking for some reason, "I… I'll never get used to being a Pokémon, but between crying over it like a girl and taking it like a man, my choice's already set."

Mew sighed, and closed her eyes for a moment. When they opened, they were of the serene blue that Lucario had known up until now, making him wonder what exactly had just taken place behind her eyelids.

"Do you accept the situation?" Mew asked, a hint of relief apparent in her voice.

"… Yeah…" Lucario lied, the weight that had attached itself to his mind still as present as ever. Despite what he had just said, could he truly live the life of a Pokémon? Food was going to taste like shit, living in the wilderness was going to suck and he would never, ever find a girl to be with… But when all was said and done, it would still a step up from being dead.

He would still be hunted by Pokémon trainers. Eventually, he would be captured and forced to serve at some kid's beck and call, if not killed for some sadist's amusement. He knew neither option was one he would enjoy very much. He was about to point this out to Mew in order to reinforce his argument, when he suddenly realized that he was backing the wrong end of the argument. Why was he insisting that his life was going to suck while she was denying it, anyway? If she could have a positive outlook on things, why couldn't he?

So far becoming human again had seemed to be the solution to all his problems, but could there possibly be another way? If he could find some kind of food he liked, without collapsing his digestive system… Some real-estate in a quiet area where no neighbors would look too carefully into who or what was living there… Maybe even a nice girl crazy enough to like a furred monster such as himself…?

On top of the priority list would be to do something about the champions hunting him down, however. He would either have to become much stronger, or find a way to get them to stop chasing him. Maybe if they knew he had once been Ethan, they would treat him with more respect? Oh, but how would he tell them…? And how would they believe him…? And what was to stop a jerk like Brendan from killing him out of spite over some long-gone rivalry…?

Lucario thought to himself for a while, noticing a term popping up over and over again in his mind and interrupting his thinking. He knew there was only one way to get rid of it.

"… Growing a pair…?" Lucario repeated, looking curiously at Mew as the strangely foreign sensation of a smile came upon his lips. As the weight from his mind slowly lifted itself, he suddenly noticed that he was feeling very hungry, and turned his head to look around the cave to see if there was anything that he could eat nearby.

"Um, yes," Mew said with a nod, surprised to see that this is what Lucario had been thinking about all this time, "I overheard someone using that expression, once. I believe it is referring to increasing the size of both your brain halves."

"Nah," Lucario snickered with a sardonic smile, "It's referring to testicles."

"Eh…?" Mew exclaimed with an expression of minor confusion, before it turned into one of full bewilderment, "E-Eh!"

"Got to admit - Didn't think you had it in you," Lucario said before starting to laugh. Mew became more and more embarrassed as she tried to explain herself, the two of them bickering back and forth as the sun began falling in the distance, far outside of the cavern's walls…


	39. Lonely Legend Mew

Lucario screamed with all his might as he fell back from Mew, suffering unlike anything felt before spreading throughout his body. Mew's cold eyes were fixed upon him as he began writhing around in an agonizing display, vainly trying to escape the turmoil as he quickly removed the unwelcome intruder from his body. Turning from his back and falling on his face, he began furiously licking the rocky floor below him in search for some reprieve from the haunting flavor searing his tongue.

"That was..." Lucario gasped with his tongue outstretched, "The worst... Taste... Ever..."

"Truly?" Mew asked with a surprised expression, looking down at her half-chewed meal, "But I infused with large amounts of l-cysteine, as well as ammonia to remove potential bacteria... Both fairly common human culinary techniques!"

"You just told me of how you altered the goddamn laws of physics when fighting Deoxys," Lucario said angrily while rising to his feet, every word tasting like sweet sugar in his mouth, "How the hell can you NOT make good food? It should be so easy!"

"I have never cooked anything before!" Mew replied in her defense, going over the formula again in her head and wondering what went wrong.

"And you never will again, if I can help it!" Lucario responded quickly before picking up the indefinable piece of food and holding it out at arm's length, "Seriously, taste this, it's unbearable!"

"No!" Mew burst out as she floated back a little, "I cannot!"

"You must!" Lucario shouted in return with a sinister smile forming on his face, rushing against her while thrusting the somewhat bread-like substance at her mouth, "It's the only way you'll learn! It's your work, after all - Embrace it!"

"No, I mean, I truly cannot!" Mew pleaded as she turned her head away from the vague snack, "I have never _eaten_ anything before, either!"

Lucario slowed down his assault, letting his arms and the failed source of nourishment fall to his side.

"... Huh?" he exclaimed with a confused stare.

"I break down and absorb nutrients, minerals and moisture from surrounding sources," Mew explained before giving off a frown, "Eating and digesting is rather disgusting."

"After tasting this, I'd be inclined to agree with you!" Lucario said cheerfully while scratching his chin, "Hmm, no wonder it was so bad... I mean, really? You've never tasted anything?"

"... Well, once..." Mew admitted slowly before letting a painful sigh escape her lips, "... It was not a pleasant experience..."

"No kidding. The foot's all this deserves..." Lucario muttered and kicked at the horrendously misshapen food, pleased to see the solid consistency making it fly off far away into the reaches of the cave, "... Real food tastes good, though. Have you really never eaten anything good?"

"I... To be honest, I have not exactly tried," Mew said while tilting her head to the side, "What change in a substance would a taste make? It seems rather uninteresting."

"Bah! That's just not right!" Lucario snapped at her, "Nothing beats a real, fulfilling meal! Try it, you're going to love it!"

"While I would prefer not to..." Mew replied as her frown returned, reviled at the thought of ingesting foreign material into her body, "... How would that be possible? Are you skilled enough to create real food?"

"Well, no... Actually, I'm trying to find something edible, myself..." Lucario muttered to himself, before suddenly lighting up as he was hit by an idea, "... That's it!"

Mew remained silent as she curiously looked at him, quietly imploding the food she had made a few feet away as to not leave behind any trace of their stay. Leaving a clue for trainers to discover was bad enough, but to let them find such an embarrassing failure...

"Imagine it, Mew! You and me, searching the world for the ultimate taste!" Lucario said triumphantly with a smile on his face. While it was initially meant as a joke, the more he thought of it the better of an idea it sounded. He needed to find some kind of food he did not despise, it would give him another quest to focus on, and with Mew nearby he would have a much better chance of defeating any enemies that might creep up on him.

"I think I will pass on that," Mew replied, not being able to suppress a light giggle over Lucario's silly display, as he felt a bit disappointed.

"Hey, after that story you told me of how you saved my life, I figure I at least owe you lunch," Lucario said with a shrug, hiding his disappointment at her response, "At _least_. Actually..."

Lucario became quiet once more, thinking hard to himself. He actually already knew what he was going to say, so this was mostly a display to make Mew curious once more.

"... Aha. Now I get it," Lucario said out loud after a few seconds, "You thought you could trick me, eh? Well, forget it!"

"What do you mean?" Mew asked, unsure of whether this was yet another silly display or a genuine concern.

"You told me of how you saved my life, so that I can be indebted to you!" Lucario said accusingly, realizing that this was yet another quest he would be fine with, "Fine, I'm at your beck and call, _princess_."

"E-Eh?" Mew stammered confusedly, not sure of what to say. Again, Lucario's much too determined face made it impossible to take him seriously, as she giggled once more.

"I must say..." she said while giving him a smile of her own in return, "... You are taking news I have given you rather well."

"They're good news, right?" Lucario replied before rising to his full height, "You told me I was the goddamn Ethan, the greatest trainer that ever lived!"

"Forget not that what made him 'the greatest' was his knowledge and experience with Pokémon..." Mew pointed out, "... Which you now lack."

"Uh..." Lucario mumbled to himself before raising his voice in determination, "... Still, it means that I have the potential to be the best at it! I'll just relearn everything!"

"And how many years will that take?" Mew asked quickly.

"Hey, do you want me to get all depressed, again?" Lucario replied with an angry tone, "Because I can totally do that, if you want!"

"No, of course not!" Mew said with a more startled voice than she herself had expected, and breathed out deeply before continuing, "I am just... Curious as to what you have in mind for the future."

The two of them remained silent for a while, Lucario thinking hard and not just for display this time. Most of his planning hinged on the fact that he would be leaving his encounter with Mew as a human, or at the very least with a new quest to undertake.

"... What are my possibilities?" Lucario asked, trying to hide the sarcasm in his voice.

"Anything," Mew answered directly, "You are free to do as you please."

"Oh really?" Lucario muttered as he crossed his arms, "Can I reclaim my life as Ethan?"

"That might be difficult..." Mew whispered as she imagined what Lucario would look like in common jeans and a brown cloak, to her own surprise finding it more plausible than she had first thought, "... But if you try really hard, I am certain you will succeed!"

"Hmm..." Lucario mumbled, realizing that no human mask could cover up his extended snout, "Never mind, scratch that. What else is there for me to do?"

"That is not for me to say," Mew said and started shaking her head as Lucario turned his gaze towards her, "Do what you wish. There is no true meaning to life, if that is what you are wondering."

"Except, you know, going with it and having fun..." Lucario said and realized just how much he was digressing, "... Well, this sucks. I thought freedom to do what I wanted to would be more fun."

"Take it from me - It is not," Mew replied with a pained sigh, "Too many choices lead to anguish over which one to pick, and whatever you choose you end up worrying if you chose the wrong one..."

Once more they became quiet, just looking at each other. The silence was starting to make Lucario uncomfortable, as if the entire world had come to a halt just to wait for him to make up his mind.

"What were you doing here, anyway?" he asked, "Waiting for Celebi?"

"Yes," Mew answered with a nod, "From our perspective, the planets of the Telethia system are to be aligned in a few days' time, and we promised to meet here for the great occasion."

"The great..." Lucario said with amazement, "Wait, what's going to happen?"

"Happen?" Mew asked with a confused look on her face, "What do you mean?"

"What do you mean, 'what do you mean'?" Lucario repeated angrily, "What's going to happen when the planets align?"

"Nothing," Mew said while giving off a blank stare, "We just want to see it. You rarely see planets aligned. It is rather exciting!"

"... Seriously? Oh man... You two need to get out more often," Lucario groaned before remembering their status of being hunted by everyone in the world, "Figuratively speaking, of course..."

Lucario wondered what he was going to do. Currently he was fine with conversing with Mew, but as soon as one of them left he would be alone in the middle of nowhere with nothing to do, and thousands of dangerous things out for his skin. Should he be planning for the coming strife instead of chatting casually with her? This train of thoughts was immediately interrupted as Mew suddenly extended her legs in midair, and he unwillingly caught a glimpse of what dwelled between them.

"Okay, Mew, you're the most sophisticated being I've ever met..." Lucario groaned while smacking his forehead and bashfully averting his eyes, "Why the hell are YOU not wearing clothing?"

"You mean those unnatural garments humans use to protect themselves from the elements?" Mew responded with an uninterested tone, "I have no need for such encumberment."

"Don't you care that you're showing everyone your... You know..." Lucario muttered, far from foreign to dirty words but not wanting to sound like too much of an oaf, "... They're called 'private parts' for a reason!"

"Very few people and Pokémon ever see me, so whatever my appearance may be matters little," Mew replied, failing to hide the fact that she was sounding more bothered this time as she subtly turned to the side.

"... Well, I'm seeing you now, and I'm telling you to put on some pants!" Lucario yelled while pointing accusingly at her.

"Seems there is only one pair around," Mew said with a faintly amused voice while looking at Lucario's waist, "Would you care to part with them?"

"That's literally the only way this situation could get any more awkward..." Lucario groaned, more than willing to drop the subject and reminding himself to never look directly at it.

"I... I am a bit uncomfortable with this conversation," Mew said slowly, apparently sharing his thoughts and suddenly feeling very aware of herself.

"Oh, really?" Lucario asked sarcastically while looking over the small legendary with squinted eyes, "No kidding. How old are you, anyway?"

"I am twenty years old," Mew replied without missing a beat, making Lucario coil back in surprise.

"R-Really?" he stammered with shock, "I mean, going by your intelligence I'd say you're years ahead, but going by your size I'd say you were still a little kid!"

"My species has a very long lifespan, so that might very well be true," Mew said, imagining herself as the size of Giratina. She did not see it as fitting her all that well.

"Huh..." Lucario muttered slowly, "So... You mean that you'll grow bigger, later?"

"Not within your lifetime, I am afraid," Mew giggled before realizing how inconsiderate she was acting and composed herself, "... Should I survive that long, that is..."

"Well... You're strong, right?" Lucario asked, thinking back to her story about their encounter with Deoxys, "You mean, like, because diseases and stuff? Come on, what're the odds of that happening?"

"... Well..." Mew sighed to herself, letting her sparkling eyes fall to the ground, "... My mother died an infant. As did her mother. As did almost everyone since my species was first introduced..."

"What!" Lucario burst out in shock, somewhat surprised at his own strong reaction, "That's horrible! How'd they die?"

"... Well..." Mew said as she looked down and started fidgeting around in midair, "It is a subject I would rather not talk about."

"Aw, come on!" Lucario insisted, "How am I going to protect you if I don't know what it's against?"

"... Protect me?" Mew asked, curiously raising her head towards him, "What do you mean?"

"Apparently I owe you my life, and... Well, you seem like a nice... Thing," Lucario said, tripping over every word as he tried to make sense out of what he wished to mediate, "I won't just let you die, if that's what you're wondering. I'll do what I can to protect you!"

"You should start by ceasing that line of thinking, then," Mew responded quietly with an extremely sardonic smile, quickly doing away with the appreciation she involuntarily felt, "When my species give birth, our psychic powers are transferred to our baby. That is the cause of death."

"Ah..." Lucario answered understandingly, missing any deeper meanings of what she had just said as he was busy wondering if he was starting to sound too desperate for a new quest, "You mean, losing your powers makes you easy prey?"

"No... Although accomplished psychics, we Mew are physically extremely weak," Mew explained with a quiet sigh, "Should I be left without my powers, I doubt I would even have the strength to contract my diaphragm to breathe."

The sigh stopped halfway through as Mew became aware of what she was doing. It was not her lungs that had forced the air out of her, but a complicated series of psychic contractions her subconscious had guided. The sigh was in no way a natural reaction, but merely something she had gotten used to doing in an attempt to seem more like a normal living creature to everyone else... And perhaps even herself.

"That means... You're on lifesupport?" Lucario said after having thought through her words.

"... If you must call it that, yes..." Mew huffed with a shred of annoyance, "It is not quite that bad. The lack of physical activity is what gives me such a long lifespan."

"More like, it's what's gonna kill you any day now!" Lucario burst out with a squeamish voice, never quite having gotten over just how pathetically weak the tiny pink kitten looked, "No physical strength at all? What if you encounter, say, a Dark-type?"

"Oh, do not worry yourself over that..." Mew said as she smiled, "I have the Aura Sphere to help me out in situations of that manner."

Lucario opened his mouth in what Mew assumed was to be a retort. Instead he fell silent as his mouth was left agape and a look of utter disgust quickly spread across his face.

"... What the hell!" Lucario shouted with irritation, "How come everyone knows how to use the Aura Sphere but me!"

"Surely you cannot be unable to..." Mew said cheerfully, her smile quickly fading as Lucario glared at her, "But... You are a Lucario. The aura-Pokémon!"

"The closest thing I've had to a tutor had some kind of traumatic experience regarding them," Lucario muttered, thinking back to his short stay at Zerobi's so-called home, "And my own experimentation has hurt me more than my enemies!"

"... I suppose that makes sense..." Mew admitted as she thought to herself for a few moments, "Tell me... Do you even know what the aura is?"

"... Uuuhhh..." Lucario exclaimed slowly while thinking hard, "... Blue fire?"

Mew was unable to keep herself from giggling, one of the few basic instincts she had yet to find a way on how to stop herself from doing.

"I-I suppose my explanation regarding mitochondria would be a little too complicated, then..." she said, hoping she did not sound too high and mighty.

"Mitochondria?" Lucario repeated as a faint memory of the word came to life, the cobwebs from the deepest reaches from his mind untangling themselves, "Yeah... Yeah, I remember something like that from school."

"... THAT you understood...?" Mew said in abrupt shock as she suddenly remembered Ethan's similar reaction when she used the Trick Room, "Hmm... Seems that we are full of surprises for one another..."

"I don't remember them looking like blue fire, though," Lucario muttered while scratching his head, "Something like that would've been interesting enough to keep me awake during class."

"The 'blue fire' is the burst of energy created from the mitochondria self-destructing," Mew began explaining to see how much of it Lucario would understand, "It is an order only those in great synchronization with their inner bodies can give."

"Wait..." Lucario said while holding his hands up in front of him, "... You mean, they explode? But... They're microscopic!"

"A couple of thousand explode at the same time, depending on the size of your attack," Mew continued, glad to see Lucario still following her explanations.

"MAN!" Lucario shouted as a chilling tingle spread through his body, "No wonder that shit hurts like hell!"

"Actually, that is probably from your surrounding nerves being affected by the explosion," Mew corrected him while getting a bit worried over the aspects of someone trying to learn how to use the aura without any guidance, "... Which is why making the self-destruction occur OUTSIDE of your body is a must!"

"Ah..." Lucario said with a hint of guilt, thinking back to all those times when he had ignited his arm or even his entire body with the attack, "It doesn't really work as a regular fire or explosion though, does it? What, uh, kind of damage does it do?"

"It works at a cellular level, so it will penetrate and burn through even the toughest defenses," Mew said as the unwelcome memory of Deoxys leaped to her mind, "... Occasionally a Psychic with great skill can reflect it, but apart form that it is impossible to defend against, and very difficult to dodge."

"Oh, I'm _so_ learning how to use that," Lucario said with a determined smile as he punched his fists together, "Sparing myself the agony of showing it to you, I'll just explain it - What I can do now is make aura randomly shoot out of parts of my body, hurting me and anyone nearby in return."

"In other words, the 'Amoeba' state," Mew said with a nod, glad to share made-up terms born from her own musings.

"Amoeba..." Lucario repeated slowly, thinking back to his long and boring days at school, "Creatures with only one cell, right?"

"More like 'a sentient cell'," Mew corrected him, "Your current aura ability is like that, thousands of tiny cells each individually attacking your opponent."

Lucario nodded as he listened, very eager to learn. So far his only means of attacking had been to punch and kick things, which was proving ineffective against enemies possessing strong ranged attacks and peculiar body structures. If the aura could be used to damage his enemies as badly as it damaged himself every time he tried using it, it sounded too good to be true.

"To create an aura sphere..." Mew continued as she closed her eyes cupped her hands together, "... You need to get them to form together, to create a larger being."

"Just like us, eh?" Lucario said with a sardonic smile as Mew unclasped her hands, showing a tiny tornado of blue fire swirling between them roughly in the shape of a ball. Lucario felt a bit envious as Mew did not seem at all harmed by this display that would probably make his fingers ache for days afterwards. Still, it was nothing in comparison to the magnificent display he had been given from...

"Hey, by the way, I met another Lucario not long ago that created some kind of massive beam of aura," Lucario said as Mew suddenly perked up, letting the blue fire in her hands dissipate, "She called it 'Aura Storm', I think."

"Aura Storm..." Mew repeated as she gave off a worried look.

"You've heard of it?" Lucario asked eagerly, suddenly even more interested in learning.

"I thought I invented it!" Mew burst out in genuine surprise, "Someone actually used it? Tell me, how did their body hold up?"

"... Not well," Lucario mumbled as he crossed his arms, not wanting to let anything deter him from his newfound interest, "Nothing compared to her opponents' bodies, of course. What the hell was that?"

"The aura storm is like the aura sphere, but on a much grander scale," Mew explained, the worried tone never quite leaving her voice, "In short, you are ordering every single mitochondrion in your body to constantly shoot out aura for an extended period of time."

"That's..." Lucario whispered to himself, realizing that it sounded rather similar to the "failed" aura attack he had been using all this time.

"In theory, it is nothing short of suicide," Mew continued with a distressed expression, "A very painful one, at that. I cannot fathom why anyone would actually use it..."

"Hey... When all you've got is the aura, you'd better make the most of it, eh?" Lucario said with a shrug before the dangers of the great attack finally started to creep up on him, "Still... Suicide? It's that bad?"

"What do you think happens when you destroy your mitochondria like that?" Mew asked and followed with a short pause to let Lucario think, "No matter how well you master using the aura, you should only be using it in great moderation."

"Moderation..." Lucario repeated as he was about to ask Mew why she had shown him the ball of blue fire earlier, before a much more dire worry struck him, "... Oh, shit! I've been using it non-stop to sense other auras for, like, months!"

"Hee hee..." Mew giggled lightly to herself, "Worry not. That manner of usage is harmless."

"Anyway, you're wrong about the suicide part," Lucario said as he knew he had one more worry to settle down, "She... That Lucario, I mean, was still alive by the end of it."

"Most likely only temporarily, I am afraid. Are you aware of her status now?" Mew asked with a serious gaze, "Her cellular energy sources have been drastically reduced! Even if she does survive, she will be crippled for the rest of her life!"

Lucario uncrossed his arms and opened his mouth as if to say something, but closed it again and looked at Mew with a face of feigned anger.

"... Mew..." Lucario muttered disappointedly, "You. Are. Such. A. Pessimist!"

"P-Pessimist!" Mew stammered, taken aback but swiftly recovering her demeanor, "I am being a realist!"

"That's no excuse for jumping to conclusions like that," Lucario kept going while shaking his head, "You weren't even there. I might've just screwed up with my explanation, or something."

This time Mew opened her mouth, but closed it again rather quickly as she noticed a hint of concern hidden behind Lucario's act. Her focus on the objective side of things had made her forget the subjective, and she knew she had no right to determine the death of someone she had never even met.

"Yes," Mew said quietly with a nod, still convinced of the fate of anyone successfully using the Aura Storm, "Perhaps that is the case."

"... Mew," Lucario said after a moment of silence, his face having turned both grim and serious and not as a simple charade this time, "I need to learn how to use the aura. Will you teach me?"

"I cannot," Mew replied while shaking her head, knowing that her important duty would need to come before anything else, "It will take much time, and I have other matters to attend to. As joyful as this reunion has been, I am afraid-"

"What other matters?" Lucario cut her off, raising a calm hand in her direction.

"... You are aware of the human species' systematic hunting of powerful Pokémon, no?" Mew asked, deciding to take things from the start.

"AWARE of it!" Lucario shouted with a hurt tone in his voice as he pointed to himself, "You think all these scars just made themselves!"

"... Hmm..." Mew mumbled, seeing that his scar tissue was far too old to have been caused recently but paying it no further mind, "I... Believe you will not have to worry about that for much longer, at least."

"Why?" Lucario asked bluntly, "Again, what other matters?" 

"We Legendaries are preparing for a gathering where we will discuss the current state of things," Mew explained, hoping that Lucario would be clever enough not to go around and blab about it to just anyone, "... As well as remedy our problem with the human species, of course."

"You..." Lucaio said quietly as he felt his heart suddenly pounding harder, the very similar words of Zoroark's ringing in his ears, "... You're not gonna overthrow them, or anything... Right?"

"O-Of course not! We are all peace-loving creatures!" Mew burst out while waving her hands back and forth, the mere thought of abusing her powers making her exasperated, "We are simply looking for a way to end this madness before it escalates!"

"You mean, BEFORE innocent guys like me almost get killed for no reason?" Lucario snickered while scratching his shoulder and feeling a wave of relief wash over him, "So, what's your role in all this? Chairman?"

"I am the one given the task of alerting the others as to the whereabouts of our gathering, so we are able to assemble properly," Mew explained proudly.

"You're..." Lucario mumbled as her words came to make sense in his head, "... You're a bloody delivery boy!"

"No, I am fem..." Mew continued explaining before looking at him with a confused expression, "... Wait, what do you mean?"

"Uh, nothing," Lucario said, smiling as he held back yet another snicker, "Just thought you'd have, y'know, a more important role, or something. You did save the world, after all."

"Few of the other legendaries are as mobile as I am, and none as good at hiding from humanity," Mew said, finding it strange that she was actually explaining what had always been so obvious to her and everyone she knew, "The other legendaries are spread all over the world. Myself and a few others are the only ones able to do this."

"Couldn't you just give them a call?" Lucario asked before leaning in closer, "You know... Using a phone?"

Mew blinked.

"A..." she said, not sure that Lucario had been using phonetics correctly, "... What?"

"Goddamn it, you don't know what a phone is!" Lucario growled as he clenched his fists in anger, the memory of Celebi and Zerobi's similar reaction instantly coming to mind, "You're actually going to travel around the world just to talk to them!"

"Is there a better way?" Mew asked bluntly, bewildered at Lucario's display of rage.

"Yeah, there's a better..." Lucario continued before remembering how the last time he had told someone about the magic of a phone, Celebi had wanted him to construct one out of nuts and berries. He forcibly calmed himself down and looked down at the ground, wondering how on earth someone so capable of everything of would be so bad at technology... And cooking.

However, realizing that even someone like Mew had flaws gave Lucario a small spot of hope. Not a sense of superiority, but rather a reason for his existence. He knew all too well that being a human transformed into a Pokémon came with many downsides... But perhaps there were advantages, too? If even the so-called legendary Pokémon such as Celebi and Mew had no idea what a simple phone was, they must really have no concept of human culture.

Still, it wasn't like he knew how to build a phone. He thought it might be worth learning. At the very least it would be something for him to do, better than just wandering around and getting captured. However, on top of the priority list would be learning how to use the aura, so he could fend for himself in the wild. Mew had turned out to be great at teaching him so far, if only he could convince her to keep doing it...

Much like before, his thinking was interrupted by the growl of his stomach. After the brief cataclysm of taste he had experienced earlier, Lucario was sure that his digestive system would never again be the same. Apparently, that was still not an excuse as to stop eating altogether.

"How bothersome," Mew suddenly said. He did not know whether she was referring to her lack of cooking skills or the fact that she did never needed to eat. Probably the latter, seeing how she was looking at Lucario's stomach with great curiosity as he suddenly felt very naked beneath her gaze.

"Dying's worse," Lucario said bluntly, fearing what was to come next.

"There is a patch of berries growing by the foot of this mountain," Mew said, giggling to herself as the spreading panic on Lucario's did not go unnoticed, "... I could fetch some, if you are interested..."

"Thanks. I'll, uh, eat them raw, please," Lucario said slowly with a sigh. No matter how badly berries tasted, it was still miles above anything those tiny, pink and highly lethal hands could conjure up. Mew began to float away deeper into the cave, leaving Lucario alone with his thoughts. However, as she disappeared from his sight, he was suddenly overcome by the strangest feeling that this would be the last time he ever saw her...


	40. Polarized Duo Mewcario

"Hey, Mew," Lucario said after swallowing down the last berry, "Just when you were about to leave now, I got the strangest feeling that I weren't going to see you again."

"Really?" Mew asked, subtly bobbing her head to the side, "Did you think I was going to simply abandon you?"

"No, no," Lucario mumbled while waving his arms dismissively, "I just had a feeling."

"Do you normally let random sensations dictate your judgment?" Mew asked with a serious tone, "It would be physically impossible for you to predict whether or not I would stay."

Lucario muttered something nasty, wondering why Mew had turned sour all of a sudden. He had been the one complaining about the disgusting berries, after all. It is not like she had cooked them or anything… The fact that he was still breathing was proof of that.

"… Hey," Lucario said loudly after a long time of thinking, "You're trying to get humans to stop catching Pokémon?"

"No," Mew answered, although secretly she wished for nothing more, "Just… Trying to make things the way they were before. As things are, all strong wild Pokémon will vanish… Or even worse, rebel…"

"Sounds like a human-Pokémon hybrid might come in handy for something like that!" Lucario said cheerfully as he pointed to himself, not wanting to stall things any further, "Count me in!"

"Afraid not," Mew responded quickly without even giving it a second thought, "I must act swiftly, and carrying you with me would slow me down too much."

"I can walk on my own, thank you very much…" Lucario huffed with annoyance.

"… That would take even longer…" Mew whispered sadly.

Things became quiet again, Mew wondering if feeding Lucario had been such a good idea. The first time he had gone completely ballistic, and this time he had simply gone sour. She knew that normal creatures can go for several weeks without eating and still survive, had she committed some kind of taboo by overfeeding him?

"It is not just on my account," Mew said, feeling the need to defend herself, "I was just about to inform Celebi about the meeting when you arrived instead."

"Oh, yeah…" Lucario muttered to himself as he thought back to the green fairy, "She's the one that sent me here to find you."

"Good!" Mew exclaimed happily, glad to finally get some good news, "I really do need to tell her about all this! Do you know where she is now?"

"… Uuhhh…" Lucario muttered while scratching his head, "… Not quite…"

Mew drooped once again, feeling down. She had yet to tell Celebi anything about Deoxys, Ethan or anything that had happened recently, and talking to Lucario about it had not been the same. Her mind was constantly turning to Celebi because of the lingering sensation emanating from the Pokémon sitting in her cave.

"From my perspective, she might as well be in your pants…" Mew said quietly while looking over at a confused Lucario, "Should I erase her aura from them?"

"… Nah, you never know when it might come in handy," Lucario responded after he figured out what she was referring to. He himself had no idea as to when such a thing would come in useful, and simply liked the idea that his pants were magical.

"In that case, should I add my aura to them?" Mew asked, trying to helpful, "Like you said, it 'might come in handry'."

"Hand_y_," Lucario corrected her before tugging a little at his dirty and damaged clothing, "And, uh, honestly, I've been thinking about ditching these for something else, so unless you want your presence recognized in a landfill somewhere…"

"A new pair of Lucario-pants?" Mew asked with a confused expression, "Where would you find that?"

"… You don't know how to sow, do you?" Lucario asked in return, realizing that he had forgotten to ask Rukario where she had gotten her snazzy pair.

"In principle, but if you are asking me to make some new pants for you…" Mew said as she silently turned her head away, "… I could not."

"Really?" Lucario said with a snicker and a shrug, "All-powerful and all-knowing, yet a simple cloth is out of your reach?"

"No, not that, just…" Mew continued as she turned her head even further away, "… It would be too embarrassing."

"… You're NAKED, and you find PANTS embarrassing?" Lucario said while slapping his forehead, "Hoo boy. I guess underwear's out of the question, then."

Mew continued looking away, Lucario wondering why she was doing that. For a moment, he thought he could hear the faintest of snickers come from her direction, but dismissed it as part of his imagination.

"… If it helps…" Lucario said, realizing that Mew probably was not up to date on current events, "Celebi was just reunited with her sister."

"No, she was not," Mew replied as she shook her head and then turned it towards him again, "Zerobi has been dead for years."

"People keep saying that," Lucario said bitterly while shrugging his shoulders, "Doesn't change the fact that I spent at least a month traveling with her."

"You…" Mew said slowly while examining Lucario for signs of nervosity, "… Are you being honest?"

"Truly," Lucario replied as coolly as possible, "Celebi was overjoyed. Zerobi… Uh, _ann_oyed, I'd say, but happy nonetheless."

"But… Those are splendid news!" Mew suddenly burst out as her eyes lit up, "Celebi has always dreamed of having a sister, and… That means, she must have… That is it! I know where they are!"

Lucario was about to say something, but was interrupted as Mew turned her tail and left the cavern at an amazing speed. He stood there for a few seconds, wonder if he had been ditched, when she returned just as quickly as she had left. Although she was still hovering in midair, her usual stillness had been replaced by short, excited motions in every conceivable direction.

"There is no time to waste!" Mew said with determination as she stared straight into his eyes, "I must reach the designated location before they leave!"

"Hey, as long as you're happy…" Lucario mumbled in response, feeling both annoyed and disappointed at how things were turning out, "… I'm-going-to-teach-you-how-to-use-the-aura-happy?"

"Are you trying to guilt me into becoming your trainer?" Mew asked bluntly, her excited midair movement slowing down a bit.

"… Is it working?" Lucario asked hopefully in return, "I mean, according to your story, I saved your life… Heck, I saved the entire world… Is a little tutoring too much to ask?"

"I… I suppose not…" Mew admitted and sunk a bit, finally starting to feel bad over leaving Lucario, "But I really cannot…"

"Come on! Otherwise, this whole thing has been nothing but a waste!" Lucario persisted as he put his hands together in a praying gesture, "Oh, great legendary Mew! Bestow your wisdom upon me!"

"I… I _want_to help you…" Mew replied slowly as she was visibly brooding, becoming more and more inclined with helping Lucario because of his pleading, "But… But…"

"What's the problem?" Lucario asked, unclasping his hands and crossing his arms instead.

"… I… I have never traveled together with one such as yourself…" Mew explained with disdain, "I do not eat. I rarely sleep. It simply would not work."

"What do you mean? I'm all down for the whole 'not eating' thing," Lucario said while shrugging and snickering at the same time, "Besides, I sleep very little, anyway. You snooze, you get captured!"

"Even so, we would have to travel to the most southern point of Kanto! It is not a distance you can simply walk!" Mew said harshly, before her most recent discovery came to mind once more, "… Although, I suppose that if Celebi is truly where I think she is, we would be able to make it in time for the gathering, anyway…"

"Yeah!" Lucario said cheerfully, happy to see that there was a chance after all, "Besides, I walk fast! My friends used to call me 'the nonchalant runner'!"

"Lucario, listen to me! This is impossible!" Mew insisted, her concerns piling up at the thought of actually going along with something so unthinkable, "You travel by ground in plain sight; if I were to do the same, I would be spotted right away!"

"That is…" Lucario said while raising a finger, "… Unless…"

"… Unless?" Mew repeated, wondering what he had in mind.

Suddenly, a very old idea came upon Lucario once more. He could not help but smile as he remembered the aged Zubat he had encountered, and the short-lived planning regarding their adventurous journey he had made. He knew that he had gotten the idea from his first encounter with Zerobi, and decided to show Mew what he was thinking about.

Mew looked at him with confusion, seeing the fighting-type make a strangely familiar gesture with his arms and torso. It took her a few moments to realize what he was referring to, and when she did…

"Y-You…" she stammered with a shocked expression, "You cannot be serious…"

"It would work, no?" Lucario exclaimed with a big smile plastered on his face, "Come on, Mew, you always said you wanted to get to know us humans better! This is the best chance you'll ever get!"

"… You have amnesia!" Mew snapped back, running desperate and having to resort to name-calling.

"On the contrary… I remember everything about being human," Lucario refuted while shaking his head, "Just nothing about Pokémon… Something I'd appreciate it if you could fill me in on."

"But… But…" Mew repeated slowly, finally having run out of any counterarguments. She was still feeling very reluctant to the idea, especially after realizing their method of transportation. But even so, the once unthinkable idea was beginning to seem possible… Even plausible. Unable to justify to herself why she would deny the man that had saved the world with his sacrifice a simple favor now that it was in her power, she finally conceded.

"… Until unforeseen circumstances prevents me from allowing it…" Mew said slowly after thinking things through for quite a long time, "… You may accompany me."

"And you'll teach me how to use the aura?" Lucario asked, thinking that to be the most important part of the deal.

"I will teach you how to use the aura," Mew answered, sinking down a little. As worried as she was regarding this deal, she started wondering if maybe she was reacting over nothing. She had never tried anything like it before, and if everything goes smoothly it might even turn out to be a valuable experience… Or at least a fun one.

"Hey!" Lucario suddenly said, as if reading her thoughts, "In return, why don't I train you?"

"T-Train me?" Mew stammered frightfully, realizing that by offering Lucario a finger he had proceeded to chew her whole hand off, "Absolutely not! I have not spent my entire life in hiding from trainers just to-"

"No no no, I mean, physical training!" Lucario replied while waving his arms around before flexing his muscles, "You're worried about how your body would hold up without your psychic powers, right? The only remedy for that is good ol' fashioned training!"

"Oh," Mew exclaimed as she calmed down, ashamed at having jumped to conclusions but still feeling interested, "… You can help me do that?"

"Of course! I've been training all my life!" Lucario said while pointing to himself and flexing again, wondering why the hell he was showing what he would normally seduce a hot girl with to what was essentially a small piece of pink fuzz with a tail. Mew seemed impressed, though.

"But… My body is not like yours," Mew said while looking down at herself, feeling a bit sad over her physical condition, "What manner of physical training can I manage?"

"We can start with pushu… I mean, situ…" Lucario said, stopping himself short each time he examined Mew's body structure, "… Let's, uh, start with standups, OK?"

"Those sounds difficult," Mew admitted carefully, "What are they?"

"It's a secret skill, passed down from generation to generation," Lucario said, trying to sound wiser but ending up only sounding older, "It is… The art of keeping one's balance with nothing but one's two legs."

Mew sighed out of annoyance, the implications of his words not having gone unnoticed. She began planning on how to tease him in return when it was she who was teaching him. She still had no idea how that was going to work, but so far she had been able to teach him a few things without any complications.

"Don't worry - I'll think of something, and then you don't have to die like…" Lucario started before realizing what he was about to say, "… Oh. Sorry."

"Actually… That is really thoughtful of you," Mew said in return while feeling a strange wave of relief wash over her, "I did not think…"

"Didn't think what?" Lucario asked, glad to see he had not ruined anything by speaking before thinking.

"Well… I mean, you came all this way, only to have me end your dreams of becoming human again," Mew explained while looking at him with sincere eyes, "I did not think you would care that much about me."

Lucario straightened himself up, his face suddenly turning serious as he looked at Mew.

"You know, while I wouldn't normally just let someone die, you I actually like…" Lucario said determinately before raising his thumb, "Consider yourself safer than safe when I'm around!"

Mew stared at him for a few moments, before starting to giggle at his silly display. However, earnestly she was happy to hear that someone actually liked her, much too happy to be able to fully grasp in this very moment.

"So… That whole us-being-in-a-hurry thing?" Lucario said as a thought hit him, "We'll have plenty of time to talk once we get moving."

"Oh, yes!" Mew exclaimed as she spun around in midair to scan the area of the cave, making sure there would be nothing remaining to alert others of their presence, "Are you prepared?"

"Well, sure, but if we're going to hide you…" Lucario said while crossing his arms, "Do you know where we can find one of those?"

"No," Mew responded quickly, "But I can easily make one."

"You mean by sowing, or by, like, forcibly altering the atoms of something?" Lucario asked, even though he already knew the answer.

"It will be harmless," Mew assured him, "And should not prove to be a problem unless you are planning on eating it."

"… How much worse than that thing you made earlier could it possibly taste?" Lucario asked, this time not knowing but very much fearing the answer.

"We will soon find out," Mew answered with a tinge of sarcasm in her voice, "Hurry up and pack your things, because we are leaving the moment it is complete."

"Done," Lucario said bluntly, suddenly missing the backpack he had lost with its warm sleeping bag and cold bottle of water.

"Also done," Mew chimed in as she looked at Lucario, giving her a blank stare in return.

"I created it outside," she explained without batting an eye, "It is on its way here."

"Right," Lucario replied, somewhat taken aback at how quickly things were moving along, "So… We're leaving, then? Hope you know the way, because I think I left my map on another continent."

Mew did not answer as she soared out of the cave, Lucario gulping loudly as he hoped she was simply being preoccupied with finishing their travelling equipment. He began walking after her, each step reluctant as he knew he was leaving the only place in this world he would ever be able to refer to as a "safe haven".

Soon he would be out in the big world once more, struggling and fighting to survive. He had been doing that a lot lately. Only this time, there was no purpose to it. No hope in sight. All dreaming aside, this was most likely to be the rest of his life. Sure, Mew was currently with him, but would they even make it to Celebi, Zerobi or the meeting of the Legendaries? Would Mew simply abandon him as soon as something did not work out between them? The future had never seemed so unclear before, and at the same time never had as many possibilities, either.

Following Mew outside, he was greeted by a moonlit night and finally noticed just how tired he was. The many weeks of rest following the battle against Blue did little to alter his daily rhythm, and as night fell his eyes were beginning to droop.

He saw Mew floating above the object that would be accompanying them for the trip, looking very excited for some reason. Realizing that she actually had no plans of sleeping before this night was over, and with the problems of the future feeling very distant when compared to his current situation, Lucario knew the only way he was getting through this journey would be with one step at a time.

* * *

><p>NOTE FROM AUTHOR: Without telling me, FF disabled my option to receive private messages. Assholes. Anyway, it's fixed and feel free to use it as much as you want, I was almost about to stop writing this story since I thought I wasn't getting any responses!<p> 


	41. Moonlight: Epilogue of Episode VII

As Lucario's eyes slowly opened up, he could not help but notice that he was still not seeing anything. The world was shrouded in the same darkness his eyelids had provided, and it took his scrambled mind a few moments to reboot and let him remember exactly where he was. Looking around the cave he and Mew had taken shelter in, he saw that unlike before there was no longer any light seeping in from outside. He knew now without a doubt that night had fallen, and that his daily rhythm had become screwed up beyond belief. Not that it was necessarily a bad thing – Mew had preferred that they travel by night, so if they had to stop for sleep at some point it would have to be during daytime.

He thought about Mew and looked around the cave, seeing nothing but faint outlines of how the walls were formed in the darkness. Still not sensing her aura in the least, he prepared his toes for getting stubbed on one of the million indents in the ground as he got up and began walking towards where he remembered the exit being.

A faint light began caressing the walls of the cavern as Lucario made it around a corner, seeing that while it was night outside, the world was bathed in an eerily white glow. By the mouth of the cave he saw Mew, floating motionlessly and staring into the sky, positively shining in the peculiar light.

"Hey," Lucario said quietly as to not scare her, "What're you doing?"

"The moon…" Mew responded breathlessly while still looking up, apparently aware of his presence before he had even said anything, "It is so bright, this night."

"Huh?" Lucario exclaimed, before following Mew's gaze to the lit sky. The moon was no longer a tiny circle hiding somewhere in the heavens, but rather a gigantic orb covering up large parts of the sky. Lucario shuddered as he remembered that he had always hated it when the moon came so close, worrying that it would be pulled in by gravity and crash down on them. Still, those worries were from an earlier point in his life, and he decided to man up and not make a scene about it. Silly superstition would have to take a backseat for the very real dangers he was facing nowadays.

"You really like looking at the moon, huh?" Lucario asked with a casual voice as he sat down next to her.

"Yes… It feels like seeing an old friend…" Mew spoke mostly to herself before noticing the strange expression Lucario was giving her, "Is that strange?"

"… Well… I've traveled far, but no matter where I went the moon would always be there come night," Lucario responded while trying to make sense out of what she had said, "So, I guess it's a familiar face… Just wish it actually did something."

"It made us talk, did it not?" Mew chimed in with a subtle smile on her face.

"I guess. You know, now that you mention it…" Lucario said as he thought more about what the moon meant to him, besides scaring him to no end when it was much too close for comfort, "Zerobi and I would often lie around and talk for hours on end while looking at the moon. Could've sworn she was more active at night than during the day."

"Unsurprising, if she was a Weavile," Mew said, still wondering what kind of Pokémon her best friend's sister had turned out to be. Lucario seemed to hold her in high regard, at least…

"Sure, but there was also a Zubat who was pretty cool who'd do that," Lucario continued as he thought further and further back through his journey, "And way before that, Ivy…"

"You seem to have a certain fondness attached to these memories," Mew pointed out as she finally looked at him instead of the sky, "Has your life as a Pokémon really been as terrible as you claim?"

"Hmm…" Lucario mumbled to himself and could not help but smile as several familiar faces passed through his mind, "… No. I guess not."

They became quiet as Mew continued staring at the moon. Lucario was about to suggest that maybe they should get moving, but felt that he was still just waking up and would very much prefer a few more moments to regain himself. Besides, Mew was completely transfixed at the glowing sphere in the sky, making him worry that she did not simply like the moon, but had a creepy obsession with it. Neither Zerobi nor Ivy would ever ignore him in favor of some far off satellite…

"I… Kind of miss everyone," Lucario said slowly as he felt himself hit by a pang of regret, "I wonder… Are they thinking about me?"

"On a night such as this… I believe that they are more likely to be thinking about the moon," Mew replied, sensing Lucario's anxiety and deciding to face him directly once more.

"… Yeah…" Lucario exclaimed while reluctantly looking up at the sky, his childhood fears creeping up on him once more, "Thinking about the moon… Could that be something that binds us all together, no matter where we are?"

"… If you consider that a binding force…" Mew whispered, unable to see how simply having the same thoughts at the same time could create a connection between people far away from each other.

As the two of them looked up at the prominent celestial body, another duo on a different part of the planet was busy doing the same.

* * *

><p>"It is a natural phenomenon," Celebi explained while settling down on the ground, "The moon is drawn much closer once every month as it passes over Mt. Moon, and-"<p>

"I know," Zerobi interrupted her before crawling into her sleeping bag, "I used to read about it. The origin of Moon Stones, right?"

Zerobi instantly regretted interrupting Celebi, as she did not want to cause a greater rift than the one their earlier fight had opened up. The quietness between them was awkward, making her realize that she would need to be the one to start conversation. Seeing how it was her sister she was talking to, she thought it would be a good idea to divulge one of her personal secrets, to maybe strengthen their bond… And make herself forget about the worst of them.

"You know, when I was small…" Zerobi whispered as her lungs ran out of air much more quickly than usual, "… I was afraid of the dark."

"So was I," Celebi responded, not wanting to appear judgmental, "But… As a Sneasel, You were able to see in the dark, no?"

"Well, yes, but it wasn't that," Zerobi said while closing her eyes, "It's that I knew true horrors would never be found in daylight. They would seek the darkness."

"That was quite assertive of you!" Celebi said happily, relieved to think that foul creatures such as Darkrai would not be able to get to her attentive sister with ease, "So? How did you get over it?"

"… I began to seek the darkness as well…" Zerobi said harrowingly, realizing that she had become what she feared so much as a child. She exhaled deeply and saw her breath take form in front of her. Like a wild beast, it rushed around for barely a second before silently dissipating into the cool air.

An impulse to indulge in her pleasures came upon her, once more being rejected as she visualized Celebi's smile in her mind. The familiar sensation she had been given from cutting into the Garchomp and Lucario was still clawing at her, begging her to do something about it. The idea of continuing the rest of her life without it was almost as horrible as the thought of murdering her only family member just for a moment of delight.

Almost.

"What is bothering you, dear sister?" Celebi suddenly asked, making Zerobi twitch in fear. Had she been found out? Her sister was a legendary after all, could it be possible that… But if she truly knew, would she dare sleep unguarded mere decimeters away from the sharp objects that would claim her life in an instant?

"The fact that you actually used the term 'dear sister', dear sister?" Zerobi tried joking about it, despite feeling so low.

"I can sense that something is wrong," Celebi lied. As powerful a psychic as she was, her dark-type sister was still a complete mystery to her, and it was eating away at her like nothing else. She had delved into the very fabrics of life, analyzing everything from below the skies and above the earth, and yet her only sister that she has been seeking her entire life was still unknown to her. Perhaps this way, she could find out more about what makes her sister the way she is…

"… It's in the past," Zerobi responded slowly, still not sure as to where this conversation was going, but certain that she needed it to stop, "You know… I did stupid things to some people way back… Wish I hadn't."

"Should we seek them out so that you can apologize?" Celebi asked, thinking that this might be a good opportunity to find out more about Zerobi through her friends.

"That might be a problem, seeing how they're all dead…" Zerobi said with a hint of aggression in her voice, thinking that perhaps this would get her sister to back off.

"In that case, it is truly unnecessary for them to still be bothering you," Celebi continued both undaunted and surprisingly cheerful, "Remember, dead Pokémon do not cry!"

"… No…" Zerobi said slowly as she pulled her legs closer to her chest, exhaling deeply once more. The wind caught a hold of her breath, sending it flying away from her face before it had time to fully disappear. She watched it move higher, rising towards the moon before vanishing.

"Dead Pokémon…" she whispered slowly, "Cry forever…"

* * *

><p>"This night…" Eve whispered as she peered outside, her eyes automatically fastening on the great glowing orb in the sky.<p>

"Yeah," Snivy replied, not looking but hearing the strong wind smashing against the window, "Just like back then. I remember, despite being thoroughly intoxicated."

"It's funny…" Eve whispered again.

"… What?" Snivy responded, faintly remembering something about her embarrassing him in front of his peers that night and wondering if she was referring to that in some convoluted way.

"If not for Evolution's Gate, and what happened…" Eve said as she stared longingly at the few clouds passing above them, "We would never have met."

"True," Snivy muttered as he fell back into the bed, "Still the most terrible thing that has ever happened."

"Yes…" Eve continued, still in half a daze from simply being so tired yet being unable to sleep due to her troubled mind, "But knowing what we know now… If we could go back and change things… If that meant us never coming together…"

"Please, Eve," Snivy said while waving his arm around dismissively, "I love you, but unlike the possibility where I would be able to somehow prevent my pestering sister from ever being born, there's no question about it."

"I know that!" Eve replied quickly as she spun around to face him, "Just… If you were able to go back in time and change one thing, what would it be?"

"… Hmpf. If I could change the past in order to alter the present…" Snivy said cockily before a very familiar sardonic smile spread across his face, "… I would aim to change the future, instead."

They looked at each other for a moment, before Eve turned around and continued looking at the sky. The lack of attention started annoying Snivy a bit as he sat up, only to immediately fall back into bed again.

"I don't like it when you get gloomy like this," he muttered with a tinge of jealousy in his voice, "Remind me to put the curtains up before we go to bed tomorrow."

"Sorry," Eve said with a smile as she turned away from the window, "I'm just so glad that we're here together, even after all that's happened."

"Me too," Snivy mumbled before closing his eyes, "Now, let's sleep."

* * *

><p>"Finally," Zoroark said, sighing out loud as he leaned back in his chair, "Go on, give me the report."<p>

"Oh…" an unexpectedly meek voice came from behind him, "It's me. Astrid."

Zoroark turned around halfway and glanced lazily at the strange Eeveelution behind him, looking at him with innocent eyes. Zoroark still had problems telling the physical condition of the unique Pokémon, but could deduct from past experience what the problem was.

"Shouldn't you be sleeping?" he asked bluntly, scratching his head and only now noticing that he had developed a subtle headache at some point during his work, "Bad dreams?"

"Oh? N-No…" Astrid stammered while fidgeting around, remembering that he had been advised in the past not to show himself in public. Even so, being cooped up underground for so long had led him to miss the nightly skies quite a bit, and had figured that a little peek would not hurt… As long as no one knew about it, of course.

"Shouldn't you be the one sleeping, Zoroark?" Astrid asked casually, impressed at his own ability to seamlessly change the subject.

"While there's work to do?" Zoroark asked in return while giving off a short shrug and looking down at his workspace. Archaic mission logs… Tactically useless information regarding their opponents… An old magazine he'd found lying at the outskirts of their base of operation… Nothing of any genuine importance.

"Oh…" Astrid said quietly, wondering if maybe he could be of any help, "What kind of work?"

"Uh…" Zoroark mumbled in return, trying to think of something smart to say, "Just revisiting some old mission logs. When it comes to a delicate operation like this, keeping in touch with the past is very important."

"Oh…" Astrid repeated before giving off a curious expression, "More important than sleep?"

Zoroark sighed tiredly once more, unable to tell if Astrid was being unusually astute or, like him, simply in the mood to waste time. In his exhausted mind, he slowly realized that despite outward appearances, the two of them might have more in common than he had first thought.

"Astrid," Zoroark said before turning around to face Astrid directly, "You've also had quite a traumatic past. How do you make yourself fall asleep?"

"Huh?" Astrid exclaimed confusedly, "I just lie down, close my eyes, and… You know…"

"Really?" Zoroark asked with an impressed tone, "No bad memories or fear of nightmares keeping you awake?"

"Oh… Well, there is that," Astrid admitted as he pushed the image of Zerobi out of his mind, "But I just think about something else instead! Like, a time before all that happened! Happy times!"

"Happy times…" Zoroark repeated with a tinge of disdain in his voice. Bitterness struck him as he realized that even a heavily traumatized outcast of society was more content with life than he was. He gazed at the miniature clock by his workspace. 01:52. 56 hours straight without any sleep, which meant he should be collapsing from exhaustion any time now. A part of him actually looked forward to finally being given a moment of rest, but another part knew exactly what his sleep would entail…

"Yes. I suppose that could work," he said, trying to think of a way to get rid of Astrid while he still had the power to do so, "I'll try it as soon as I've taken care of the report, and then-"

"Wait…" Astrid interrupted him, something Zoroark would never have let happen if not for his tired state, "You've also been trauma-matic?"

"… Traumatized?" Zoroark interpreted with a quiet snicker and decided to lie, "No, no. You're thinking of yourself or that Dragonite that came by earlier. Go back to sleep, I've got to finish this by tomorrow…"

Zoroark turned around again and started rummaging through his things in an attempt to look busy. Thinking of the Dragonite and her issues made him subconsciously pull out his old notes regarding the legendary trio, complete with full biographies and potential weaknesses. From what he had found out, there was no shortage of traumatic experiences among those three either, between the Gallade's infamously poor parents, the death of Pikablu's entire family and everything that had happened to Kabutops.

Quietly, Zoroark wondered if at the very least a forgotten relic of an ancient era was as unfit for this world as he was.

* * *

><p>"Again with the moon?" Pikablu asked, wondering once more if maybe he shouldn't have taken the longer trip to stay with the Gallade.<p>

"Yes…" Kabutops responded while standing completely frozen with his head turned sideways upwards, "The moon… The sky… They are the only things remaining from my childhood."

Pikablu wondered what kind of terrible childhood one would have to have to only have the moon as a symbol of nostalgia, but already knew the answer as he looked at his old friend. To think that the same guy he had been joking around with all these years and shared so many drinks with was actually ancient…

"I remember first breaking the surface… Falling on my back so I could gaze upon it better…" Kabutops reminisced while budging even in the strong wind, "The incredible vastness… I felt so small…"

"If you were anything like your kids back then, you WERE small," Pikablu chuckled, remembering when he was able to carry Kabuta and her brother in the palm of his hands and suddenly felt a pang of nostalgia himself, "But… Did you really have leisure time back then? You told me every moment was a struggle just to survive."

"Yes…" Kabutops answered slowly, finally turning his head away from the sky and facing Pikablu, "Something you should be familiar with."

"Hmpf," Pikablu scoffed, "If only I could've found relief in simply looking at the moon…"

"It was… The only solitude I could find," Kabutops continued while fighting off the urge to once more lose himself in the great void above, "So quiet. So peaceful. I dreamed of growing wings so I could reach it."

"Hey now, why the hell are you getting all sappy with me!" Pikablu growled, knowing that this was not what he had in mind when he had decided to hang out with one of the guys and once more cursing himself for not having chosen the Gallade, "Who do you think I am, Astrid? Let's talk about that hot piece of ass we saw yesterday!"

"That kind of behavior is the reason why you are sleeping with me tonight," Kabutops said, probably smiling somewhere underneath his armored shell, "Any hopes of Anne forgiving you soon?"

"Bah! She should let me live a little!" Pikablu groaned while angrily crossing his arms, "I'm starting to think she liked me better when I was suicidal!"

"… Indeed, you have changed…" Kabutops nodded before once more turning his head to the skies, "You are starting to become more and more like the Gallade, every day…"

"H-HEY!" Pikablu burst out with a hurt tone while pointing at him, "You take that back, right now! At least I still care about people, damn it!"

* * *

><p>"I'm sure he's all right…" the Charmeleon muttered, wishing to move on to a different subject. He had long since realized that he was powerless in his struggle to soothe her mind, and could only keep it apart from her aching thoughts as much as possible.<p>

"How could he be?" Ivy asked while glaring at the moon with a weak yet defiant expression, "We might as well have sentenced him to death, chasing him away like that. All because of that stupid prophecy…"

"Accurate or not, you did what you thought was best for everyone," the Charmeleon tried comforting her, "That took a lot of inner strength."

"I placed all my faith in the elder, and gave none to Lucario…" Ivy continued talking while seemingly ignoring his words, "What kind of friend am I?

The Charmeleon sighed. He knew that there was no slowing her down after she had been stirred up like this. Whoever this Lucario had been, he hoped the Pokémon was aware of just how much pain he was causing the sweet Ivy.

"He was right…" she whispered sadly to herself, "I'm a monster…"

"Come now, that is the worst lie I've ever heard," The Charmeleon said with a reassuring voice, "Everyone makes mistakes. A monster would have placed true malice behind its actions."

"Like that mattered to him!" Ivy snapped at him before realizing her misguided aggravations and slouched down, "Oh, you don't understand… The look in his eyes… Sadness… Regret… Complete helplessness…"

But the Charmeleon knew those eyes all too well. He was staring into a pair of them right now.

* * *

><p>"It… It is not as peculiar as you might think," Mew said with a shaky voice as she turned her gaze back to the earth, sensing more of Lucario's anxiety and fearing that his opinion of her might be sinking, "Enjoying the moon, that is."<p>

"Hey, I'm not pointing any fingers," Lucario said with a casual nod. The only thing bothering him about this scene was the massive body of doom looming above them, not even a light year away from bringing about the apocalypse.

"… I told you about the fate of my mother…" Mew whispered while facing Lucario.

"Oh yeah," he responded with a shrug, "Sorry about that."

"Worry not. My mother was fully aware of what would happen, and had assigned me a godmother…" Mew said as she suddenly lowered her voice, "… The moon reminds me so much of her…"

"Big and round, eh? Sounds like a typical stepmother, all right!" Lucario snickered, but stopped himself as he saw a pained expression develop on Mew's face.

"Sorry, again," Lucario apologized, not exactly sure of why. He had been stepping on toes left and right and not cared about it ever since he became a Pokémon, why would this be any different? He did not know why, but something about Mew had begun to still his brash nature.

It was not out of gratefulness from her saving his life; he had been treating Zerobi all the same right from the start. He knew it could have nothing to do with pity, either, thinking back to all the times he had made Rukario cry without any plans of stopping anytime soon. It was not even out of fear of pissing off one of the most powerful creatures in all existence; everyone from Brendan to Zoroark had only served to fuel his ire and caused him to tease them even more.

Rather, it was that despite being one of the most powerful creatures in all existence, she seemed so fragile. It was as if she would shatter if he was to go at her without holding back. But even so, why would he suddenly care about something like that…?

"She is dead," Mew suddenly said, before quickly slapping her hands to her mouth in shock, "Sorry, I should not have said that. She is not truly dead, but… Gone, rather."

Lucario looked at her strangely, too confused by his own feelings to say anything. Mew still got the message.

"She is occupied with a very important mission, and as such cannot be with me," Mew explained, trying to sound as clinical as possible and not let her true emotion show, because the last thing she wanted was to force the poor sap whose life she had irrevocably altered to pity her.

"Oh," Lucario said flatly, "When will she be back?"

"… Well, she will not," Mew replied before noticing that she had subconsciously sunk down, and straightened herself up, "Perhaps I should explain more thoroughly. Tell me, do you know anything about Darkrai?"

"Uh…" Lucario muttered as he went through the seemingly millions of meaningless names for Pokémon he had heard throughout his journey, "… No?"

"Darkrai is an ancient Pokémon that has caused trouble throughout history," Mew explained in a shortened way so Lucario would at least get the gist of it,"My godmother Cresselia took it upon herself to hunt him down and bring him to justice."

"Sounds valiant enough," Lucario said, "But she'll be back after getting him, right? Unless she… You know… Heroic sacrifice?"

"It… Is not quite that simple," Mew continued explaining, "Darkrai is a very dangerous opponent who can twist your mind and use your emotions against you. In order to combat this, Cresselia…"

Suddenly, a vision passed through Mew's head. Feelings of joy coursed through her as her loving godmother came to see her, bathing her in the beautiful smile she had come to love so much. She kissed her on the forehead like usual before turning away, nodding towards Lugia in a secret signal. What did it mean? The sensation on the forehead was fleeting, and the next time-

"… Did what?" Lucario asked, snapping Mew out of her memories.

"… She went into training…" Mew whispered slowly as she began losing her breath, "… And systematically destroyed all of her emotions."

Another vision. Feelings of joy coursed through her as her loving godmother came to see her, but something was amiss. She leaned forward to receive her usual kiss, but was left hanging. Looking up, she saw her loving godmother staring down at her, a peculiar shapeless form where her smile had once been. She sat frozen as her godmother leaned towards her, before coldly turning away from her. What did it mean? She cried all night after that, as Lugia explained-

"You can do that?" Lucario once more interrupted her thoughts, sounding surprisingly interested, "Like, just, take away your feelings of hunger? And pain?"

"Do not even think about it," Mew said sternly, "She is incapable of caring for another being ever again. It is a fate worse than death, and if only there had been some other way to finish Darkrai…"

"Did it work?" Lucario asked before figuring out a more likely scenario, "Or, you know, WILL it work?"

"… No," Mew replied bluntly and closed her eyes in sadness, "Darkrai takes pleasure in the misery of others. So, after Cresselia had sentenced herself to a personal hell in order to defeat him, he made a point of avoiding her… Forever. Forcing her to endlessly wander the globe as a lost soul without a purpose in life…"

The two of them became quiet for a while; Mew too distraught to continue and Lucario letting it all sink in.

"… Man, first your mother, and now your godmother? I'm…" Lucario started, visibly cringing as he tried to stop himself from saying the last word, "… Sorry."

"Please, do not be," Mew said, sad to see that she had gotten him to pity her after all, "I am fine, this was all very long ago. Rather, I am grateful to always have the moon as a reminder of how she used to be, once upon a time."

Lucario looked back at the moon, its fearful form covering the sky. For some reason, it did not intimidate him as much anymore. The celestial body's calming effect on Mew was starting to rub off on him. Not because he cared anything about Cresselia, but because she did, and he cared about her.

"… Anyway, I came out here to tell you that I'm ready to go," Lucario said after a long period of silence. Mew nodded as she fetched their tool of transportation while he stood up and stretched his legs, knowing that as long and tough as this journey was going to be, at least he would have great company along for it.


	42. Epilogue of Year 10

(FF will not let me upload any images. Keep reading and see if you can still make any sense out of it, or check out my profile to read the chapter in its full glory!)

* * *

><p><strong>"… And then, I spun around and kicked the lizard RIGHT in the head! Or at least where I assumed his head to be, kind of hard to tell when your whole body's a tai-"<strong>

_"Please, stop for a moment!"_

**"What? I'll eventually get to your parts, Mew."**

_"Not that, Lucario. I must say, this story is simply magnificent! I wish to record it!"_

**"... You've... You've got a recorder?"**

_"Well, no... But you do!"_

**"I... What?"**

_"Your aura sensing abilities should remember the appearance and attributes of the many people and Pokemon you have encountered thus far."_

**"Uh... I can sense them, yeah, but... How does that help? You're gonna read my mind, or something?"**

_"No, but I can channel the impressions of your aura into something else! See, the DNA that lies within every cell in our bodies contains genetic information regarding-"_

**"Ugh, whatever. Skip the explanation and just do it."**

_"If you say so... In that case, let us begin!"_

**"..."**

**"...!"**

**"Whoa! What the hell just happened to the cave's wall?"**

_"I needed a platform to transport the memory into. Can you see?"_

**"... If you disregard all the cracks... Hey, yeah... It's me!"**

_"This is your default aura sensor setting, where you only sense yourself!"_

**"But, uh… In this picture, I've got spikes sticking out of my hands and chest."**

_"That is because this is your original form, Lucario. The aura cannot sense wounds, and only sees you pristine."_

**"… Bah, they should've regrown, then… Imagine how much ass I would've kicked with spikes on my hands!"**

_"But you would have been unable to hug anyone."_

**"Yeah, that too! Man, I got totally ripped off!"**

_"Lucario, the Lonesome Wanderer... In any case, now I want you to think of someone else's aura."_

**"What do you mean?"**

_"For instance... That small penguin you said you met in a cave."_

**"... Hmm... So, like, I just focus on her aura...?"**

_"... Looks more intimidating than I had imagined."_

**"That's Suicune. Sorry, I guess that aura left a bigger impression on me."**

_"Yes, I do recognize the legendary dog... I only met him once before he became captured, however..."_

**"Oh? What was he like, back then?"**

_"Intelligent. Serene. Quiet."_

**"No kidding. He didn't talk even once when I met him."**

_"Perhaps that was his way of carrying out his orders without hesitation?"_

**"You mean his orders to hunt down an innocent... Pokemon... Guy... Who's me?"**

_"Suicune, the Serene Chaser... I wonder how your meeting would have turned out if not for the human commanding him?"_

**"... That guy... Alright, I've got a new aura, get ready for another picture!"**

_"Is that Brendan?"_

**"Holy shit, he looks young! He's like a little kid!"**

_"Seems like that is how his own aura recognizes him. A child at heart, perhaps?"_

**"Bullshit! He's a bloodthirsty, sadistic piece of crap! Hunted me down for no reason!"**

_"..."_

**"What?"**

_"Just thinking... Perhaps Ethan and Brendan were bitter rivals?"_

**"I... I mean, that's possible, but he doesn't know I'm Ethan!"**

_"I am not sure... They say that true rivalry surpasses everything..."_

**"Well, 'they' are retarded. If not for Zerobi, he would've killed me without any hesitation!"**

_"Zerobi? I do wish to see what she looks like, would you mind imagining her aura?"_

**"... No, I can't. She doesn't have one."**

_"... Indeed. What species did you say she was, again?"_

**"A Weavile."**

_"In that case... Maybe something like this...?"_

**"Yeah! Yeah, that's it! How did you do that?"**

_"I used my own memory. Hmm, it is not Zerobi, but at least it is a Weavile."_

**"You kidding? I can't tell the difference!"**

_"How cold."_

**"Huh? Whatever, she likes the cold. Man, I still remember where she lived, before it got wrecked by..."**

_"... This man?"_

**"Huh? No, who the hell is that?"**

_"Perhaps it is a younger version of the trainer you met?"_

**"... Red? No way! Raikou's the one who... But maybe Red left a bigger impression...?"**

_"Look at the picture. There is no 'maybe' about it!"_

**"That old coot sees himself like a little kid? That's... Kind of creepy."**

_"It is subconscious, something beyond his own control."_

**"Still... Eh, he was troublesome. We fled to a nearby town, just to avoid running into him again."**

_"You and Zerobi?"_

**"Yeah, can't really remember why she tagged with me. All I remember is that lizard she ran into in town..."**

_"A Snivy?"_

**"That's the one. Way short for a police officer if you ask me, but... Uh, not that there's anything wrong with being short!"**

_"..."_

**"A-Anyway! He got Zerobi crying and then tried to kill her, so I kicked the shit out of him."**

_"He... Made Zerobi cry? Did he fight her first?"_

**"No, he just talked to her. I think they knew each other from before."**

_"Old acquaintances?"_

**"Probably. She seemed more than happy to see him rendered unconscious, and didn't want to talk about it later."**

_"Hmm..."_

**"Anyway, that's unimportant. What's important is who arrived next!"**

_"Oh, forgive me! I must have made four copies by mistake!"_

**"No, that's quite right! These four so-called fighters appeared, and I totally OWNED them!"**

_"You mean... You gained possession of them? But I thought you did not remember being a trai-"_

**"OWNED."**

_"..."_

**"... Uh, anyway, so, then, like, this female Lucario came out of nowhere, and, like..."**

_"Oh my. A shiny?"_

**"... Really? That's the first thing you noticed about her?"**

_"Well... Shinys are different from us. Their skin and fur has different colors."_

**"... That's a very bad way of thinking, Mew. You need to be more understanding."**

_"Wh-What? What did I do?"_

**"See, despite being a Shiny, Rukario just happened to be just like you and me, with a heart, a mind and-"**

_"I did not mean that as a bad thing!"_

**"Yeah, sure. Anyway, she was n... C... Honestly, back then she was a real pain in the ass, calling me 'Cyon' and claiming to be her husband right in front of Zerobi."**

_"Cyon? Wait, why would you care if it was in front of Zerobi or not?"_

**"BECAUSE... It makes me look bad or something, I don't know."**

_"... Hmm... Cyon... And this female Lucario claimed to know him from before?"_

**"Yeah, I'm thinking the same thing... Maybe Cyon was the name of the Lucario Deoxys killed?"**

_"... And whose body you are currently residing within..."_

**"Ugh, don't remind me. No offense to this Cyon character, but this is now my body, and I'll do whatever the hell I want with it."**

_"You should be more respectful to the dead."_

**"... Said the racist..."**

_"What?"_

**"Nothing! So after that, Zerobi and I wandered for the longest time until we came across a trio of weirdoes..."**

_"..."_

**"... Picture?"**

_"Sorry, but you are mixing up the aura of all three of them at once. Could you focus solely on one of them, instead?"_

**"... Fine. I guess I'll go with..."**

_"I recognize this aura... Kabuta, was it?"_

**"Yeah. Foulest mouth on this side of the earth."**

_"Foul mouth? Preposterous! She was always so well behaved around me and Celebi!"_

**"Oh man, are you kidding? The things that came out of that brown shellfish made my toes curl!"**

_"... Impossible... Celebi cannot stand foul language..."_

**"Seems like you're not so hot about it, either. You think yourself superior for not using them, or something?"**

_"No... It is, just... Remember what I told you about death by childbirth?"_

**"... No?"**

_"How I will die if I ever give birth?"_

**"Ah, you mean that? What about it?"**

_"Well, simply thinking about terms like those... It puts my life in danger, and so I avoid it as much as possible."_

**"..."**

_"... I know, it is stupid, but-"_

**"No, I'm just sorry for being so inconsiderate. I didn't know it was that bad."**

_"You should not have to censor yourself on my account, so feel free to say what you would like. I will tolerate it."_

**"Hey, come on! It's not like I'll implode if I don't say dirty words! Heh, unlike Kabuta..."**

_"Speaking of which, the other two that were with her... I hardly even need to ask..."_

**"Eh, at least you'll get a nice picture out of it."**

**"... Scratch that, seems that we get this guy instead."**

_"This one... Tell me, did he give you his name?"_

**"Yeah, sure. 'The Gallade', I think."**

_"No, that is just the name of his species. Did he give you his own name?"_

**"No."**

_"He withholds his own name from everyone, it seems... I wonder what it really is?"_

**"Who gives a sh- I mean, who cares? It's not like his name will unlock the secrets of the universe."**

_"... Just curious..."_

**"Flamboyant. Annoying. Surprisingly good at fighting. I already told you all this, right?"**

_"Indeed. Now, do continue, I am very excited to hear the rest!"_

**"First, you've got to give me a picture of that gigantic airborne snake..."**

_"This... This is Rayquaza!"_

**"Yelling his name seems to be the only proper pronunciation..."**

_"This is one of the legendary Weather trio! He was under control by a trainer?"_

**"Him and Celebi both. Although, to be fair, he was less reluctant when it came to killing us."**

_"... Rayquaza lost his mind long ago. The entire Weather trio did."_

**"... Went crazy? Did they try visiting a psychiatrist?"**

_"It is complicated, but many centuries ago there existed a Weather trio. Groudon, Kyogre and Rayquaza."_

**"Great, more names for me to remember."**

_"They were extremely powerful and took up the role of protecting the earth, but after a visit from Darkrai-"_

**"Oh hey, even more names! Yay!"**

_"... I take it this story does not interest you?"_

**"Exactly. Let's finish my story first, shall we? Also, Rayquaza wasn't all that strong, honestly..."**

_"The original Rayquaza is dead. The one you encountered must be his son."_

**"Rayquaza Jr? Wait, if that's so, why was HE crazy, too?"**

_"... Do you want to hear the whole story, or should we go on with yours?"_

**"Mine! Mine! It's about to really pick up, the whole fight against Lucas is filled with all sorts of twists and turns!"**

**"He actually was this young when we met him. I was... Half expecting the picture of an old man, to be honest."**

_"Lucas... The trainer that dared capture Celebi... I shall remember his face."_

**"If you're looking for revenge - Been there, done that."**

_"How did you manage to defeat Rayquaza?"_

**"... Uh... Well... I mostly just took care of the others, I guess... That yellow dude is the one that defeated Rayquaza."**

**"But! I totally tackled Lucas off of Rayquaza, and everyone was, like, 'Holy shit! That was awesome!'"**

_"... Pikablu... Hmpf."_

**"What, you don't like him?"**

_"Not very much, no. He is a bad influence when it comes to Celebi, as well as... Well..."_

**"... Doesn't surprise me that much, I suppose. You two are like opposites."**

_"What do you mean by that?"_

**"You're soft spoken, refined and cute. He's not."**

_"..."_

**"O-Objectively speaking, of course! I couldn't care less, you're all just animals to me!"**

_"..."_

**"I, uh, didn't mean that... I mean..."**

_"You would do well in thinking before speaking."_

**"No kidding. I rarely do, though. Speaking should be a free action."**

_"I personally do not mind. I have seen first hand what kind of person you really are, ignoring what words might leave your mouth."_

**"That's an awfully odd way of saying... Oh wait, thinking... Thinking..."**

_"..."_

**"... You know, I see where you're coming from. People you know and like might sometimes do and say weird things by mistake, and it's your duty as a friend to forgive them for it."**

_"A-Amazing! Such enlightenment just from thinking before speaking?"_

**"Eh, took too long. At any rate, it plays in with what happened at the end of the battle..."**

_"Oh, really?"_

**"See, Zerobi suddenly went mad and cut my throat."**

_"!"_

**"Yeah, I know, luckily Celebi was there to patch me back together."**

_"Wh-Why would she do something like that?"_

**"... Well, she's apparently a great healer, and-"**

_"Not her, Zerobi!"_

**"Huh? Oh, she said something about losing control whenever doused with blood, which she was... Totally saved our asses, though."**

_"Blood... Just like her father... But..."_

**"She got really scary, though. That previous picture doesn't describe it very well. Could you make a new one, where she looks scary?"**

_"..."_

**"Oh, wow. What the hell?"**

_"Wait, so you say she went mad after becoming doused with blood..."_

**"Yes, that is indeed what I just said."**

_"... And she tried to kill you?"_

**"Indeed, continuing with what I just said."**

_"Oh, forget it. I will talk to Celebi about this later."_

**"Don't worry, she knows. We all forgave her, and everything's nice and dandy."**

_"You are surprisingly trusting."_

**"Oh, am I, Ms. Super-Shy-Legendary?"**

_"Speaking of which, would you mind thinking about Celebi for a moment?"_

**"Yeah, that's her... Could've sworn you two already knew each other."**

_"Silly Lucario! We have been best friends all our lives! I simply wished to see your impression of her!"_

**"Why? Is there a difference?"**

_"Look closely."_

**"... Hey... The image is warped, somehow..."**

_"Her aura would be quite intense for someone like you, I am certain."_

**"Aura? Oh yeah, any chance of you recreating her happiness aura? I loved that one!"**

_"Her... What?"_

**"You know, that thing that made you all joyful inside when near her!"**

_"... You mean... L-Love?"_

**"WHAT? NO! She had this radiance of happiness around her, I heard the others talking about it, too!"**

_"I... So have I, but I have yet to experience it, myself. It might just be the impact her powers have on less powerful beings."_

**"Bah, less powerful... So, can you recreate it?"**

_"Probably not."_

**"Aw... Damn it! It felt so great, I even slept with her to feel it all night..."**

_"Wh-wh-wh-wh-"_

**"Th-That came out wrong! Sorry! She was having a bad dream, and I just helped her get back to sleep!"**

_"... What manner of bad dream?"_

**"Huh? No idea. She went through a lot, trying to rescue that shellfish alone."**

_"Shellfish?"_

**"Yeah! Kabuta's father! We don't need an image of that one, he looked just like his daughter!"**

_"Hmm? No... Not from what I remember. There were distinct differences between them, for sure."_

**"Like what?"**

_"Their gender, for starters?"_

**"Oh. Yeah, I guess I'm bad at telling the differences between Pokemon of the same species. Uh, by the way, what species were they?"**

_"Kabutops, extinct since many centuries back... And recently having reemerged, as you have seen firsthand."_

**"I don't think that's how extinction works..."**

_"I KNOW that is not how extinction works, but such is the case. Personally, I am glad for him and his family!"_

**"... That skeleton... Looks just like some kind of urban legend."**

_"Funny. That was the only scientific fact remaining from them. Claiming to have seen one alive would be the urban legend!"_

**"Not that funny, in other words. I'm pretty sure a lot of people would call YOU an urban legend!"**

_"And so they do. If only they all would, so I could get some peace and quiet."_

**"Anyway, after I left everyone to go off on my own, I ran into a hotheaded trainer..."**

_"Hold on. You left them?"_

**"Yeah."**

_"Why?"_

**"To find you, of course!"**

_"... To become human, again?"_

**"Precisely. That's a later part of the story, though!"**

_"..."_

**"So, as you can see, he was surrounded by a bunch of Zubat, and I met this one Zubat right before who was all class, wish I could've spent more time with her but then this trainer comes out of nowhere and coldcocks me with some flying kid!"**

_"... How confusing! Mind explaining it again?"_

**"... Eh, wasn't that important, anyway... Long story short, I was captured."**

_"C-Captured? By the trainer?"_

**"Yeah. Pokeballs have no effect on me, so they threw me in some kind of prison while I was unconscious."**

_"Pokeballs have no effect on you? I should have known..."_

**"Why's that? I'm not too sure ab- Wait, it's because I'm human, right?"**

_"Well, rather that your mind is. Pokeballs detect their targets by scanning the Pokemon's brainwaves... Otherwise they would just catch everything that comes into contact with them, including humans."_

**"Whoa, they can do that?"**

_"Yes, which is why an unconscious Pokemon cannot be captured."_

**"By a Pokeball, anyway... So, I was thrown in jail, where I met another Pokemon..."**

_"A Dragonair?"_

**"Yes. She... I can't remember why, but she had been imprisoned there with me, and badly wanted to get out."**

_"What happened?"_

**"... They performed some kind of experiment on her... And made her go insane."**

_"...!"_

**"... In the end I got my revenge on the guy that did it, I suppose, but it still feels bad..."**

_"... My single greatest fear..."_

**"Pardon?"**

_"Every human wishes me captured, for fame and glory... But mostly to be able to conduct experiments on my body and mind."_

**"Hmm... Guess I should've asked, but I suppose you hate humanity because of it?"**

_"I... Cannot. Their curiosity is one I can understand quite well... I just wish I could give them what they need and still be allowed to roam free."_

**"And with your chest cavity intact... Trust me, you do NOT want to be involved with these guys, especially not the one I had to deal with..."**

_"... How peculiar..."_

**"What?"**

_"This one does not recognize himself as a child."_

**"Peculiar? More like, normal! Who'd have thought this would be the only sane human around?"**

_"Peculiar is when something differs from the norm, which in this case-"_

**"Yeah, yeah, spare me the lesson. You're right, you know - There was something strange about him... But I didn't find out until we had escaped."**

_"How did you escape?"_

**"... Oh yeah. Things were looking pretty bad when I got rescued by another Pokemon. He didn't have an aura, so... Dark type, maybe?"**

_"What kind of Pokemon was he?"_

**"A, uh... Zoroark?"**

_"Zoroark? You must have only heard his name, for there is no Pokemon like that. What did he look like?"_

**"Like me, but less rugged. Red fur, and a really large red hairdo that he hid stuff in."**

_"Sorry, this was as clear as I could make the picture..."_

**"Don't worry. He was an ass, so I don't really care much for seeing him again."**

_"He... Hid objects within his own hair?"_

**"Yeah. Vials with paralysis coating for his claws and who knows what else. Probably like fifty combs."**

_"How on earth did he manage to break into a human installment undetected?"_

**"Hah! Undetected... No, he had a few others with him, including a muscle-head that snapped the chains holding me with his bare hands."**

_"An Urasing?"_

**"Huh?"**

_"You said... Bear hands?"_

**"Yeah, maybe. I think his name was Connor, but let's stick to Zoroark, shall we? It's not like the others mattered in the long run."**

_"But you told me this happened right before you met me. That means the long run has yet to be decided."_

**"Listen, I don't care about the others that came to rescue me and I didn't have time to worry about them, because Zoroark's strange antics were keeping my full attention."**

_"Apart from launching an assault against a human installation solely to rescue you, what strange antics?"_

**"I'll have you know he rescued plenty others, but... See, I'm pretty good at judging people, which is how I knew Zerobi was to be trusted when I first met her and that annoying lizard wasn't. Thing is... I never really got a good idea of who Zoroark really was. Like he was acting the whole time, switching between different personalities whenever necessary."**

_"A politician, then?"_

**"Ha ha ha! Hey, I guess you can be pretty funny wh-"**

_"Funny? But I have heard commoners throughout the ages describing politicians in such manner! I was simply-"_

**"OK, OK, no need to explain the joke. So, anyway, they busted me out, and we kicked ludicrous amounts of ass. Seriously, I was, like, 'Too bad you only have one head, because that's less for me to kick!'"**

_"..."_

**"He had four arms."**

_"What happened after the fighting?"_

**"We ran into some of Zoroark's allies, as well as... Wait..."**

_"What?"_

**"There was... One of the allies were... Oh, yeah, I forgot to tell you about Ivy!"**

.

**"Yeah, that's her. Heh, been a while since I saw her..."**

_"Hold on... This aura... It seems familiar!"_

**"Huh? No way!"**

_"Yes! She was the one who approached me after... After I had buried you."_

**"I woke up that soon, huh? See, she was the one who pulled me out of the grave in the first place!"**

_"What?"_

**"Yeah!"**

_"You mean, if I had waited just a few minutes longer, you would have come back to life and I would not have had to lament over my failure all this time?"_

**"... Uhh... No, of course not... She, uh... It must've taken longer than that..."**

_"Of all the bad luck... And after all I did... How unfair..."_

**"... Anyway! She dug me out of the grave, I was confused about not being human, she let me live with her for a while and then she tried to kill me."**

_"Slow down! Why would she do that?"_

**"... Sorry, but I really don't want to linger on this part. There was some kind of hoax prophecy regarding me that she needed to prevent, and I got chased out of the village."**

_"Prophecies... Such fabrications. What was it about?"_

**"Something... Like, if there should ever be a creature that was both human and Pokémon, it would destroy the world."**

_"So silly. Commoners sure like to make things up about things they do not understand!"_

**"Well-"**

_"You should hear the things they say about me! They say that my body contains the DNA of every single Pokémon!"_

**"…"**

_"It does not!"_

**"I know! I mean, no shit, but… Goddamn, that's a pretty nasty rumor to be spreading."**

_"What?"_

**"… Since you have to ask, I'll just assume there was a misunderstanding somewhere, and leave it at that."**

_"No, what do you mean?"_

**"No! We said we weren't going to talk about that stuff! Why are we even on this part of the story, let's go back to where we left off… The staircase!"**

_"…"_

**"I mean, what was coming down it. It was that scientist from earlier…"**

**"... Who was being controlled by this thing."**

_"Controlled? What do you mean?"_

**"Like, he controlled him using psychic powers, or something."**

_"But... But that is physically impossible!"_

**"I think Zoroark said something like that, too. Or, uh was it Pikablu...? Anyway, he said something about the scientist being guided like a puppet. Willingly, too."**

_"But... Why?"_

**"I don't know. To help him remember that he is, in fact, an adult instead of some snotty kid?"**

_"I have told you time and time again, that is a completely natural-"_

**"Yeah, yeah. Just shocked about it, that's all. So, we kicked his ass, ran into the woods to hide at an underground base... Or cavern, more like it."**

_"There are many of those in the world. I have never seen one from the inside, as they always seem to be occupied."_

**"You're not missing much. Normal cavern, with plants that glow. Hmm, well, I guess Astrid liked it, might just be me."**

_"Astrid?"_

**"Picture-time? Hey, could you make it so that he is wearing a cloak over his entire body?"**

_"Why?"_

**"... Otherwise, we'll be here all night. I don't feel like wasting time on this guy."**

_"An Eeveelution?"_

**"Yeah. He was with us when Zoroark rescued me, but he was a total coward, so I told him to toughen up."**

_"Cowardice is not necessarily a bad attribute."_

**"Maybe not, but he was so easy to convince I just couldn't let up. Tricked him into getting me a ride over to your place, too."**

_"Oh? So that is when our stories converge?"_

**"... Well, not really. I ran into Rukario again."**

**"Yes, that's her. Again."**

_"Sorry, I wish to keep some manner of consistency."_

**"For who? Who's going to be looking at these?"**

_"Do go on, I am curious to her as to what happened next."_

**"If you say so... She got up my grill about a few things and I... Anyway, we got ambushed by another champion, Blue."**

**"... Seen here as a juvenile instead of the old coot he was. Actually, this I can buy, he wasn't acting his age, that's for sure."**

_"This is very useful to me. I will be able to identify the most dangerous trainers more easily by recognizing their aura."_

**"Don't bother with this one, he was a total pushover. Rukario and I beat up four of his Pokemon all by ourselves, without any problem."**

_"Trainers usually carry six, however..."_

**"... Yeah. This were going swell until he brought out the Espy-on and Uber-on."**

_"Espeon and Umbreon?"_

**"Whatever. They were using cheap tactics, and if not for Rukario's Aura Storm I wouldn't be sitting here right now."**

_"... I see. Forgive me for not having come to the mountain earlier, I might have been able to help."_

**"Would you have helped? You didn't know who we were, after all..."**

_"..."_

**"Don't worry, it's not like I was expecting divine intervention, anyway."**

_"D-Divine?"_

**"Yeah! You swooping down and rearranging the laws of physics to defeat our enemies, what else would you call that?"**

_"Not 'divine', certainly!"_

**"What? You've got a problem with that term?"**

_"Well... Yes! There is nothing divine about me, I am simply a Pokemon like all other!"_

**"So? What's wrong with being divine?"**

_"Because that implies that I am almighty and possess a duty to preserve the world!"_

**"Sounds like you, all right..."**

_"No, it does not! I choose to protect the world out of my own free will, and struggle with it as much as anyone would! Seeing me as a manner of goddess that could perform any manner of feat with a flick of her finger belittles all of my hard work!"_

**"Whoa, clam down! Sorry, I didn't think you'd take such offense to it!"**

_"... For as long as I can remember, every commoner has called me divine... Will they not realize the truth until I am already dead...?"_

**"..."**

_"..."_

**"... That's... Where my story ends... Or where our stories 'converge', as you said."**

_"..."_

**"I know it's difficult, but... Could you show me Deoxys? I cannot remember what he looks like."**

_"..."_

_"... This was his original form. The aura cannot show you the other forms he took on."_

**"Then why can't you, like with all the others?"**

_"..."_

**"… I see. You the whole ordeal made you traumatized." **

_"H-How dare you? I was not traumatized by it!"_

**"Hey, that's OK, anyone'd be traumatized by something like-"**

_"I said, I was not traumatized!"_

**"Whoa, fine! Calm down! Man, you really hate talking about that!"**

_"It is the worst thing I have ever experienced by far. I had thought at least one other being would remember the same hellish situation I went through, but it seems he does not remember..."_

**"..."**

_"..."_

**"... So, after defeating Blue, something very interesting happened..."**

_"...?"_

**"... I came across a reeeeeal beauty. Out of this world! I would describe her as 'divine', but apparently that's an insult!"**

_"... Stop it."_

**"Yeah, that's right, juuuust like that she couldn't stop smiling when she saw me. It was then that I knew without a doubt, it had to be love at first-"**

_"Lucario!"_

**"Huh? Oh, sorry, just thinking out loud!"**

_"Hi hi... You... Stop teasing me! Can you not see that I am supposed to be depressed?"_

**"Ha ha! Kind of hard when you're giggling all over the place, isn't it?"**

_"Hi hi! You think you are the only one capable of teasing?"_

**"Ha ha! In this cave, yeah! Come on, give me your best shot!"**

_"Hi hi! All right! Here is the imprint from your aura back when you were human!"_

**"AW, GODDAMN IT! Are you fucking kidding me?"**

_"Looking a little young there, are you not, Mr. Champion?"_

**"Now, see, that's not funny! If mom ever finds out about this...!"**

_"Oh, I am certain she would be pleased. It seems you were rather cute as a child!"_

**"Stop it! Seriously, I'll never live this down! I'll be good, I promise!"**

_"Of course you will, or else-"_

**"I'll get a spanking? Yeah, real creative, let's drop this whole thing before it gets any worse."**

_"... Hmm. Well, it seems that we are almost done with these imprints."_

**"Almost? We've reached present date, right?"**

_"Yes, but simply placing your human form here will not do. We should include the other part of you as well."_

**"Cyon? Won't he look just like I did?"**

_"Let me try again, from what I remember when he was still alive..."_

**"No spikes. Nice."**

_"No eyes, either. Strange..."_

**"Nah, it looks like that when I've got them closed... I think? It'd be impossible for me to see."**

_"Now that Cyon has been included, I do believe we are done with this."_

**"What? But... You forgot the most important one!"**

_"You mean... Oh!"_

**"Simply divine."**

_"Oh, give it a break. It looks the same as the one Celebi showed me many years ago."_

**"You did this with Celebi?"**

_"Yes. She was the one who came up with the idea for this. Did I not tell you?"_

**"No... You didn't. Hmpf."**

_"What is wrong?"_

**"It's just that... I was kind of hoping this would be our special thing."**

_"It is! Celebi's travels were nowhere near as rich in people or exciting as this!"_

**"Yeah, sure, but... It'll still just be a ripoff of something else, instead of something original."**

_"... How about if I add one final thing to it?"_

**"Go ahead, not that there's anything left to tell..."**

_"..."_

**"...! Oh wow...!"**

_"Like it?"_

**"Perfect! Hah, our thinking's got the same wavelength, that's for sure!"**

_"Then we are truly finished. Shall we be going, then?"_

**"But..."**

_"What?"_

**"Are you sure you want to be leaving this? What if someone finds it?"**

_"In that case, someone may partake of a piece of your incredible journey. Do you mind?"_

**"Of course not! But... It might lead people to you...?"**

_"It will not. They are simply imprints on a cavern wall."_

**"But... That last one? Won't it reveal your, uh, current status to the public?"**

_"... Well, I am fine with that."_

_"Perhaps it will serve as the beginning for another adventure?"_

**"For sure! When we come back, we'll have an even greater story to tell!"**

_"Indeed. Grab our manner of transportation, and let us begin with it!"_

**"Let's!"**

* * *

><p>"Good day."<p>

**"'Sup. Where's Blue?"**

"… Training a new team. Said he had figured out the ultimate combination..."

**"A NEW team? Hah! That old bag of bones doesn't know when to quit!"**

"…"

**"The complete opposite of you, might I add. When you were off rotting somewhere, I actually went to make sure our target would still be active!"**

"... You mean... You were the one who-"

**"No, no. He broke out of his own. Sure as hell didn't see that coming, he was strung up like a broken marionette when I saw him."**

"…"

**"Go on, work on your requiem, pray I succeed and give you enough time to finish it."**

"…"

**"… Nothing? No witty retort? No 'you're wrong and I'm right, now here's why?' You really are bygone."**

"… Fine."

**"…?"**

"I will not kill him… But I will find a way to stop him."

**"Hah! Go ahead and try! Just don't think you're going to beat me to it!"**

_"Welcome, gentlemen. I hope you had a safe journey."_

"..."

**"..."**

_"As you know, Pokeballs detect their targets by scanning the Pokemon's brainwaves. Otherwise they would just catch everything that comes into contact with them, and even unconscious Pokemon could be c-"_

**"Get to the point!"**

_"Ah, yes. After much research and hard work, we have managed to manufacture a type of Pokeball that is tuned to one specific species' brainwaves."_

**"... What?"**

_"In other words, Pokeballs customarily designed to catch exactly one kind of Pokemon. It should work exactly like a Master Ball for this particular species, but will not function against any other."_

"... Interesting..."

_"Here are the ones we have created thus far..."_

"...!"

**"T-That many?"**

_"One for each assigned target. Here's the one for Latios, here's the one for Celebi..."_

**"And how do you suppose we use them, besides shoving them up your ass?"**

"Brendan has a point. No rucksack can hold that large amount of Pokeballs."

_"Of course not. You will have to pick out which targets your will be pursuing, and collect the Pokeball designed for their capture."_

**"BULLSHIT! You told me you could mass produce Master Balls if I tested your idiotic prototype! I lost my chance at capturing many valuable Pokemon with that useless purple pokeball!"**

"... This... This pink one..."

**"Hey, Red, wake up! You're not gonna take this, are you?"**

"... Is this the Pokeball designed for Mew?"

_"Yes. Very astute of you."_

"... I will take this one."

**"Red... Was that a flicker of life I just saw in your aging husk...?"**

"... I still have unfinished business. Now, I have the means to finish them, it seems."

**"You mean... A hunt for the Legendaries? Now, that... That's what I call a hunt!"**

_"Would you also like a Speci-ball designed for Mew?"_

**"Nah, we'll split them up and... Wait... Speci-ball?"**

_"Yes. Special balls, created for capturing Specific Species."_

"..."

**"... Just show me which is which."**

_"Of course. One more thing, however... Regarding your previous target..."_

* * *

><p><strong>"Speak."<strong>

"Sir, if I may ask-"

**"You may not. Do as I say."**

"We already have several tissue samples of the spikeless Lucario, there is absolutely no reason for us to capture him again."

**"But there is."**

"…?"

**"I am telling you to."**

"… I-I understand, sir…"

**"Leave."**

"As you wish, sir…"

**"… Hmpf. No reason? If only they knew, Ethan…"**


	43. Prologue of Year 11

_We interrupt tonight's scheduled programming of Lonesome Wanderer Lucario with this special report. We apologize for any inconvenience, and please refer to the TV guide for further information regarding this change._

_War? In this day and age? It is more likely than you think! As tensions rise between humans and Pokémon, many officials have requested that the people should prepare themselves, in case the worst comes to happen. This instructional video will teach you the ins and outs of war, so you can stop worrying over nothing and carry on as a helpful and comfortable part of society._

_First of all, what is the war about? On the 8th of March, a large task force of organized Pokémon entered Celadon City in the Kanto region with hostile intentions. The group was led by the revolutionist Zoroark, a Pokémon of a previously unexplored species, believed to have committed similar attacks against humanity in the past._

_The Pokémon defeated anyone who stood in their way as they infiltrated a nearby Game Corner, where they discovered a hidden underground base. Little is known of what transpired in the abandoned cellar, but when the Pokémon came back out, they were out of control and furious. Causing a rampage unlike anything ever seen before, their leader Zoroark broke into the local broadcasting station and took hostages, demanding that a tape they had found in the abandoned base would be shown to the public._

_The Tape will not be shown in this special report due to its gruesome nature and enraging effects upon Pokémon. The Tape detailed a series of unethical experiments conducted on Pokémon by a currently unknown organization. The segment including the disembowelment of a pregnant Kangaskhan contained roars that, when translated, warns other Pokémon of the Containment Force (Act 112-119, subjugation of powerful Pokémon). Related notes found during the Game Corner infiltration show that the Pokémon featured in the Tape were all captured targets of the Containment Force, and only a fraction of those whose whereabouts are currently unknown._

_Before congress had any chance of conducting an investigation in order to rectify this mistake, Pokémon in the Kanto region began to rise against their trainers in order to spread the word of what they refer to as "treachery". Zoroark continued broadcasting as the rest of his task force defeated the local police force. After that, they began driving humans out from the city and their homes, demanding respite from humanity and proclaiming it to be their new safe haven, naming it "No Man's Land". Zoroark stated that Pokémon that now feel threatened by humans are welcome to live there, and that he will protect and give shelter to all._

_As word of this reached the rest of the world, strong wild Pokémon liable under the Containment Force began traveling towards No Man's Land in fear of their own demise at the hands of vicious experiments. Many already owned Pokémon also joined the revolution in protest to the inhuman actions, abandoning their trainers in the process. The Pokémon living on the outskirts of Celadon City were invited in while even more Pokémon following Zoroark headed towards their leader's location._

_By the time the police's reinforcements had arrived, the force of enraged wild Pokémon had multiplied, and expanded too much to handle. They were quickly beaten back, many of the police's own Pokémon turning against them and joining the revolution. More and more capable trainers were sent out to handle the situation, but were all defeated by the overwhelming number and strength of the Pokémon in No Man's Land._

_Many of the previous inhabitants of Celadon City hastily built shelters in the nearby cities, and demand to be let back into their homes. Zoroark, elected to represent the Pokémon of No Man's Land, has given a list of demands to their surrender, containing the abolishment of the Containment Force and forcing several new laws regarding the treatment of Pokémon._

_Until this matter has been resolved, there is no telling what the future might hold in store for us. But even so, with the proper preparation, there is no need to worry about what might come to pass. The most important thing to learn is how to-_

**SPECIAL NEWS BULLETIN!**

_Lonesome Hunchback Lucario was recently spotted by a young trainer in the canyons west of Route 15, heading south. The trainer and his Pokémon engaged him, but were immediately knocked out. This mysterious Pokémon is now confirmed to have wandered almost halfway across the globe, leaving fans to wonder if he even had a destination to begin with. Wearing a cloak to cover his body at all times, experts believe his hunch may not be as detrimental as it seems, considering his fighting capabilities are far greater than that of any other Lucario. However, it is most likely grotesque, seeing how he becomes violent as soon as anyone approaches him or asks to see it._

_To those of you already heading there to encounter this mystery, there have been no signs of him in the area since. In related news, Fuchsia City's Safari Zone has started a "Find the Elusive Hunchback Lucario" campaign, proclaiming that the Safari Zone is an excellent place to hide. "We are not simply trying to cash in from this event," the Warden says, "We've always thought hunched backs were cool!"_


	44. Loyal Vigilante Entei

Morning had come to the bustling city of Celadon once more, as Zoroark sat perched by his favorite window and watched the sunrise. The window itself, although a fine craft, was not the reason why he had taken such a liking to this particular spot. Rather, it was because it gave him a fine view of the city without ever showing him the outskirts. From this position, their newly formed nation of "No Man's Land" seemed limitless.

The streets were fairly empty, nothing but a small amount of Pokémon exploring deserted homes and stores for things that might be of use, and liberating them from a destiny of gathering dust. Without the stream of people constantly rushing around, Zoroark thought it looked quite peaceful for exchange. The humans had been so busy with their own tiny isolated worlds that they had barely even noticed the magnificent tall buildings they had once constructed with such hard labor. Being able to sit like this and enjoy it… Zoroark knew their assault on the town had been violent and destructive, but the current stillness of their one safe haven proved the means truly justifies the ends.

As Zoroark continued dreaming away, he barely noticed the peculiar booming sounds coming from behind a building in the distance. Shrugging them off as one of the brutes showing off his or her powers, he was given an abrupt wake-up call as a very familiar sight zipped past the building and headed in his direction.

Brown, rugged fur with a tuft of white hair flowing behind him. A dirtied mask of unknown origin covering his face. A size compensating only for the fact that everyone and everything looked so small when next to it. There was no doubt about it - The legendary dog Entei had come for a visit.

Zoroark leaped away from the window and started running down the corridor as the alarm sounded, reminding himself to reprimand the guards for being so late with it… If there was still anything left of them. Entei had shown himself sooner than expected, but Zoroark had been certain to prepare everyone else for it the instant they gained control of the city. He knew his allies were already leading the legendary into this building, all he had to do was follow the plan through and not crack under the pressure of Entei's overwhelming presence.

Entei leaped over the guards and ran into the building, as per the instructions he had received from the easily frightened Beedrill at the gateway. The guards did not follow him, but scattered in all directions or fell to the ground, trembling. Their over-the-top reactions might have made any other warrior stop himself after realizing that something was wrong. However, to Entei these kinds of reactions were actually quite common, and besides, he already figured this to be a trap.

He welcomed it. Being the unstoppable force of nature he was, the only troublesome enemies were the ones that kept themselves in hiding. Trap or no trap, Zoroark would find out as so many non-Legendaries had found out before, victory was his and his alone.

Running up long stairs and through short hallways, Entei noticed this particular path had been constructed to fit a creature of his bulk. It was most likely unintentional, seeing how his every step shook the very foundation of the building, making him wonder if it had been rigged to collapse at some point… As if something like that would be enough to stop him.

When he had reached what he imagined to be the top of the tall construct, he turned a corner and was greeted by the sight of a large office-like room, surprised to see his target casually sitting in a chair and reading a newspaper behind a mahogany desk.

"Zoroark," Entei said bluntly as he stopped himself, expecting a less confident response from the dark-type. Trap or not, showing himself unguarded like this was nothing short of suicide. But as his master had always taught him, he analyzed the enemy from head to toe, searching for anything that might be out of place. However, everything looked just as it did the day in Saffron City when Zoroark had just barely escaped with his life.

"Entei," Zoroark responded calmly without even looking up from under his newspaper, "I see you finally came to your senses and decided to join our revolution."

Entei's ears twitched in an involuntary reflex as he quickly spat a ball of fire against the enemy ahead of him, taking advantage of his opponent's leisure. The ball exploded as it came into contact with the table in front, creating a miniature whirl of fire that engulfed Zoroark's side of the room, reducing both paper and furniture into cinders.

"Or not," a familiar voice came from behind Entei, who decided against turning around. By showing his back, he might lure Zoroark into attacking and cover his entire body in a veil of fire. Even so, he had been taken by surprise by the dark-type's quickness in managing to move behind him without him even seeing it. Not since challenging Red's Pikachu had he fought anyone that fast. However, just like back then he would prove that he could overcome even the most extreme speed with a properly executed counterattack.

"The legendary Entei, a traitor to his own kind…" Zoroark said quietly, keeping his distance from the dangerous dog. Entei was no longer looking at him, which might instill a sense of security in any other Pokémon. To Zoroark, however, it meant the exact opposite, since it meant the legendary no longer needed to see him in order to attack him. Zoroark had hoped to stay out of the line of fire quite a bit longer, but knew he would have to continue stalling the beast if his plan was to work.

"I will kill you and end this madness," Entei responded coldly, showing no emotion in his voice whatsoever.

"If killing me were stop the madness of humanity…" Zoroark said while shrugging, trying to see if Entei could still sense his movement somehow, "… Then be my guest."

"War is not the solution," Entei growled with an angry huff of flames escaping his mouth, "It will only bring needless causalities."

"Wrong. It IS the solution, and none of it will be needless," Zoroark argued before letting his own emotions swell up, "… And don't you talk to me about causalities! You just tried to murder me, asshole!"

"Your death will prevent that of others," Entei replied before slightly lowering his head, his ears starting to twitch rapidly, "As a defender of justice, I will do what I must."

"Well said!" Zoroark burst out triumphantly, seeing that his plan had finally come to fruition. The tension dissipated as he relaxed, still keeping a wary eye on his opponent. While even he would be reluctant in calling himself safe at this point, he was certainly in a lot less danger than before.

"I suppose that burning me to death is your own special brand of justice?" Zoroark asked sarcastically, playing along as he felt his confidence rise.

"You may surrender to spare yourself a painful battle, but I am afraid you must still die," Entei growled with an even more deep and serious voice than usual, "I cannot risk that you continue this war, no matter what."

"Surrender?" Zoroark said before forcing himself to exclaim a short laughter, "Why would I surrender? I've already won."

"I will make certain that your ideals die with you," Entei responded defiantly, "Your followers will lose their way and quickly return to their normal lives. Your victory here will not even be a memory."

"No, see, what I meant was that I've already won this battle," Zoroark answered, thinking he should move in front of Entei or tap his back or something, but not feeling confident enough to openly taunt the monster, "I guess it's hard to notice these things when you're not moving, no? Go on, try doing something."

It was then Entei felt something was wrong. His neck felt stiff when he moved it, and his muscles around it seemed strangely worn out. Making minor adjustments to his position, he could feel every part of his body growing more unresponsive with each passing second.

"Stunspore, sleep powder, poison powder and a fourth thing that causes minor involuntary muscle spasms… You know, as a signal," Zoroark counted up with a wink towards Entei's ears, both of them twitching occasionally, "Daily fresh and supplied by the kind status-inflictors of No Man's Land. Tell me, do they meet the regulation standards?"

Entei quickly spun around to attack Zoroark, but his right leg gave way under the weight of his body as he collapsed and barely kept himself upright. He growled angrily as he found himself involuntarily kneeling before Zoroark, who gave off a quick snicker.

"Released them the moment you entered the room. These things are airborne, and…" Zoroark said before tapping something that sounded like plastic by the front of his face, "… I've got protection."

Entei noticed a strangely shaped mask covering Zoroark's snout, one that he had not seen the dark-type wearing before. He wondered how he might have missed it after analyzing his foe so carefully, but cursed himself for it none the less.

"This… Is your idea… Of a trap…?" Entei growled deeply as his vocal chords slackened and started to give out, "I am… The Legendary Entei… You think… Simple stunspore… Will be enough… To stop me!"

"Legendary or not, you move with your muscles and breathe with your lungs," Zoroark told his enemy what he had told himself so many times before, "The only thing your 'Legendary' status did was make you overconfident, and gave me the opportunity to win."

"The one who… Is overconfident… Is not me… Zoroark!" Entei roared loudly as his body became engulfed in fire. Zoroark took a cautionary step backwards, not sure of how capable the Legendary might be even in this weakened state. Entei's roar and flame grew more intense as a mist of black powder leaked out of his mouth and hung in the air in front of him. He suddenly reared up on his hind legs, gnashing his fangs together and igniting something as the black mist scattered and several explosions filled the room.

Zoroark quickly leaped into the corridor just outside, his ears popping from the combined noise of the explosions and ferocious roar. His previous feeling of nervousness returned as he looked back into the room and saw Entei standing upright once more, glaring back at him. Zoroark did not know how or why, but his plan had turned out to be a complete failure.

Quickly turning around, he started to run. He did not lack confidence in his own skills, but if the investigation he had conducted was correct, fighting Entei directly would be like trying to punch and kick the sun out of submission. As he was planning his next step, it became interrupted when a waist-high obstacle around the corner that had never been there before halted his progress. He tripped over the surprisingly hard surface, skillfully rolling on the ground in order to retain his momentum, but was still forced to stop himself as he turned around and saw what, or rather who it was he had tripped over.

"Zoroark!" Astrid chimed in surprise, the peculiar Eeveelution still wearing a black cloak to cover his entire body, "I heard an explosion and came as soon as I could!"

"You idiot!" Zoroark shouted angrily at him and making him recoil, "We went through this before; you are supposed to be waiting outside with the rest!"

"Oh… I know!" Astrid replied as he nodded, "I'm here to help, anyway! Let me at 'em!"

Astrid started running towards his previous destination, yet only managed to round the corner before freezing at the sight of Entei, barely a few feet away from him. Zoroark cursed under his breath and also started running, but in the opposite direction, ready for Astrid's inevitable cowardice to kick in and turn him catatonic.

"Hey, you!" Astrid shouted bravely, seemingly undaunted by the intimidating legendary, "You're Entei, right? Give up now, and I'll go easy on you!"

"Step aside, boy," Entei growled with a low tone, "You will not hinder me. Nothing will."

"Oh…" Astrid replied distraught, before quickly regaining confidence, "I mean, uh, I've heard that one before! You're in for a world of pain!"

Zoroark could barely believe what he was hearing. He wondered if someone was playing a trick on him, for once. He felt that had to be the case, because if in reality someone were to talk to Entei in that manner-

His thoughts became interrupted as he heard what he had feared – A mighty roar of fire smoldering the walls and anything between them. Zoroark looked back and saw the corner he had just rounded turn black with soot, small patches of fire still dying out on the floor. He hesitated and thought about returning, but stopped himself as he knew there would be nothing left of his friend to pick up.

"Y-Your weak fl-flames cannot h-harm me!" Astrid stuttered triumphantly as the smoldering ashes of what had once been his tunic dissipated into a slight breeze, coming from one of the windows. This time, Zoroark threw all caution to the wind and quickly ran back to where the voice was emanating from.

"… What are you?" Entei asked with a perplexed tone to his voice, examining the small mystery before him. As one of Ethan's most frequently used Pokémon he had seen many different species and easily recognized Astrid as an Eeveelution, but one he had never thought possible. Only a pure Rock-type could have escaped his attack unscathed.

"Y-Your worst nightmare, p-punk!" Astrid stammered a scream while fastening his feet to the ground, trying to stop himself from shaking as he saw Zoroark appear in the corner of his eye, "Z-Zoroark, fall back! Let me handle this!"

"Idiot! Run!" Zoroark hissed at him with both anger and panic, feeling the heat from the dissipating fires, "You are no match for him!"

"I'm rock, strong against fire!" Astrid shouted as he felt his confidence return, "I've been training, too! Let me show you what I can do, please!"

"Absolutely not!" Zoroark yelled, forgetting that he was revealing himself to Entei. However, at least for the moment, Entei's attention was completely fixed upon Astrid.

"Boy," Entei growled as he stared intently at the tiny creature before him, "What is your purpose in life?"

"Oh…?" Astrid exclaimed with a confused tone before courteously giving an answer without really thinking, "… To make this revolution work!"

"No! He doesn't mean that!" Zoroark shouted in panic, but it was already too late. He fell back as the room instantly heated up, a large spray of red magma coming from around the corner and covering Astrid. Zoroark felt like he was going to burn up, just sitting next to it, as Astrid simply remained motionless, still undaunted. However, as the magma melted through his outer layer of rock, the once brave Eeveelution began screaming, flailing about and trying to get it off him.

The struggle was short-lived as he suddenly slumped over, unable to give resistance to the molten rock eating through him. As it reduced the body he had trained so hard into little more than a burnt husk, the magma suddenly cooled off and hardened, clamping onto what was left of him like a mockery of his previous shell of rock.

"ASTRID!" Zoroark yelled, and against his better judgment ran up to the devastated pile of coal that now lay before him. He had not expected the magma to turn cold so quickly, and wondered what manner of fluid it really was Entei had used.

"… Z-Zoro… Ark…" a weak, hoarse voice came from the unrecognizable mess, Zoroark finally finding Astrid's badly burned face within the rubble.

"You idiot! You weren't supposed to do that!" Zoroark shouted at him, barely comprehending how unreal everything seemed and far everything had strayed from what he had planned, "Why!"

"Oh… It's OK…" Astrid replied slowly with his eyes beaming, "I'm… I'm healing!"

"Wh-what!" Zoroark yelled in shock. Like him, Astrid was indeed a unique species of Pokémon, there was no telling what manner of abilities he might possess, and compared to everything else that had just happened…

"Y-Yeah…!" Astrid continued as his voice became more and more quiet, "I feel all the pain… Going… Away…"

Zoroark's heart sank, and he slowly composed his inner feelings. Everything had suddenly become all too real. This was nothing like how he had envisioned his encounter with Entei, but it was still happening.

"Astrid…" Zoroark said quietly while resting a hand on Astrid's shoulder, sill quite hot from the hardened magma, "You… You should have told me you weren't a coward anymore…"

Astrid smiled in return. A childish, much too happy smile, unbefitting of his destroyed body. He never closed his eyes, and Zoroark could see the exact moment life slipped away from him. Everything was quiet, except for the small breeze coming from the window.

"He has my condolences," Entei said with a voice lacking all emotion, "It seems my attack was too powerful. What manner of Pokémon was he?"

"… My friend…" Zoroark whispered slowly. A wave of memories carrying a flood of sadness came upon him, but he instantly pushed them all away. There would be time for that later.

"Ignore your sorrow," Entei continued as he took a step forward, "I swear that your death will be the last one today."

Zoroark put the rage that welled up in him to use, not by attacking but by running. As luck would have it, this corridor was very short and split off into two directions, allowing him to turn at the corner and leave both his expired friend and the dreaded monster behind.


	45. Cunning Leader Zoroark

Zoroark continued running through the building's upper floor. Turning around at every corner was the only thing keeping him alive, as no direct line of fire meant he was safe from Entei's devastating fire beam. It also hindered Entei's regular speed, as his bulky body was hardly designed for quick turns. However, little by little he could hear Entei's loud footsteps gaining on him, learning how to cut corners faster every time.

Entei had once been described to him as a mass of potential, growing stronger during each battle and forming new techniques on the fly to suit the situation. A troublesome opponent, but Zoroark knew better than to face him in direct combat. Entei was currently the strongest of the three legendary dogs, and Zoroark knew that he could throw his entire army at him and have them sent back as a pile of coal, just like Astrid. He sighed, pushing away the sad and distracting thoughts once more before reluctantly preparing himself for plan B.

Plan B was, of course, nothing more than running away and hiding, but it had the advantage of being viable in any situation. Entei was a strong and clever fighter, but hardly a politician and as far away from a leader as one could possibly get. Zoroark knew that if he was not there for Entei to kill, the legendary would have no idea how to stop the revolution. Eventually he would have to leave, and Zoroark could swiftly return to clean up any damage and come up with a new battle plan. A simple, yet effective plan.

The only problem was how to escape. If he could cover his tracks somehow, hiding would be no problem at all for a Pokémon of his breed, but currently Entei was tracking his every turn through the building like a true hunter. Had it been any other opponent, he could simply use his special technique and vanish around the next corner, never to be found again. However, as much as his aching legs told him to at least try it, his survival instincts reminded him that if he would simply disappear into thin air, Entei would know something was wrong… And in the worst case scenario, he might even figure things out.

Around the next corner, Zoroark came upon a familiar sight. His favorite window reminded him of more peaceful times, and the view that had burned into his retina told him that the building on the other side had a slightly lower ceiling than the one he was in. Suddenly, he was struck by an idea. If he could somehow get rid of the glass…

Zoroark had only a split second to think, and reacted by tearing off his now useless gasmask and throwing it with all his strength at the window. The mask smashed into the target and bounced off harmlessly, barely leaving a crack in the fine workmanship as Zoroark cursed under his breath.

Hating himself on several different levels for what he was about to do, Zoroark picked up the pace and dashed towards the window. There was now a direct line between him and the footsteps behind, meaning that at any moment he could be roasted by an unforgiving beam of fire. He had no time to hesitate.

Zoroark reached the window, but did not stop. Bracing himself, he jumped straight through it, his left arm held in front of him to protect his face while trying to retain as much momentum as possible. A shattering sound filled his ears as he broke through the window and speeded unhindered through the air. Knowing there was little he could do to aid his flight at this point, he simply let himself soar forward like a black projectile, crimson blood and shards of glass raining over the street below.

Just barely making it to the other building, Zoroark was forced to grab on to the edge with his arms. He immediately yelped and let go with his left arm, the pain shooting through him like lightning and threatening to drop him at any moment. Knowing just how close he was to victory, Zoroark mustered up all his strength and pulled himself up on the roof of the house, straining his only functional arm badly.

The window had been a fine craft, indeed. The impact had struck him like a rampaging Rhydon, and the shards of glass were large, jagged and unwilling to leave his arm alone. He wished to pull them out but knew there was no time to spare, promising himself a very long and leisured vacation if he managed to pull through this ordeal.

He looked back and saw Entei staring at him, hunching over just to see through the small window. His heart skipped a beat as he imagined the fiery beast smashing through the wall with all his might and coming after him, but instantly shrugged it off. Not even a monster like that would be strong enough to smash through a wall and retain enough velocity to make such a large jump. He would have to run back through the building, leaving his opponent out of sight long enough for Zoroark to become one with the shadows, and at the very least his life would no longer be in danger. That is, Zoroark thought, as long as he covered up his trail of blood well enough…

An explosion interrupted Zoroark's thoughts. He saw sparks flying out of the window he had just broken through, before yet another explosion sounded. He badly wanted to disappear, but no matter the amount of ruckus going on in the building below, Entei's face never stopped staring at him. Finally, the walls around the beast began to crumble, the bricks on the outside loosening their hold and falling down the side of the building. As they hit the ground they barely made a sound, the extreme heat having turned them very soft in consistency. However, Zoroark had no time to pay notice to it, as he saw Entei leap towards him through the new hole in the wall.

In that instant, everything came crashing down for Zoroark. He could only think of the current situation as complete and utter bullshit. The revolution had been a failed mission right from the start, considering that one day he would have to face this unreasonably powerful and completely unstoppable monster. Frustration filled his mind. Why was he even here? Why was he doing this? What was the point of his life, if he was just going to die like this?

Utter terror, unlike anything he had felt since he was a child struck him as he tried to weigh out his options. However, his mind turned blank at the sight of Entei's massive form moving through the air, and he panicked and started running away. However, pain shot through his wounded leg as it quickly turned limp, and he heard Entei landing on the roof he was on. He felt the building shake.

He knew he was now a sitting duck for Entei's fiery attacks, and no amount of tricks would be able to stop that. Shaking in fear, he gathered up all his power in his legs and made a great jump towards a higher rooftop nearby, forcing himself through the pain as he felt one of the shards cut deeply into the tendon in his left leg.

He tried to land on his feet on the nearby rooftop, but his wounded leg gave way to the weight of his body as he collapsed. Running away was out of the question – Simply walking would be a struggle. He tried crawling away as Entei quickly jumped up to the same building he was on, quietly viewing his shameful display.

"It is over," Entei growled, as Zoroark scrambled away and finally reached the edge of the rooftop. Looking down, he saw the view he had adored from his favorite window so many times, and only now did he realize how frightfully high up he was. The pavement below looked very hard, and he could see a few of his followers looking up at them. He turned around and saw Entei staring at him, waiting to see if he would jump down or not.

"Go ahead," Entei said calmly while giving off a short nod, "If you land on your head, it will be less painful." Zoroark could hear his followers shout something and saw a few flying-types coming up to his rescue, but he knew there was nothing they could do. Even if they were to catch him, Entei would shoot both of them out of the sky in an instant. There was only one thing left on the dark-type's mind…

"… Please," Zoroark whimpered as he felt the old pain across his chest flare up one last time, "No fire."

"Indeed," Entei responded with a nod as he moved closer, "Your body should be recognizable."

Fed up with chasing and talking, Entei lounged at Zoroark, ready to decide this fight as quickly as possible before the tricky dark-type could concoct another plan. He disliked the taste of blood, but realized it would be necessary to rip out Zoroark's throat instead of burning him to death, since his corpse would be an effective deterrent to the rest.

But as he bent forward to bite through Zoroark's neck, his front legs sank through the rooftop. It was as if it was not even there at all, despite him having seen Zoroark crawl across it not long before. He could still see Zoroark sitting in front, glaring at him, and as he tried to pull his front legs up, his instincts instantly told him he had been too careless.

From behind him, Zoroark came out of a roll with a lame leg and arm, and used the claws on his right hand to pierce one of Entei's hind legs. Entei roared as he felt himself lose foothold, turning quickly around to secure himself on the roof. However, Zoroark had anticipated this and made a quick roll to the right, aiming his claws upwards like a set of grounded spikes. A sickening crack filled the air as the weight of Entei's entire body came down upon his hand, the two of them sharing a moment of intense pain as the bones in Zoroark's hand shattered, and his claws pierced through Entei's foot.

The next moment, the two of them fell back. Zoroark kept himself from screaming in pain, helplessly twisting around in agony on the rooftop. Entei, however, found himself light as a feather as there was no longer anything beneath him. His last foothold finally having given out, he was falling towards the ground.

The flying-type Pokémon that had come to catch Zoroark were quickly moving out of the way, not able to catch Entei's large body even if they wanted to. His mind raced with a thousand thoughts as once as everything below became larger by the millisecond. He had triumphed in innumerable battles against overwhelming odds, he thought, surely one against gravity would be no different? He spun around in midair and propelled his legs downwards, ready for the worst landing of his life.

All four of his legs snapped like thick branches as he crashed down on the ground, his underbelly and inner organs flattening from the impact. His world became a haze of blood, darkness and pain, a crowd of Pokémon gathering around as he had trouble forming even a single coherent thought.

After a few minutes, Zoroark decided to follow Entei, riding down on the back of a flying-type. He could not help but stare at Entei's crumbled form, barely comprehending that he had been the one responsible for all that damage. Flinching as he carefully stepped off the flying-type, he forced himself to stand tall, despite hardly being able to walk. Entei's left eye had broken from the pressure and was constantly dripping blood down his mask, while the right one was moving around in a random pattern. Suddenly, it fastened on Zoroark, and slowly focused.

"What… Happened…?" Entei asked, his voice even more growly but noticeably weaker than before.

"You fucked with the wrong revolution…" Zoroark muttered, struggling to keep his own voice steady. He leaned forward the legendary's face and reached out with his still working arm, trying to get rid of the mask blocking his fallen opponent's face.

"N-No…" Entei groaned painfully while moving his head away, "… Do not… Take off… My mask…"

"Think you can stop me?" Zoroark asked stubbornly before hesitating.

"… Reveal… My true face…" Entei said under his breath, letting Zoroark just barely be able to hear him, "… And I will… Reveal yours…"

Zoroark froze for a moment, before slowly backing off. He was not sure exactly which "true face" of his Entei had discovered, but was reluctant to let everyone else find out. He looked at the surrounding Pokémon and waved them away, in case Entei decided to divulge some other troublesome information on his deathbed.

"I… Feel so weak…" Entei growled faintly as the other Pokémon stepped back to leave him and Zoroark alone, "To think that I would die like this…"

"Yeah," Zoroark exclaimed bluntly, his own near death experience leaving him more speechless than usual, "… Any last words?"

Entei's eye unfocused for a moment as he thought to himself, the left eye still dripping with blood. To Zoroark's surprise, the right eye suddenly began dripping too, but with tears instead.

"Weird to think that even a monster like you has feelings," Zoroark muttered, his voice filled with bitter sarcasm, "Must've made killing my friend real difficult."

"I only did… What I had to…" Entei whispered as he continued staring into the sky, "To do… What's best… For everyone…"

"Funny, because that's exactly what I'm doing," Zoroark said with a painful sigh, "Only difference is, I got through the day without killing anyone."

"… Did you, now…?" Entei replied slowly, a very faint grin appearing on his face as he looked at Zoroark. Zoroark tried to look back, taking in the once proud warrior who now lay broken and defeated at his feet, but could not help but look away after only a few seconds. Even with his own body screaming in pain after what had happened, he could not help but feel guilty.

"… My brothers… Will come for you…" Entei said weakly after a short moment of silence, "… And seek revenge…"

"Hmpf… How pitiful, cursing me with your last breath," Zoroark huffed angrily, holding back his surge of terror at having to fight more enemies like Entei, "You think you can stop this revolution with brute force? You really are-"

"… N-No…" Entei interrupted Zoroark as he raised his voice and started to shake in exertion, "Tell them… N-not to… Fight you… They… Must n-not… Suffer… B-Because of… Me…"

"Bah. You worked hard to carry on Ethan's wishes long after his death, and yet you don't want others to do the same for you?" Zoroark mumbled before an unexpected realization hit him, "How… Selfless."

"M-My master…" Entei whispered as he stopped shaking and his voice turned weak again, "… It… It was not his wish…"

He then closed his eyes for a moment as an intense surge of pain went through him, years of discipline the only thing keeping him from groaning in pain. He knew death was imminent, and would try to face it with as much dignity as possible. But even with all what was left of his willpower, his tears kept flowing at the thought of those he would never see again.

"I… I just t-tried to c-carry on his legacy…" Entei wheezed as he felt a pang of regret, "… T-Tried to do what was right… Without him…"

"… Do what's right!" Zoroark repeated as he filled up with rage, shouting angrily at the dying legendary, "You… How the hell can someone like YOU claim to know what 'right' is! I'm working as hard as physically possible just trying to help everyone, and that almost got me killed because of a fucking idiot like you! And… And Astrid…!"

Unable to control himself, Zoroark moved towards the dying legendary, ready to finish him off. To shut him up forever, do the world a favor and pay him back for Astrid. However, with neither arms functional, he simply tumbled forward and collapsed against the hulking beast. He tried to get up, but found his strength waning as he nestled against Entei's fur, still surprisingly soft even after all that had happened.

"… What's right and what's best for everyone… They're not the same things…!" Zoroark wailed in anguish into the fur as he felt himself start to cry out of frustration, "Why… Why am I the only one who understands that…!"

After that, they both fell quiet for a long time. The surrounding Pokémon stood and stared, wondering what was happening, but none daring to intervene. Entei looked at him, a very distant memory showing itself as his battered mind started to understand his former enemy's behavior. At long last, he knew without a doubt what had to be done.

"Re… Remove…" Entei wheezed, before coughing up a wad of blood. He felt death overtake him at that moment, but pushed it away as he still had something important to say.

"… O-Only… Y-You… M-May…" Entei stammered while shaking and staring at a confused Zoroark who was slipping further away with each second, "… R-Remove… M-Mask… A-And… S-See…"

He could not see if Zoroark understood his meaning, the black mist around him growing thicker as it consumed everything else. He stopped himself from shaking, knowing he had yet to say the most important part. His last request.

"… D-Don't… H-Hate… M-Master…" Entei whispered, but was unsure if anyone could hear it. He had already entered a world of complete darkness, where there was no sound. No responsibilities. No pain.

* * *

><p>"… No…" Zoroark groaned helplessly, trying to push away the pink, flabby arms grabbing at him, "… I can do it myself…"<p>

"Impossible!" the Chansey said sternly without letting up, "Your arm is filled with shards of glass and your other hand seems to be broken! How are you planning on doing anything?"

Zoroark groaned. He had managed to stumble out of sight and into his headquarters, when a much too nosy Chansey had dragged him into a hospital bed, insisting to help. In his wounded state he had been no match for her otherwise pitiful strength, and he could not deny the fact that he would probably not be able to simply heal himself with such grave wounds. Not to mention, he was in such great pain that he would enjoy letting someone else do the medical work, for once.

"… Fine," Zoroark muttered reluctantly as he came up with an idea, "On one condition… Patch up my arms and legs, but stay away from everything else."

"Stop being so proud!" the Chansey huffed as she put her short arms at her side, "Why don't you want me to help you?"

"… I've got vials containing enough poison to kill everyone in this building hidden beneath my fur, springloaded to go off at the slightest touch," Zoroark lied, having removed the vials before fighting Entei since he knew they would be too weak and only hider his movements, "If you are trying to save me as well as yourself, I suggest you listen very carefully to what I say."

"O… Of course…" the Chansey said. A cold sweat broke out as she began feeling less willing to help out. Even so, she swallowed her fears and unpacked the first aid kit hanging above the bed. She felt Zoroark had earned a little bravery from her side, seeing what he had just gone through.

"… Hey…" Zoroark muttered after a few minutes, "… What is everyone saying? Is everyone fine with what I did to Entei?"

"… I don't know. Many are still in shock over the fact that you actually managed to defeat Entei and, well… Had any tears to give," the Chansey said, eagerly waiting to being able to tell her sisters about everything at a later time, "But speaking as a healer, I must say… I'm glad this revolution is in such competent hands."

"Hmm…" Zoroark mumbled to himself, quietly regretting having taken such a risk. Even so, he knew that everything from the day the revolution started would risky business. Even something as innocent as one of his allies healing him could turn out disastrous, in case one of her hands should stray a little too near part of his closely-guarded secret…

With a subdued shudder, Zoroark thought about everything today that had not gone according to his very fragile plan. Astrid had died, and he knew the discovery of the now extinct Eeveelution was a massive incident just waiting to happen. He had trouble thinking of a solution, his mind dulled by the pain and fear regarding the Chansey who was now literally a few centimeters away from ruining everything. He forced himself to once again think back to his final moments with Entei, and what he had seen behind the mask. He had yet to figure out what it all meant, but the mere implications were enough to make him terrified enough to lose his breath… And yet still, they gave him a very small bit of personal satisfaction.

He sighed, fed up with having the stress eat away at him. No matter what were to happen, he knew he had many days of recovery ahead of him, and plenty of time for rest. For the duration of the procedure, he simply let all his worries fade away as he started planning out his much needed vacation. Whatever it was, it would have to be better than this.


	46. Lonesome Hunchback Lucario

A hateful storm rages over the southern region of Kanto. Unhindered by natural formations, the chaotic weather whips the normally calm seas into a blur of water and wind. The time has come for sailors to stay home, flying-types to perch on land and water-types to sink to the bottom of the great blue for sleep.

Upon one of the many Seafoam Islands, a mysterious figure can be seen. It is wearing a brown cloak, shielding its upper body from the wind and cold. While it has the shape of an adult human, two very hairy and strange black legs protrude from under the cloak, and a mysterious lump is sticking out where nothing but a flat back would be expected. Even though it is right in the middle of the worst storm of the century, it is completely dry from head to toe as the constantly approaching raindrops are all pushed away by an unseen force.

Walking from the beachhead to a large cave covering most of the island, the creature suddenly stops itself. Looking ahead, it sees another strange figure moving through the mist created by the rain. It was a similar creature, also wearing a brown cloak. Although slightly shorter and with much finer black hair covering the legs underneath, it also had a peculiar hump residing on its back.

The new arrival stopped right after the first did, as the two of them stared at each other. Suddenly, both their backs began rustling in an unusual manner, as if something was moving around underneath the cloaks. One of the creatures hunched over slightly, as a small green face looked out from under the hood. The face might have easily passed for a common plant, almost completely featureless aside from two stalk-like appendages. However, there was no missing the two large emerald eyes, or the curious smile that began to form underneath them.

"Mew…?" the face asked, stirring yet another series of movements from the other creature's cloak. A few seconds later, an unexpectedly pink face poked out from under that hood as well. Like the first, it was small and nearly featureless apart from the large eyes, currently far more blue than the ocean and skies ravaged by storm all around them.

"… Celebi?" the new face said carefully as the pink head stuck itself out further, this time making the other cloaked being gasp in surprise.

"Mew!" Celebi shouted happily, flying away from the cloak and towards her old friend.

"Celebi!" Mew responded in surprise, mirroring her movement as they both nearly collided in midair, stopping just barely a decimeter away from each other. Both of their smiles grew brighter as they looked at each other, Celebi's stalk-like eyebrows twitching with impatience as Mew's tail swished around excitedly. They both had a million things to tell the other, and simply had no idea where to start. Finally, everything broke lose as they started chatting back and forth in rapid succession, leaving everyone but themselves unable to keep up.

Meanwhile, the cloaks they had left still stood tall, seemingly still looking at each other. The cloak Mew had left behind suddenly moved its arms up and pulled the hood back, revealing yet another head. This one was blue, hairy and considerably larger, with a long snout and large ears that began reaching for the skies now that there wasn't anything holding them back. A smile crossed over the creature's face.

"Hey there, Zerobi," Lucario said confidently, remembering well how she looked while wearing a cloak. The other cloak also pulled its hood back and immediately showed a colorful explosion of red, yellow and black. While the head of this creature was slightly smaller, its newly freed wine-red hair stood tall and clashed against the black face which had a tiny, yellow crystal embedded in its forehead.

"… I knew it was you, Lucario!" Zerobi replied cheerfully, returning his smile with one of her own as she ran up to him.

"Heh. What gave it away, the Mew?" Lucario said with a chuckle, before finding Zerobi coming right for him and awkwardly embraced her in a hug, feeling a slight prickling sensation at his back as her claws brushed over him.

"Still keeping your wit sharp, I see," Zerobi snickered, the hug feeling good and making her calm inside, just as it had the last time.

"Still… Keeping your claws sharp, I feel…" Lucario replied slowly with a painful tone, the prickling sensation turning more and more into a sting with each passing second.

Zerobi quickly let go and took a step back. She had not realized how hard she had been gripping him. It had felt good enough for her to want to stay that way for a while, but would not want to risk it never happening again due to actually hurting him. For now, she was happy enough just to be seeing him after such a long time.

"Nice weather we're having," Lucario said with a shrug in an attempt to make the situation less awkward.

"I'm just glad we brought our umbrellas," Zerobi replied while looking at Mew and Celebi, hoping their speedy chattering would not make them forget to keep everyone shielded from the storm. Still feeling dry and seeing the rain seeping down around them as if hindered by an invisible wall, she knew her fears had been unfounded.

"So… What've you been up to?" Lucario asked curiously while scratching his back. Going by how she was doing the last time they met, he had almost expected her to not even be here now.

"I found out who my real parents were, disowned my only sister, rescued a legendary Pokémon, almost got us both killed by a random wilder, reunited with Celebi, and that's not even getting started on the journey here…" Zerobi counted up one by one on her long claws, before turning her face towards Lucario with a nonchalant stare, "You?"

"I had my ribs shattered, declined an offer to lead some big organization, defeated another champion, ran into Mew and found out how I became a Pokémon…" Lucario replied with a somewhat uninterested tone before shrugging, "… Oh, and two prison wardens now recognize my scream."

The two of them stood quiet for a moment, eyeing each other and trying to comprehend what the other had just said. Finally, Lucario broke into a sinister smile.

"You had it worse," he said triumphantly.

"Like hell, I did!" Zerobi argued with annoyance in her voice, "Whatever I went through, at least my chest always stayed in one piece!"

"Don't you mean two pieces?" Lucario pointed out while subconsciously looking down her form, before snapping his eyes back in place and feeling relieved she was too deep in her own thoughts to notice anything, "… Anyway, I was out the whole time it healed, so it was no biggie."

"… Prison wardens? Wait, so right after you told everyone that you'd be able to handle things on your own…" Zerobi grumbled as she continued thinking for a moment, before suddenly raising her voice to a sharp hiss, "… You went and got yourself captured!"

"Not RIGHT after… A few days had passed, at least!" Lucario replied confidently in order to hide his embarrassment, searching for a way to change the subject, "Besides, sounds like you were busy saving someone else's hide, I simply couldn't wait in line that long!"

"Well, yeah. I came across the legendary Azelf who had been captured, and…" Zerobi began explaining before catching on to Lucario's confused expression, "… You have no idea who I'm talking about, right?"

"Nope," Lucario responded casually, "But that's OK. I've got a story about this guy named Zoroark who you probably don't know anything about, so I get to sound smart for once too."

"Zoro… Ark?" Zerobi repeated, trying to grasp the unfamiliar pronunciation, "What kind of Pokémon was he?"

"Uh… A 'Zoroark', from what I could tell. His appearance reminded me a lot of you," Lucario explained while trying to imagine Zerobi with flowing hair and a snout with a perpetually sinister smirk on it, "If some parts were shorter and others were longer… Or something."

"Are you sure it wasn't just, you know, a male Weavile?" Zerobi asked, ruling out the possibility of Lucario encountering a new species of Pokémon in favor of him being oblivious, like usual.

"Oh, man, don't remind me…" Lucario groaned, the mental image gained during his escape from prison still fresh enough to make him fret and perhaps even worry about where his eyes instinctively flutter, "No, he was definitively his own thing. He busted me out of jail which was cool, but had this huge stick up his ass about humanity."

He suddenly felt like complimenting Zerobi somehow for not being male, but was fairly certain it would be interpreted the wrong way. Instead, he walked forward and gave her a pat on the shoulder.

"… What was that for?" Zerobi asked curiously as the nice, rare gesture remained unexplained.

"Heh, for you being you," Lucario chuckled, amazed by his own smoothness before deciding to continue his story, "… Anyway, apparently he was spying on us during our travels."

"W-What!" Zerobi exclaimed with shock, "What… What did he see!"

"Everything, more or less…" Lucario responded while finding her strong reaction unexpected, "What's wrong? We were just wandering around, weren't we?"

"That's, uh, you know…" Zerobi started, but stopped herself as she quietly looked away, "… Never mind."

"Huh?" Lucario asked suspiciously before scrunching up his face, "Were you up to some funny business when I wasn't looking?"

"Absolutely not!" Zerobi shouted angrily as she snapped her head back, "I mean, everyone needs privacy every now and then, but I guess that's just too much to ask… Never mind."

"… Uh…" Lucario started, unaware of what to how to proceed, "What are-"

"NEVER MIND," Zerobi interrupted him immediately, a very stern look on her face. Lucario stood flabbergasted for a few moments, before suddenly moving closer.

"Heheh…" Lucario chuckled before once more putting his hand on her right shoulder, "It's good to see you again, Zerobi."

"You too, Lucario," Zerobi replied, repeating Lucario's action and carefully putting her free claw on his left shoulder. Lucario smiled, as this time the claws felt light as a feather and did not hurt him even the slightest. Zerobi smiled back.

* * *

><p>"Look at the two of them…" Celebi whispered from a distance away, glad to finally see her sister getting along with someone other than herself, "They seem so happy!"<p>

"Yes…" Mew whispered slowly, thinking about everything Lucario had told her about Zerobi, and was surprised to find herself a little irked at their close friendship. Lucario had been with her for several months, but still seemed to have more fun talking to Zerobi than he ever did with her.

"How was it, traveling with Lucario?" Celebi asked, noticing her best friend's downtrodden mood.

"Soooooo slow," Mew sighed quietly as she turned her attention away from them and directed it back at Celebi, "Remember when uncle Giratina took us to see Palika? Much, much worse than that."

"You seem far too burdened for something like that to be the cause," Celebi said before looking down, eyes narrowing at the Lucario who was getting very touchy-feely with her sister, "He didn't… Do anything to you, did he?"

"Not him, but…" Mew started, but choked on her own words as the flood of very unpleasant memories regarding Deoxys came upon her and immediately shattered what was left of her good mood, "… I tremble, simply thinking about it. Let me tell you in private later, I do not wish to worry the others."

"Mew…" Celebi whispered sadly, not knowing what to say. She had expected their reunion to be the happiest day of their lives, sharing stories about their adventures and finally getting the chance to introduce her sister. However, she could feel Mew's psyche weighing heavily upon her, slightly reminding her of Mewtwo's presence.

"… I… I think I finally understand now… How you felt after fighting Pikablu…" Mew spoke slowly and carelessly, feeling like she was at long last able to talk to someone without being forced to keep up an act, "I simply cannot forget what happened, it was so terrible… I thought it would go away with time, but… How were you able to get over it?"

Celebi looked shocked for a moment, thinking back to the time immediately following her perilous battle. At that time, Mew had been the cheerful one while she herself had been a complete wreck. She had been so shaken up that she could hardly think, and much less sleep or work. However, at the same time her head had been filled with several new thoughts and ideas brought about with Pikablu, and by the time she had gone through them, she had finally gotten over everything. She recalled one event in particular being a highly contributing factor, and was not able to help herself as she slightly turned her head towards the ground in embarrassment.

"… Well…" Celebi whispered quietly, a very faint blush appearing on her face, "… Yes, let us save that for when we are in private…"

* * *

><p>"Huh… Look at those two going at it," Lucario said while looking up, having noticed the incessant chattering between the two legendary lowering in tone, "Never thought I'd see Mew acting like… Y'know, a little girl."<p>

"That's what a lifelong friendship does to you," Zerobi explained, reminding herself that the same could be said with a lifelong enemy as her encounter in Snowpoint had proven, "Also, Mew is... Less natural than I'd expected."

"I know, right!" Lucario replied, perfectly understanding what she meant even with her poor description. While Celebi was like a plant with strong radiance, Mew was like something completely out of this world. Lucario remembered how he had once compared her to a cartoon character come to life, something so bright and clean it stuck out like a sore thumb in this plane of existence. He knew this effect to only be a fraction of what she was capable of, as another more urgent thought suddenly hit him.

"Oh, yeah!" Lucario said triumphantly as he pointed to himself, "Check this out! I've learned a new technique!"

"Oh?" Zerobi exclaimed with an interested tone, "Cool. Let's see it."

Lucario immediately struck a pose, holding his arms out in front of him and making Zerobi worry that he was actually going to attack her with whatever he was planning. However, he slowly pulled his arms back towards his body and put his hands together, his eyes closed and his face filled with concentration. After a few moments, he crossed his arms, opened his eyes and looked at Zerobi, a big grin on his face.

"See?" he said confidently.

"… See what?" she responded, crossing her own arms in disappointment.

"I can erase my own aura!" Lucario said loudly before pointing at himself again, "To psychics and those detector-things that busted us before, I'm practically invisible!"

"Uh…" Zerobi stammered, unsure of what to say.

"Hey, come on!" Lucario persisted with a slightly pleading tone to his voice, "This is impressive stuff!"

"Yeah, you've just learned how to do something I attained at birth," Zerobi replied with a snarky voice, "Want me to give you a few pointers on how to walk?"

"Whatever, you'll be jealous in a few moments, anyway," Lucario muttered before regaining his confidence, "That technique's just the warm-up. Let me show you the crowning achievement of my training!"

"Can't wait," Zerobi said before quietly snickering, wondering just how big the explosion of failed aura would be this time.

Lucario leaped back as far as he could, so Zerobi would see the full glory of his new technique. His previous attempt at posing had not impressed her, so he decided to cut out all the useless movements this time. Clenching his fist, he used it as a targeting point as he summoned up strength from every part of his body, feeling a stinging sensation flow through his right arm as he carefully directed it on a straight, harmless path.

For an instant his concentration broke, and a splash of intense pain shot through his elbow as a small explosion of blue flames leaked through. A few months ago, this would have sent him to the ground as a screaming mess, and made the rest of the flow explode into an even bigger and more painful catastrophe. However, his training had been focused at learning how to ignore the pain, and he continued directing the flow of aura through his arm, towards his right hand.

He unclenched his fist as he held his palm skywards, a miniature swirl of blue fire beginning to form above it. The sensation made his fingers tingle, reminding him of just how insanely painful it would be if he were to fail the technique now. Knowing there was no going back, he carefully added more of the restless mitochondrion from his arm to his hand, watching the swirl of aura grow larger and larger into a circular vortex. At this point, it was beginning to take the shape of a sphere.

Finally, the flow that had once filled his entire being was now focused solely in the palm of his hand. Thrusting his hand in front of him, he let go of his concentration, causing the mitochondrion still in his palm to violently explode, sending the blue sphere flying forward at an extremely high speed. It zoomed past Zerobi who did not even have time to react, and continued soaring a few feet above the ground without losing velocity. It kept going for about a hundred meters before weakening in intensity, the magnificent Aura Sphere finally disappearing into thin air.


	47. Vicious Intellectual Mewtwo

"Aura Sphere, baby! Perfect aim, too!" Lucario said with a smile, trying to cover up the fact that he had not been aiming anywhere near Zerobi to begin with.

Zerobi stood completely frozen, staring into space with a terrified look. The attack had not hit her, yet still a numbing sensation spread from her torso and paralyzed her lungs, making her breaths came quick and hard. It spread to the rest of her body before she suddenly fell to her knees.

"N… N…" she said with a meek voice as she grasped at the ground, "Never use that again…"

"Huh? Why?" Lucario asked, still prideful over having successfully pulled it off, "This thing's awesome, I'm going to use it all the time from now on!"

"Not against me, you idiot!" Zerobi shouted angrily as she looked up, wishing she could explain to him that he had almost successfully recreated the most traumatic moment of her life, "I… I told you before, I hate that attack…"

"… Heh," Lucario huffed and crossed his arms, "Be glad you didn't see what Rukario did when I ran into her again, then."

"… She found you again? I had a feeling…" Zerobi mumbled while getting to her feet, telling herself to get over what had just happened, "Where's she now?"

"Uh… Last I saw of her, she was being carted off to a hospital," Lucario replied and started wondering to himself if she had finished healing yet, "She was beaten pretty badly, so she might still be there."

"Wh-What!" Zerobi exclaimed with a startled voice, recalling when Lucario punched the crying woman in the face back in Snowpoint City, "What did you do to her this time!"

"Nothing, nothing!" Lucario said quickly as he waved his hands in front of him, "We ran into trouble, that's all."

Zerobi became quiet, and Lucario was about to say something when it suddenly occurred to him that they were no longer standing in the middle of a storm. He looked around and realized he must have been focusing so hard on the Aura Sphere he hadn't noticed it stopping. His vigorous movements earlier and free-flying Aura Sphere told him that neither Mew nor Celebi were using barriers anymore, but he still knew that no regular storm could possibly disappear so quickly.

"… So, no Aura Spheres, no blood and nothing involving a handshake…" Lucario muttered as he felt like getting back to talking, "… Pretty high maintenance, huh?"

"Oh, that's rich, coming from a guy who knew nothing about anything and still managed to be hunted by two murderous legendary Pokémon," Zerobi replied with an annoyed expression before crossing her arms, "Please tell me you've at least got that thing sorted out."

"Uh…" Lucario mumbled, "Does 'I will hit them with my Aura Sphere if they come back' count?"

"You've got to be joking…" Zerobi groaned, "No wonder you stuck with Mew like glue. She's the only thing standing between you and a horrible death!"

"Well, maybe at first, but the real reason is…" Lucario said while thinking back, and suddenly realized he had forgotten to tell the most important news of all, "… Oh yeah! I found out exactly which human I used to be before becoming a Pokémon, name and everything!"

"… You didn't know?" Zerobi asked with a confused and somewhat irritated stare, "You said you remembered all that!"

"Well, uh, I did… Kind of," Lucario stammered as he tried to explain, "I forgot everything relating to Pokémon, so let's just say my professional life got hit pretty hard with amnesia."

"You mean… You used to be a Pokémon profess-" Zerobi said before hearing herself and starting to laugh at the ridiculous notion, "AHAHAHA! HAHAHAHA! OK, no, I'm just kidding…"

"You were close… I guess?" Lucario responded with a scrunched up face, trying to figure out why him being a professor would seem so farfetched.

"… Oh, I see, you were a trainer?" Zerobi said with clarity in her voice after she stopped laughing, "I should've known, the way you were eyeing me with that Master Ball!"

"That's right!" Lucario exclaimed happily, eagerly awaiting the astonished look on her face when she realizes exactly who he used to be, "And I wasn't just any trainer, I was a real famous one! Take a guess!"

"Brock?" Zerobi answered almost immediately.

"Who?" Lucario replied just as quickly.

"Brock, Brock, tough as a rock?" Zerobi chimed with a smile, the old rhyme from her days at school still fresh in memory. Her smile faded as she saw Lucario looking back at her with complete confusion.

"… Bill?" Zerobi said, trying another guess.

"Don't know who that is," Lucario said carefully, wondering if she had resorted to saying generic names in the hopes of getting it right.

"… Aha, I know! You were a female human!" Zerobi nearly shouted as the sudden explanation as to why Lucario had not been looking for closer relations now seemed very obvious.

"WHAT! No!" Lucario burst out, shocked to the core by the idea, "I… How… Why would you ever think that?"

"Hmm… Well, you do scream an awful lot wherever you get hurt," Zerobi mused, although she knew from past experience that men could easily scream just as much when dismembered in just the right way. She felt a little sickened by the thought, mostly because she had thought of it during this cheerful moment. She knew she could never escape her past, but wished it would leave her alone when things were important.

"Hmpf. Just for that, I'm not telling you which human I used to be," Lucario muttered, his demeanor growing sour. He threw a quick glance behind himself and saw Mew and Celebi still talking to each other, wondering if Mew could somehow vouch for his awesomeness without giving anything away.

"Like I care," Zerobi said with a shrug, replacing her inner turmoil with the fact that there were millions trainers in the world with only a select few she knew anything about, "Unless you were really, really famous or something…"

"I'll have you know, I was really, really, REALLY famous!" Lucario said loudly and with pride, "It would've blown your mind!"

"… Lance?" Zerobi asked after a moment of silence, racking her brains to try to figure out which famous trainer he was, excluding those she had already seen try to kill him.

"No!" Lucario shouted angrily, wondering if maybe he had overestimated Ethan's popularity. He suddenly remembered that Zoroark had told him Ethan disappeared from the public's eyes nearly 10 years ago, so Zerobi was probably too young to even remember him. Lucario grumbled to himself, wishing his past self had posed for the cover of an occult magazine or something to win him a couple of points now.

"Oh, hey," Zerobi said as she looked behind Lucario, who turned around to see both Mew and Celebi slowly drifting towards him. Lucario held his hand up to welcome them, but instantly stopped himself as a sudden chill ran through the air. He knew he was not the only one who felt it, as everyone apart from Zerobi visibly flinched. Even Mew seemed shaken by this, the same creature he had not gotten to even twitch after waking her up by knocking on her head. The chill only lasted a moment, but even after it had disappeared, a new and much worse sensation lingered in its place.

If the sensation Celebi's aura radiated could be described as peacefulness, this new one was the complete opposite. Hate and anger surged unhindered through Lucario, but did not affect his disposition. Instead, it made him feel bad inside, like he had just upchucked a particularly nasty berry, or was feeling the first stages of a developing sickness.

"He… He actually came?" Mew said as quickly as she could catch breath, her psychic power scrambled to adjust itself to this new presence.

"… He cannot sense sis!" Celebi suddenly burst out as she swooped down and grabbed Zerobi's arm, "Let me take her inside!"

"Hey, what's…" Zerobi protested, standing completely still while being tugged by Celebi's weak arms. Her sister's eyes told her the situation was too urgent to explain, and she quickly decided to follow on her own accord, silently waving goodbye to Lucario who was too shell-shocked to notice.

"Lucario!" Mew exclaimed as she lowered herself to the level of his eyes, finally getting him to respond.

"Wh… What…?" Lucario stammered, not sure of what to say, "I can sense it… What is it?"

"Mewtwo is coming," Mew said sternly before looking behind her, making sure that no one was listening, "He has already noticed your aura, so I fear it is too late to erase it. Stay back, stay quiet and under no circumstances tell him that you are Ethan!"

"Mewtwo… Your clone?" Lucario repeated as he vaguely remembered hearing her talk about him before, "Why not? You said something about him being an ally, right?"

"Mewtwo despises humans," Mew explained, never breaking eye contact to enunciate the importance of what she was saying, "If he finds out about you, he might kill you!"

"Pfft, yeah right," Lucario exclaimed confidently while shrugging, "With the Aura Sphere, I could defeat him before he even has time to blink."

"To kill someone like you, he will not need that long!" Mew insisted as she moved so close their hairs were nearly touching, "Please!"

"... OK, OK…" Lucario said quietly as he pulled his head back. He had never seen Mew this worried before, and as much as he was itching to use the Aura Sphere in an actual fight, he was less eager to die on the doorstep of their long-awaited destination.

"One last warning," Mew whispered while looking away shamefully, "He… Might hurt me. You absolutely must not intervene if that happens."

"What! Like hell, I'd let him…" Lucario yelled, his previous fears of dying whisked away at the thought of someone beating up Mew without him doing anything. He stopped himself when he realized the two of them were no longer alone, a figure coming from seemingly nowhere and gracefully setting down on the ground in front of them.

The Pokémon before him was nothing like what Lucario had been expecting, and he wondered if Mew really knew what a clone was supposed to be. Mewtwo was tall, humanoid and standing upright, reminding him much more of himself than the small legendary floating beside him. The two did share a few similarities, however. Their heads looked about the same with the exception of Mewtwo's being less wide, probably to match his much taller torso. Mewtwo's feet were also nearly the same size as his legs, but unlike Mew they seemed to be more muscular and not just there for show. In the same sense, Mewtwo's tail was strong and thick instead of long and slender, and also appeared to be fused into his lower body like a third leg or another rather common appendage Lucario had no intention to draw parallels to.

The closer Lucario looked, the more he realized that Mewtwo really was a warped version of the legendary he knew so well. Where Mew's large blue eyes glittered with pure wisdom, Mewtwo's purple counterparts showed cold intelligence. Where her three-fingered hands lay restless against her side, his much bigger duplicates were flexed and seemed ready to crush something at any moment. Where she would show curiosity by carefully looking someone over, he would be analyzing every detail with a judgmental stare.

Lucario gulped, seeing how that 'someone' was now him.

"Hello, Mewtwo!" Mew said with a surprisingly cheerful voice, "I am glad to see you decided to come!"

"This one reeks of you, original," Mewtwo said with a deep, cold voice as he remained motionless, "What is he?"

"He... He is…" Mew stammered, finding herself at a rare lack of words when she understood the gravity of the situation. Mewtwo already knew something was unusual about Lucario, and depending on how much he knew, she realized her friend might simply explode into a cloud of guts and gore at any moment. The fact that he hadn't already meant Mewtwo probably did not know Lucario's true nature, or he did and was just instilling her with a false sense of security for his own amusement. She knew both to be very probable scenarios.

"A bodyguard," Lucario filled in for her, hesitating a little as both their gazes fell upon him, "Her bodyguard. So, you'd best not try anything, pal."

Mewtwo's eyes flared in anger, and Lucario compared his presence to swimming around freely underwater before suddenly being crushed underneath the weight of a boulder. Even so, Lucario had gained a familiarity towards such a strong presence after spending so much time with Mew, and was able to stand tall without flinching as the hateful sensation grew stronger.

"What is he?" Mewtwo repeated, turning his menacing eyes away from Lucario who despite his resilience quickly filled up with relief, as if breaking the surface after almost drowning.

"He is… An accident," Mew responded, hesitating shortly as she carefully picked her words and hoped Lucario was not the type to hold a grudge, "A perversion of nature, brought about by my own recklessness. I felt sorry for him and decided to let him accompany me here, to ask the legendaries for counsel."

Lucario instantly told himself it was just something she said to mislead Mewtwo from the real question, but it did little to lessen the impact. In a single moment, he understood that what he had just heard was a far more likely explanation to her helpfulness than the fact that she genuinely cared for him. The fearful radiance surrounding him helped him come to this conclusion as he felt worse inside than ever before.

"Are you attempting to fool a being of superior intellect?" Mewtwo asked with a frighteningly deep voice before suddenly turning his eyes back to Lucario, "You. Explain to me precisely what you are."

"… You know, don't you?" Lucario replied bitterly, forcing himself to meet the fearsome eyes. The combined forces of Mewtwo's presence and Mew's betrayal had made him depressed enough to throw all caution to the wind and let his rebellious nature roam freely.

"Lucario, no!" Mew shouted quickly in an effort to stop him, not caring about how to defend her actions to Mewtwo and not wanting to see Lucario get hurt.

"I'm not a Pokémon…" Lucario said bluntly, staring directly at Mewtwo who stared back with severe intensity.

"I'm human."


	48. Restless Thunderbird Zapdos

Mewtwo glared at Lucario, eyes so ferocious he was certain he would go blind if he did not look away from them. Supposedly the powerful psychic had the ability to kill him before he could even blink, and so he sharpened his reflexes as much as possible and was ready to leap away at the slightest notice of an attack. Meanwhile, the dark radiance grew so thick and hopeless that Lucario wondered if maybe he had already been attacked, life fading away from him as he was slowly dying.

Instantly, everything let up as Mewtwo turned his back to them through a swaying motion, Lucario falling forward in surprise.

"Farewell," he said, bending his legs to the ground and getting ready to take off.

"Wait, Mewtwo!" Mew shouted in surprise as she flew towards him, "You came all this way for nothing!"

"Silence, original!" Mewtwo roared ferociously, stopping himself but still not turning around, "I tolerate your presence under protest. If you wish me to mingle with other legendaries, regular Pokémon and this abomination as well, you ask too much."

Mew stared intently at her clone, wondering if there was anything she could do at this point to convince him to stay. She wanted to explain herself, to tell him of Lucario's true nature as Ethan, the human who helped save the world. However, the fact that he was still standing beside her meant that Mewtwo already knew, or at least suspected as much.

"I understand," Mew whispered and slightly lowered her head, "See you again at Christmas."

With that, Mewtwo suddenly lifted off the ground, ascending into the sky like an accelerating rocket. With every second that passed, Lucario felt the abnormal sensation that had threatened to choke him waning, yet still his newfound inner turmoil grew stronger. He needed to know the truth, even though he feared her response more than he had Mewtwo's.

"… Mew…" Lucario said after Mewtwo had disappeared from sight, heart pounding loudly in his chest, "… You didn't… Mean those things you said, right…?"

"Of course I did not!" Mew yelled before turning towards him and showing a very irritated look on her face, "You are my precious friend… Although after this, I am not so certain about that anymore!"

"Ah!" Lucario exclaimed in shock as a large amount of relief tinged with shame washed over him, "… I'm sorry."

"… It cannot be helped. That is the way he is," Mew said with a sigh, calming down as she knew there was no point in getting angry, "I had never expected him to come in the first place. Easy arrival, easy departure?"

"Listen, I'll… I'll make it up to you," Lucario replied, all of his earlier worries transformed into gratefulness towards Mew for being such a good friend, "Yeah, you can rely on me when it comes to fixing this situation; I'll show you that I'm way more useful than he'd be!"

"I am certain of that," Mew giggled lightly, no longer having to worry about Mewtwo bringing down everyone's mood. She had hoped for his assistance since he was most likely powerful and intelligent enough to solve the state of the world all on his own, but still worried that his solution might not turn out to be in humanity's best interests. The fact that he had left Lucario alone did show a lot of improvement on his part, however, and she took pride in knowing she had made the right choice by letting him live after their ferocious duel in the past.

Lucario wondered what Mew was thinking about as they headed towards the rocky formation he thought to be the cave of their destination. More importantly, he wondered if she knew the way in, and if this really was the right place. While the mountainous rock covered most of the island, it was just barely a hundred meters in height, so he had no worries about needing to climb very far.

Mew had told him that the closer they got to the meeting, the less he would be able to sense the aura of other creatures. True enough, Lucario noticed little going on behind the rocky walls that supposedly held some of the most powerful beings on the planet.

"At long last… Here we are," Mew said cheerfully as she pointed towards a small opening in the ground, moving back to let Lucario get a good look at it.

"Wait… We're not going in there?" he asked, pointing to the small mountain he had expected to be hollow.

"What a terrible hiding place," Mew said bluntly as she followed his finger, "It is too big and obvious."

"… You know I found you by sticking near the biggest thing on the face of the earth, right?" Lucario said as the tiny legendary lowered her head a bit.

"If only the others were as good at hiding themselves when in plain sight…" she whispered before facing Lucario with a stern look, "Just remember, you should not tell them that you used to be human, because-"

"We can't prove it, and my past as a trainer would complicate things," Lucario interrupted her before getting on his knees to inspect the hole, which seemed to lead into a horizontal passage, "We went over this, what, eight gazillion times?"

Mew stopped herself from pointing out the obvious, wondering if Lucario had already forgotten what he had told Mewtwo. Even so, she could not blame him for what he had said - She knew how badly Mewtwo's mere presence could affect those not used to it, which would be anyone except her. Even Celebi had described their occasional meetings as unpleasant, and not just because of his unfriendly demeanor.

The dark, rocky passage reminded Lucario a bit about his visit to Zerobi's home. A dank, uninteresting scenery that led into a small dead end, humbly decorated with a bed and a small source of light. By comparison, the place where he and Zoroark had gone before separating looked less rugged, with plants that shone and actual thought put into the design. It had been as cleanly built as something made out of dirt can get.

However, what he saw when entering the cavern beyond the passage was far and well beyond anything he had imagined. A massive room loomed beneath him, making him realize the actual cave was well underneath ground level. The ceiling was covered by thick vines that produced light so strong it felt like a sunny day, but the light was surprisingly soft and did not sting his eyes in the least. The cavern itself was impressive, but had absolutely nothing going for it compared to its inhabitants. Lucario took a deep breath before leaning forward and looking down, certain of his own amazement at the large variety of legendaries beneath.

His first impression was that he was not looking closely enough. After squinting for a few moments, he realized that he could only spot three individual creatures. Two of them seemed to be even smaller than Mew and Celebi in size, and the third one was just a yellow bird.

Disappointment hit Lucario like a truck. After hearing Mew's tales about the glory and magnificence among the legendaries, his expectations had soared higher than ever before and he was ready to have his mind blown on several different levels. Instead, he had come upon a scene slightly less interesting than what he could find in any place with Pokémon.

"Hey…" a sharp yet strangely sweet voice echoed throughout the cave, "Hey! New arrivals!"

The echoing made it difficult to tell the origin of the noise. Lucario looked down to see who had spoken, only to see all three of them looking up in his direction.

"Selphie, why didn't you tell me they were coming?" the voice sounded again, as the yellow bird turned its head towards one of the small creatures.

"Your shift starts in five minutes," a light and calm voice very much like Mew's came from somewhere, "I didn't think you'd have the time-"

"Of course I have the time!" the first voice spoke more determinately this time, before the yellow bird suddenly started flapping its wings and flew up towards them.

Lucario instantly regretted having underestimated the group, finally realizing just how quickly the bird was covering up his vision. He estimated it to be slightly larger than Suicune, yet it was coming at them at more than twice his maximum speed. The unrealistic agility was more akin to teleportation than flight, and before he even knew it the bird had perched on the ledge.

Every part of it was screaming yellow, feathers looking even more ruffled than his hairy chest after a particularly bad case of static electricity. He noticed a few patches of black feathers around the eyes and back, but most were obscured by the strong yellow lying over it. It had a very slender beak, as long as his own arm and sharp enough to give Zerobi's and Zoroark's claws a run for their money.

Something like a thunder strike suddenly roared through the cave, the bird's form lighting up in brilliant white. This light was far harsher than the one in the rest of the cave, Lucario looking away instinctively and keeping his face covered until he noticed the light growing weaker. When he looked back, he nearly lost his breath at what he witnessed.

The same bird as before stood before him, yet it was very different. Its massive wings were spread and feathers were shooting out in every direction like an explosion frozen in time, Lucario realizing exactly why they had looked so ruffled before. The bird shone yellow as bright sparks of white lightning crawled around it, making every feather it touched sway a little from the magnetism.

Another strike of lightning sounded, and the bird became engulfed in a pillar of blue lightning. As quickly as it had appeared, the electricity around the bird calmed down while it fell back into a more casual posture. Lucario shook his head a few times, several reddish spots appearing where the image had been burned into his eyes, Mew peeking out from behind Lucario's back to see what was happening.

"Hello, I'm the legendary thunderbird known as Zapdos," she said happily, Lucario standing frozen for a moment before pointing in her direction.

"That… Was awesome," Lucario gasped as he looked at her with eyes beaming in amazement, "You… Are awesome."

"Hahaha! Not one to mince words, are you?" Zapdos laughed as she looked over the Lucario, surprised that someone had been so blunt as to actually told her something like that right on their first meeting, "What's your name?"

"Ethan," Lucario immediately responded, Mew's jaw dropping in protest. She realized she had wrongfully blamed Mewtwo's presence for clouding Lucario's already poor judgment.

"Ethan…? Hey! I battled a trainer with that name many years ago!" Zapdos said cheerfully, thinking to herself for a few seconds, "… Yes, it's a fine name."

"Well, it's no 'Selphie', but it gets me through the day," Lucario replied, now recognizing Zapdos to be the owner of the sharp yet far from unpleasant voice he had picked up earlier.

"Hehehe… Tressie's gonna love you…" Zapdos snickered before seeing a small pink figure peek out from under Lucario, and she immediately straightened herself up, "M-Mew! Sorry, I didn't see you there!"

"Hello, Zapdos," Mew said calmly as she flew up to hover a few paces left of Lucario, not wanting to get between the two who seemed to be hitting things off surprisingly well, "I saw your handiwork on the way here. You have become very skilled."

"… And awesome, apparently…" Zapdos whispered under her breath, exchanging a quick look with Lucario. She was still perplexed that Mew of all Pokémon would be the one bringing a guest to the meeting, but knew better than to be disrespectful towards the older and much more powerful legendary. Mew had come to visit her and her siblings all throughout their childhoods, and they loved and respected her far too much to ever question her occasionally confusing motives.

"Tick-tock," the voice that sounded somewhat like Mew's came from the lower level, a different noise sounding from above it. From a passageway just barely visible in the bright ceiling of the cave, a large figure clad in red and yellow descended.

Lucario instantly winced as he realized that it looked red and yellow because it was literally on fire. It had the shape of a bird and left a trail of smoke behind as it came crashing down towards the ground, Lucario bracing himself for a fiery explosion. However, while still in midair, the bird turned its head and looked at him, before suddenly making a sharp turn in his direction. Lucario scrambled backwards and looked over at Mew and Zapdos, both of which seemed surprisingly calm considering the impending doom heading their way. While not nearly as fast as the first one had been, the new avian was upon them before Lucario had time to take cover, and much to his surprise landed carefully on the ground with its feet instead of crashing against the wall with its beak.

The firebird looked a lot like Zapdos whenever she was not charged with electricity, with yellow feathers that were not ruffled but instead jagged around the edges. It was still on fire, but seemed to not care all that much, intensive flames burning around its head, wings and tail. Lucario could feel the heat from where he was standing, scrambling his mind to remember which legendary the bird could be while it looked down at him with a casual demeanor.

"Hey Tressie, guess what? New arrivals!" Zapdos suddenly said, the burning bird staring at her before quickly looking back at Lucario.

"Oh, hello," he said with a calm and polite voice, "I saw you arrive earlier, and let the weather calm down fo-"

"Quick, ask the Lucario what his name is!" Zapdos interrupted, using her beak to impatiently tug at a lower part of the firebird's right wing where there were no flames.

"… What is your name, Lucario?" he asked after a moment of hesitation, apparently wondering if he had met the Lucario sometime in the past.

"… Ethan?" Lucario answered carefully, growing more doubtful if he was doing the right thing by giving his real name. Mew shook her head disappointedly as Lucario looked up and saw a meaningful smile crossing over the fiery bird's beak.

"Isn't it great!" Zapdos exclaimed happily before turning around, "Well, see you later, I've got to get to work."

"… Work?" Lucario asked hesitantly, not sure if she was joking or not.

"Who d'ya think's keeping this storm going?" Zapdos responded with a smile, before setting off and flying up into the ceiling. Before he even knew it her yellow form had disappeared in the light, and she was gone.

"Forgive my sister's… Hyperactivity," the burning bird said with a reluctant sigh, "All the electric charges from whipping up a storm do that to her."

"I like it," Lucario replied while scratching his chin, checking to see that it had not caught fire without him noticing, "You are…?"

"Hmm? Is it possible you have not heard of the legendary firebird Moltres before?" he answered with mild surprise in his voice before giving off a sigh, "Seems you are 'Ethan' in name, only…"

"Well-" Lucario started before a small pink figure quickly zoomed in front of him.

"Hello, Moltres!" Mew said loudly, intentionally interrupting Lucario while throwing him an irritated glance, "How are you?"

Lucario did not get to hear Moltres' answer as he was busy interpreting why Mew was staring at him with such a hopeless and confused look on her face.

"You said he was the legendary bird OF fire, not ON fire," he whispered to her, wondering if she wanted to know why he had been trying to take cover earlier.

"… Tell me, why is Articuno not with us?" Mew asked as she turned her head back to Moltres, dissatisfied with Lucario's explanation but deciding to drop it until they were alone again.

"She's…" Moltres said while letting his voice trail off, apparently reluctant to saying what he was really thinking, "… Not feeling well."

"… Has it gotten worse?" Mew asked in a worried manner, "I can sense her aura just outside, maybe I should talk to her?"

"Outside? Whoa, wait!" Lucario interjected as he took a step forward, "If she's sick, that storm's not going to make things better!"

"Don't ask," a familiar voice whispered behind Lucario, making him twitch in surprise, "I went to have a chat with her. She's not sick, she's a nutcase!"

Lucario turned around to see the easily recognizable Weavile standing behind him, coming through the same passage as he had and getting to her feet. She was no longer wearing her cloak, and he could see that she had not changed much in the few months they had been apart. Her form was as slender and elegant as ever, making him feel like a hairy slob just by standing next to her. His eyes narrowed at the sight of her sharp claws, remembering well how they had cut through his throat.

"Takes one to know one," Lucario said with a snarky tone, glad to see that he could finally joke about what happened instead of lament over it.

"We share a few interests when it comes to snow, but that's it," Zerobi said, unwilling to admit that they were more similar than that, and not in a good way. She knew that Articuno could very easily turn into bad influence, and she decided to return to be with the rest for the time being.

Mew and Moltres continued talking as Zerobi waved Lucario over, suddenly jumping down the ledge. He shrugged and followed, landing on an incline underneath and running down the rocky ground. He stumbled a few times over the unpredictable terrain as Zerobi sped ahead of him, her clawed feet no doubt better suited for maintaining a good foothold.

Lucario eventually made it to the bottom of the cave without any damage. He heard voices in front of him, the first being Zerobi's and the other being the one that had sounded a bit like Mew's. He saw his friend standing ahead, talking to a very small creature that was floating in midair, again reminding him of Mew. For the first time, Lucario felt like he recognized the voice from somewhere else, and he tried to recall from where. A mysterious pain flashed over his chest as he remembered it being around the time he was captured and sent to jail.

Zerobi suddenly noticed that Lucario had made it down, and waved him over to them.

"Hey, here's that guy I told you about!" she said happily, the small Pokémon next to her giving off a nervous gulp.


	49. Awkward Fairy Azelf

Mew had at one point told Lucario that everyone in this cave was stronger than he was. He was doubting it even more now than back then. Even so, as underwhelming as his first impression of the legendaries had been, Lucario had grown more eager after talking to Zapdos and Moltres and decided to give this new, unaccented Pokémon a chance.

The first thing Lucario noticed about the small legendary next to Zerobi was that fact that it had a large crystal embedded in its forehead, just like she did. It was red, and the rest of his body was in a grayish blue color. The supposedly organic piece of glass had to be more than just a coincidence, and he wondered if the two of them were related somehow. He noticed similar crystals stuck at the tip of the creature's two tails, something he hadn't seen on his friend before, and wondered if maybe he just needed to look harder.

Lucario marveled over the synchronized movement of the two appendages for a moment before realizing that the small legendary was examining him as well. Its head was severely misshapen, but in an aesthetically pleasing manner, making it appear to be wearing a hat made out of its own flesh and blood. Its yellow eyes were beady, at least when compared Mew and Celebi's humongous optics. The rest of the legendary looked much like them, but its body was even smaller. It was holding an unfolded newspaper in one of its short arms, and the paper itself could easily be used as a bag to cover it up entirely.

"Azelf, this is Lucario," Zerobi introduced him to the Pokémon beside her, whose eyes opened up in sudden realization.

"… Ah, Selphie?" Lucario said as the voices from earlier came to mind.

"That is… Only Zapdos calls me that," Azelf replied with embarrassment before getting a grouchy expression on his face, "But she makes up names for everyone! I tried calling her Zapi once, but then she got mad!"

The three of them stared at each other for a while, apparently having run out of things to say already.

"… Want to tell him about how I saved your life?" Zerobi asked with an irritated tone, nudging Azelf's side.

"Oh! Right!" he exclaimed before looking at Lucario with determination, "She, uh… Saved my life!"

Lucario snickered quietly as Zerobi carefully put her palm to her forehead, using her free arm to aggressively poke the head of small legendary who in turn seemed to grow more nervous by the second. A strange feeling suddenly crept upon Lucario, slowly realizing that the three of them were not the only ones in the vicinity. He saw a fourth creature sitting on the ground, one that had completely slipped from his notice until now.

A clear pattern formed in his mind as this new creature was just another one in the line of very many legendaries that reminded him of Mew and Celebi. This one was so similar to Azelf they simply had to be related, the only difference being that its hat-head was yellow instead of blue, and the fact that it was sitting down. However, Lucario quickly realized that this new creature was nothing like the one he had just talked to, and had a good idea of why it had slipped his notice in the first place.

Ever since arriving in the cave, Lucario had felt that he was no longer sensing anyone's aura. Mew had explained it to him that there was a legendary Pokémon capable of masking everyone presence, and as such was always present at legendary meetings. He had made a point of remembering the name of such an important Pokémon, making up for the fact that he had forgotten those of the rest. That way, he would at least appear smart to one of them.

"Oh! This is…" Azelf started as he noticed Lucario looking at his brother, but stopped himself as Lucario held up a hand.

"Don't worry, Mew's told me all about you…" Lucario said as he prepared for his moment of glory, "… You're Uxie, aren't you? I'm Lucario, nice to meet you!"

Uxie did not budge. Actually, it was not even looking at him, just sitting completely still and keeping its eyes closed.

"Weak," it finally spoke after a few seconds, its voice hazy and bland.

"… What!" Lucario shouted, any hopes of kindling a friendship immediately shattering, "I'll have you know, I've trained my ass off just so I can kick YOUR ass off if-"

"No, no, no, you misunderstand!" Azelf flew between them to protect his brother, "He only means you don't need to weaken your aura on purpose anymore, it's something he can handle for you."

"Oh, um…" Lucario mumbled while scratching the back of his head, feeling somewhat embarrassed, "… Thanks?"

"Stupid," Uxie uttered, still remaining motionless.

"What's he saying this time?" Lucario asked, not wanting to jump the gun again as Azelf gulped loudly.

"… He, uh, thinks you're stupid," Zerobi said from behind him, looking at Azelf who nodded carefully in response. Lucario sighed in defeat, wishing he could go back in time and focus on learning the name of a cooler legendary, like Zapdos or Moltres. He looked back at where he had last seen the two birds, and was surprised to see Mew on her way towards them. Moltres was still perched by the entrance, pecking at his wings with his beak and looking more relaxed than before.

"Hello, Azelf!" Mew said as she completely flew past Lucario without even giving him a look, "Do you have any news regarding the situation?"

"Hello, Mew! Yes, big, big news!" Azelf chimed happily as he opened up the newspaper and started reading, "Have you heard anything about the soaring shark?"

Mew thought to herself for half a moment before shaking her head.

"Apparently, this soaring shark is a new species of Pokémon," he continued with a tone of importance and pride before holding the paper in front of him, "It says here, soaring shark assembled a crew and went to town on humanity! That's pretty bi-"

"Zoroark," Lucario interrupted with a casual voice.

"Excuse me?" Azelf asked, peeking out from behind the newspaper.

"It says 'Zoroark', and it's pronounced 'Zoroark'," Lucario muttered as he pointed to the part of the article he was currently reading, "It also says he assembled an _army_ and _occupied_ a town _of_ humanity."

"You… You can read human writing that well! Amazing!" Azelf exclaimed as he turned the paper back to himself, and both Lucario and Zerobi suddenly crowded around him to read. The small legendary suddenly went rigid as the two of them accidentally rubbed against him, his face betraying him as his eyes leered to the side, his mouth drying up and his cheeks starting to blush.

"I'm pretty good, too," Zerobi pointed out as she continued reading further down, wondering if Azelf had completely given up on reading since he was looking at her instead of the newspaper, "… And from the looks of this, it really does seem like he went to town on humanity!"

"There is an article about Zoroark?" Mew asked as she also moved over to Azelf, hovering above him and trying to remember what Lucario had already told her about Zoroark, "What does it say?"

"… Ah, shit…" Lucario muttered reluctantly as he began to understand the content of the article, "… Listen to this…"

Lucario proceeded to read the article out loud to everyone. It detailed the ongoing revolution, the rise of No Man's Land and Zoroark's role behind everything. The descriptions were all fairly vague, as not even the writers themselves knew much about the situation and the mysterious new Pokémon. When he was finished, Lucario recounted his personal experiences with the revolutionaries, leaving out minor details such as Astrid and the fact that he was defeated and had to flee like a coward.

"… No…" Mew said to herself after Lucario had finished talking, drawing out a worried gasp from Azelf.

"I... I had expected something like this, as a worst case scenario," she continued as she tried to focus and get her rampant thoughts under control, "It is happening much sooner than I had thought, however."

"Man, Zoroark actually pulled it off…" Lucario said, voice a bit hoarse from talking so much, "Busting me out of prison's one thing, but taking over a whole city? I doubt it'll improve the relation between humans and Pokémon."

"This... This changes everything…" Moltres said, Lucario flinching as he had not even noticed the firebird standing right behind him, having chalked up the sudden rise in heat as a bodily reaction to his urgent need for water, "Mew, what is your verdict?"

Mew became quiet, knowing that explaining her thought process would slow her down immensely, and there was no longer any time to spare. She had been expecting a development like this, and feared that she would come to the same conclusion as the last time. After several minutes of intensive thinking, searching through every loophole to assure herself that the potential disaster could never come to pass, she knew her fears had been correct.

"… War," she said bluntly, eliciting a reaction from everyone present.

"Wh-What!" Zerobi exclaimed in shock, her reaction being the loudest.

"You've got to be kidding!" Lucario jumped in with a confused expression, "War? Over something like this?"

"I fear that it is indeed a possibility, one weighed out by many differentiating factors…" Mew explained as she closed her eyes.

"Diff… Different factors?" Lucario tried to repeat before shaking his head, "Like what?"

Mew smiled as she opened her eyes and looked at him.

"Us," she said with a clear voice before falling silent. Her words had taken away whatever else was on everyone's mind, and they were all busy trying to comprehend what the future held in store for the world. Both Azelf and Moltres were looking longingly at Mew for guidance, while Zerobi hated herself for wondering if she could somehow take advantage of the surplus of spilt blood that was sure to come from this. Lucario groaned inwardly, and had a feeling Mew was doing the same. This was not going to make their plans any easier.

"No, there is no time to waste," Mew suddenly said as she knew something had to be done about it, preferably as quickly as possible, "Moltres, summon your sisters! We must commence with the meeting immediately!"

"Right now?" Azelf asked with a startled voice, sounding even more like a little boy than before, "But everyone isn't here yet!"

"We will have to manage without them," Moltres said while calmly shaking his head, making a few embers fly off in both directions, "Mew, Celebi and dad are already here, and I doubt the rest of us can add anything to their decisions."

"Please, you know we listen to what you have to say," Mew said hopelessly as she wished she had any time to comfort him and especially the heavily troubled Articuno, "I will inform your father. Tell your sisters to come to the chambers and make the necessary preparations."

"I understand," Moltres said with a courteous nod before looking at Lucario, "I'll see you around, Ethan."

Moltres took off into the air, flying towards the ceiling as Mew flew off deeper into the cave. Lucario reached out as if to follow her, before realizing she was moving way too fast for him to catch up, and slumped back.

"… Ah, I had a feeling there were more of you," Lucario said as he remembered what Azelf had said and looked at him, "Who are we missing?"

"You mean… Intentionally or unintentionally?" Azelf asked, giving off a curious stare.

"Uh… Intentionally?" Lucario answered with a confused voice.

"We didn't invite everyone. Mew says that even in our most dire hour of need, only a few legendaries can be located in the same area at once," Azelf explained, glad to finally be of any use, "If something were to happen to all of us, the effects upon this world would be disastrous, and we can't take that risk."

"You forgot to answer him," Zerobi snickered, before turning quiet once more. She had not said anything for a while, and Lucario could see that something was obviously bothering her.

"Currently, we are expecting the Latis-twins, Reshiram and Jirachi," Azelf said, his voice getting progressively less interested before it was more like a sigh, "Odds are, the last two will not even consider showing up."

Azelf suddenly twitched as if he was struck by something.

"Oh, right!" he exclaimed, "I need to go tell my sister about all this! I'll, uh, I'll see you later!"

He dove down to pick up Uxie, and instantly disappeared from Lucario and Zerobi's notice as if he had never even been there to begin with. He sighed, wondering how his brother could stand being treated like this all the time as they quietly flew away. Zerobi and Lucario hardly even noticed that anything happened, both of them much too busy thinking to themselves.

"Jirachi…?" Lucario repeated as the name struck a strange note in his head, "I've heard that name before."

"Oh?" Zerobi exclaimed in surprise, "You mean you were actually listening to me when I told about the legendaries?"

"You or Mew, kind of hard to keep track of at this point," Lucario said with a shrug and gave up on figuring out where he had picked up the name from. He knew he had more important things to be using his head for than going through the list of hundreds of names that had been imprinted there. There was only one name that was important for him to never forget, anyway.

"… Ethan, Ethan…" Zerobi suddenly said, startlingly Lucario as he wondered if she had read his mind "… You know, I could've sworn Moltres just called you Ethan."

"Well, you know how he likes to make up names for everyone," Lucario replied quickly, trying to figure out just how much Zerobi knew.

"That was the other one," Zerobi pointed out sternly, remembering how Celebi had confused Zapdos into thinking her name was Sis and then kept referring to her as 'Sissy'.

"Was it, really?" Lucario said with a condescending tone, trying to confuse her as best he could, "In that case, why would he call me Ethan, hmm?"

"… Don't tell me… That famous trainer you used to be…" Zerobi muttered before raising her voice as the realization hit her, "… It was Ethan! Ethan, the peerless ace!"

"Hey, bingo!" Lucario replied, dropping his charade and feeling happy that she had finally gotten it right, "I know the name's not as big as Brock, Brock, dumb as a rock-"

"No way, this is much bigger!" Zerobi exclaimed while grasping the absurdity of the situation, "… Also, 'no way' in general! How the hell could someone as clueless as you be the greatest trainer of all time!"

"Like I said, I forgot about everything related to Pokémon…" Lucario explained, wondering if he should start counting how many times he needs to repeat it, "… Which, as it turns out, was a whole lot."

"Oh yeah?" Zerobi exclaimed and scoffed at the convenient excuse, trying to remember everything she knew about Ethan in order to disprove his claim, "Where were you born?"

"A nice little place called New Bark Town," Lucario answered as he thought back to his childhood, "Right in the middle of a forest, which we weren't allowed to go deeper into. I did it every day, anyway."

"Uh…" Zerobi mumbled, impressed that he got it correct and decided to move on to more personal questions, "… What were your parents like?"

"Can't remember my father, although that might just be because he had something to do with Pokémon…" Lucario muttered and got the distinct feeling that he was just a lousy parent who was never home, "… Wish I could say the same for my mother."

"… If you honestly were the real Ethan, that means your mother's still alive," Zerobi said as she calmed down a bit, the story sounding surprisingly accurate to what she could remember, "You… You're not planning on seeing her?"

"Eh. I'm sure she'd just complain my new hairstyle," Lucario muttered, stroking through the fur on his chest, "And, well, I've already got enough problems without her piling on. Maybe later… Much, much later."

"… You have your reasons, I suppose…" Zerobi whispered disappointedly, feeling a sudden longing for a parent that was neither captured nor dead. She wondered if her adoptive parents would even recognize her if they were to meet, or her them in the same situation. She shook the thoughts form her head and continued with her inquiry.

"… Well then, what about your vast army of super-powerful and extremely loyal Pokémon?" she asked with a smirk appearing on her face, "Planning on contacting them at some point?"

"… I can do that!" Lucario suddenly blurted out in shock, "Hot damn! How?"

"As far as I remember, Ethan is famous for releasing all his Pokémon before fading into obscurity…" Zerobi mumbled, wishing she had kept a copy of the magazine detailing Ethan's life, "… They're all scattered, but you're bound to run into some eventually if you ask around."

"But… Damn it, I don't have any concrete proof that I'm Ethan…" Lucario muttered in disappointment, imagining trying to convince people like Red and Raikou of his identity through words alone. He figured he would have approximately 3 seconds before getting shocked and captured.

"That's… Problematic. You'll just have to convince them to believe you," Zerobi said with a shrug, obviously thinking along the same lines as him, "But hey, if you got a legendary like Celebi or Mew to vouch for you, it'd definitively boost your chances."

"Yeah, that'll happen…" Lucario groaned sarcastically, having a hard time imagining the extremely shy and careful Mew coming out of hiding just for his sake, "So… Do you believe me?"

"I guess so," Zerobi said, wondering if it even made a difference since his memory was in shambles, "Teaching the greatest trainer of all time everything he knows about Pokémon will look better on my record, anyway."

"… Zerobi!" Lucario exclaimed in surprise, overcome with happy feelings that someone would recognize him for what he really was, "You… You really are a great friend!"

Zerobi wondered if maybe she could use this as a get-out-of-jail-free card if he ever found out about her true identity, but found her thoughts trailing off as Lucario put his hand on her shoulder and looked her straight in the eye. It felt as if no matter what happened between them, their friendship had formed a bond that would never break. The two of them looked at each other for a while, the atmosphere around them growing denser by the second.

"Now, come on," Lucario said with a smile on his face, "I've got something very important I want to do with you."


	50. Burdened Elder Lugia

Time was moving very slowly for Lucario. Lying deep underground he had no idea whether it was day or night, and had decided to record the passage of time by counting how often the legendaries would come out to take a break from their meeting. So far, he was up to 0.

"Sorry, but you cannot follow," Celebi had told him before going into the passage leading into the main chambers, one he was not allowed to enter, "Your presence would ruin the entire purpose behind a legendary meeting."

Lucario groaned as he turned to his side and subconsciously sniffed in the air, still not used to the odd aroma emanating from the sprouts he was lying on. The plants were bulky and nearly as uncomfortable as the rocky ground might have been, but Celebi had insisted that she would only grow what did not require sunlight so that they could live beyond her visit. Lucario sighed, realizing that the livelihood of a few plants were more important to her than his and her sister's comfort.

"Another round?" Zerobi asked sheepishly from beside him, noticing his restlessness. She was also worn out, but just as bored as he was.

"It's impossible to go on forever, we'll have to wait sooner or later," Lucario muttered and sighed again, still feeling sore all over from their last session, "… And it looks like we've got an awful lot of waiting to do right now."

"Yeah. Sis told me they debate in shifts, hardly ever taking breaks," Zerobi said as she moved around to make herself more comfortable against their bed of greenery, "Supposedly they can stay in there for weeks, or even months… Neither eating nor drinking, using every moment to find the best solution, even at the risk of their own lives!"

"That's a pretty badass description of Democracy…" Lucario said with a smile, hiding his depression over the fact that he hadn't realized they could be stuck doing this for months. His initial thoughts were that he would rather die than spend more than a week like this, but he realized he had little choice. His only option was to leave everything and everyone behind, and that was assuming he could brace through the storm that was apparently enough to keep even the most hardened and determined Pokémon away.

"True enough," Zerobi answered, but with a voice that did not sound like hers nor came from her direction, "At any rate, Lugia wishes to see you in private."

Lucario leaned back to see where the voice had come from. Above him floated a small legendary, one he had already gotten familiar with. She had called herself Mesprit, and was apparently the older sister of Uxie and Azelf. She looked the same as them, but had pink adornments covering her head that reminded him of his own dreadlock-like appendages. For some reason she was rarely part of the meeting itself, instead guarding the passage to make sure no unwanted visitors slipped past.

"Can't you see I'm busy?" Lucario asked while feigning irritation, stretching his arms, neck and legs and muttering disappointedly. Mesprit and Lugia did not matter to him, the only legendary he was keen on seeing was Mew. There was so much he needed to talk to her about, but ever since reading the article about No Man's Land they had not gotten to spend a single moment together. A silence drifted in the air between them as Lucario looked back and was met by Mesprit's judgmental stare.

"I'm resting!" Lucario said in defense of himself while Mesprit's face remained immobile, "… It's an activity!"

"We were sparring," Zerobi explained while sitting up and letting her own strained neck muscles relax, "We're both completely out of shape from not fighting for so long."

"Yeah, Mew would just blast away everyone that challenged us before I had a chance to do anything," Lucario muttered before also sitting up, feeling a twinge of pain in his exerted abdominal muscles, "I said I needed the experience, while she said she didn't want the experience of getting captured. Heh, like I'd lose…"

"Going by your track record, I don't blame her," Zerobi snickered softly before looking at him and sighing, "… You should probably go see Lugia, anyway."

"Well, it's about time he needed my expertise," Lucario mumbled and got to his feet, excited to finally be doing something. However, he was getting a creepy feeling from Mesprit who was still remaining quiet and giving him an insistent stare.

"I think he just wants to introduce himself," Zerobi said, wondering herself what Lugia could possibly want to do with Lucario, "I already met him. He's, uh, probably too big to come do it himself."

"Big-big or compared to Mew and Celebi-big?" Lucario asked, surprised that Zerobi had already met him, "Is he nice?"

"Compared to Rayquaza-big. He's the dad of the three legendary birds, after all," Zerobi responded before starting to mimic her sister's proper way of speaking, "Indeed, he's rather pleasant. You'd do well in putting on your formal stature, dearie."

"Formal? I'm formal by default," Lucario said as he walked past Mesprit and went into the passage, "I'm the only one wearing clothing."

The passage was shaped like a corridor, a very long one running underneath the earth's surface. It kept going and going until Lucario realized he might even have left the boundaries of the island, and had nothing but a bit of crust shielding him from the millions of gallons of water above. He walked very carefully as to not bump into the ceiling, and shuddered at the thought of accidentally cracking something and flooding whatever place the passage led into. The legendaries probably had their ways to handle a situation like that, but it would still make a very bad entry on his part.

When he finally reached the end of the corridor, he was not surprised to see that it led to a much larger room. He could tell that he was on the ground floor this time, as the ceiling rose very high above him. And there, right in the middle of the room, stood the legendary Lugia.

Lucario felt the muscles around his neck tighten. Nothing could have prepared him for the size of this monster. Even compared to Entei or the Tyranitar, the only being that even came close to size was Rayquaza. Unlike Rayquaza, Lugia wasn't just a flying eel but had a full body and stood upright, making Lucario wonder what manner of bones could possibly support that kind of weight.

The legendary reminded him a bit of Zapdos and Moltres, in that he was in the shape of a bird. However, his white feathers stuck together more closely and were much thicker, giving them the appearance of a winter's coat of fur. The end of his wings separated into five digits, each nearly as big as Lucario himself. They almost looked like ginormous fingers sitting on massive hands, and Lucario became unsure that they actually weren't. He had a long, slender neck, and his head looked like it was fused with a colorless beak. Sharp, dark feathers stuck out around his eyes like a severe dose of eyeshade.

Lucario finally composed himself, reminded that even if he was bigger than anyone he had met, at least he wasn't trying to kill him. Lucario looked around, and noticed that the two of them were alone. He wondered if the others were even deeper inside, and he smiled at the thought of maybe taking a little peek after his chat with Lugia was over.

"Lucario," a deep but gentle voice echoed from the gigantic creature. It sounded like he was purposely keeping his volume low as to not frighten Lucario.

"Lugia," Lucario responded with a courteous nod. Like with Zapdos, now that his intimidation had settled down he was starting to get the feeling he was going to like this legendary.

"What is your relationship with Mew?" Lugia immediately asked, taking Lucario off guard. Not even he had an answer to that, and had to think for a while. Remembering Zerobi's advice and seeing how Lugia appeared to be a no-nonsense kind of guy, Lucario decided to stay formal.

"She saved my life and taught me how to use the Aura Sphere," he answered earnestly before wondering if maybe he was sounding too formal, "… She's also my friend, and I owe her. Big time."

Lugia looked down at him, wine-red eyes looming ominously behind the shroud of dark feathers.

"Tonight, you will leave us," Lugia spoke with the same gentle voice as before, betraying the contents of what he was saying, "You will not tell anyone of your departure, and you will never seek out Mew again."

Lucario stood quiet for a few moments, trying to comprehend what he had just heard.

"Um… No?" he said after a while, scratching the back of his head in confusion.

"This is not open for debate," Lugia responded, his gaze never leaving Lucario.

"I agree, and that's why I'm just going to ignore you and stay, anyway," Lucario answered with irritation as the meaning behind what the legendary was asking came clear, "… I traveled for months to get here, and now you want me to leave!"

"You may stay, but only under one condition," Lugia continued as his voice gained a hint of animosity, "You must make Mew despise you."

"Well, she's put up with pretty much so far, so I doubt I could do anything to make that happen…" Lucario said with an annoyed shrug as his irritation turned into anger, "… Why the hell would I want to, anyway! What's your problem!"

"That is not for you to know," Lugia replied, unfazed as he craned his long neck down towards Lucario, "Accept, or I will conjure up a twister so ferocious that you will be launched to the northern reaches of Shinnoh."

"… Do that, and I'll bounce off the mountains and come back to kick you in your stupid fucking face!" Lucario shouted, pointing up at the large legendary.

Suddenly, the cave began shaking, Lugia's gigantic wings flapping as he quickly moved his head back with a snarl forming around his mouth. Lucario wondered what was happening when he heard something heavy land on the ground with a dull thud. Looking more closely, Lucario noticed that Lugia also had a tail, one that was nearly as big as the rest of his body. It had two spikes sticking out from the end of it, and Lucario gulped as he realized they were both as long as his own legs.

"Watch your tongue!" Lugia roared loudly while slapping his tail into the ground once more, "Killing you here and now would be a certain remedy to the problem!"

"What problem!" Lucario shouted back, torn between confronting the legendary and just getting out of there as quickly as possible, "Tell me what the hell's wrong, maybe I'll even give a shit!"

His fear at trying to fight such a massive monster finally got the better of him as he decided to run away to warn Mesprit or Zerobi that something was wrong. However, as he was about to turn tail, the shaking around him suddenly stopped and the atmosphere seemed to turn cooler. He looked up and saw Lugia calm himself down, stopping the movements of his wings and visibly swallowing down his own rage.

"Has Mew told you about what happened to her mother?" Lugia asked with the deep, gentle voice from earlier.

"H-Huh? Oh, yeah," Lucario stammered as he tried to remember, still a little shaken form what had just happened, "She… Died."

"Yes," Lugia said before craning his neck down again for effect, "Murdered by one such as you."

Now Lucario was really out of things, racking his brain over and over to remember what Mew had said. She hadn't spoken about it since their very first meeting, and he hadn't brought it up out of respect for her feelings. No matter how hard he tried, he could not recall anything about a murder.

"Mew was… Her mother was a dear friend of mine," Lugia explained, forced to correct himself as he slipped back into his old mindset by mistake, "I took an oath to protect her daughter, should one such as you appear."

"One such as me?" Lucario repeated and wondered if Mew had told him about him being Ethan or something, "I… I don't get it. A Lucario?"

"A romantic interest," Lugia responded, and almost immediately everything clicked in Lucario's head. Mew's mother had died giving birth to her, something that happens to all those part of her species. He realized that Lugia's claim of her murderer must be referring to whoever impregnated her, and now sees him as one with the potential to…

"Whoa, slow down there," Lucario said as he stopped his own line of thinking and held his hands in front of him, "Me? With… With Mew? Are you insane!"

"You referred to her as 'friend' earlier, did you not?" Lugia asked with a concerned tone to his voice, "If one can befriend someone-"

"HAHAHA! OK, if that's what you're worried about, let me calm you down right now," Lucario laughed in relief, amazed that such a ridiculous notion almost got him killed, "That will never, ever happen. She's, like, half my size!"

"So you say, but love has to the potential to-" Lugia tried to interject.

"Not in this case, no," Lucario interrupted while quickly shaking his head, "Nope, nah, nada, absolutely n-"

"SILENCE!" Lugia bellowed with a mighty roar, making Lucario fall back in surprise. Every sign of tenderness was now all but gone from Lugia, his eyes beaming in hostility and his slender neck flexing in anger.

"Even if you are not interested, _she_ will eventually be if you do not separate," Lugia explained with a growly undertone to his already deep voice, "She has the potential to outlive us all, and thus, such thoughts were never meant for her. I will do everything within my power to make sure she never has to experience them."

"… All right, I get it," Lucario muttered as he got to his feet and brushed himself off, "I'll break the news to her gently."

"That is all I ask," Lugia said, feeling relief sweep over him as he once more calmed himself down, "Will you tell her that you hate her, or simply that you will never see her again?"

"Neither," Lucario said as he faced Lugia and braced himself for what was to come, "I'll tell her you're a sick old pervert with some serious control issues."

Lugia had heard enough. With a powerful flap of his wings, the cave began trembling once more as from an earthquake. There was no longer any doubt in his mind - The Lucario before him was precisely the kind of scum that would repeat history if left alone.

"Then accept the consequences of your decision!" Lugia roared with all his might, sealing off the rest of the cavern so no one else would be able to hear him, "Die in agony, lest you let the same fate befall Mew!"

"Go ahead. She's spent the last months with no one but me, she can probably sense my aura from miles away, and will know the instant it goes away," Lucario responded calmly, realizing he had a much better chance at survival by talking to Lugia instead of fighting him, "Plus, she's smarter than you. She'll know you killed me."

He then turned around and started walking, hoping his feigned confidence would let him escape before Lugia examined his statement too carefully. What he really wanted to do was go further inside to see Mew, but had a feeling Lugia wasn't too keen on letting him pass.

Lugia completely ignored what Lucario had said and prepared his mighty Aero Blast to kill him now that his back was turned. He focused all his hatred, knowing that the instant Lucario entered the narrow passage he would be out of his reach. He knew had to do it. For his friend, to fulfill her last request… For Mew, to ease her tortured mind… For himself, to soothe the anger in his heart… For revenge, to justify his own actions…

"Promise me… Do not let her suffer… Like this…" the words of his old friend echoed in his mind. He remembered how she, the true embodiment of life had looked sorrowful in her last moments. He had been the one to preach to her about the meaning of true love, projecting his own love for Ho-Oh and assuring her that it would only bring happiness.

But he had been wrong. The one she was with had used her, abandoned her and left her for dead. He was forced to watch as his best friend fell into depression, grew weaker and finally died in bitter grief without ever even seeing her own daughter. Because of his trust in love, she had been forced to tread the most agonizing path available.

"I promise," another voice sounded in his memories, his own this time. He took it upon himself to raise the daughter of his dear friend. He swore with all his heart that Mew, the heir to his friend's legacy, would never experience the same fate.

But as the time had finally come and he was but a single attack from preventing everything from happening… He could not do it. He could not bring himself to take the life of Mew's friend, even if he was to be her eventual demise. He was not a killer.

"P… Please… I beg of you…" Lugia pleaded as he slumped down to the ground in defeat, "… Leave Mew alone…"

"Bite me," Lucario replied with an angry huff as he disappeared into the passage, leaving the cave and an old man alone with his regrets.

Lucario grumbled angrily as he exited the passage, having gone from terror to rage at his mistreatment during the time it took for him to walk back from Lugia. He saw that Zerobi had fallen asleep while he was away, and felt he needed someone to share a little of his misery.

"Thanks for the whole 'formal' advice thing," Lucario muttered sarcastically, Zerobi twitching awake in response. She yawned and looked at Lucario, his face scrounged up in rage.

"Man, you look pissed…" Zerobi asked groggily while scratching her head, "What happened…?"

Lucario looked back at her and realized he was being a jerk, taking out his anger on her. She obviously had no clue as to what had happened, and he was less than keen at letting her or anyone else know. The subject matter had not exactly been something he wanted to revisit, and all he needed to do about it was to warn Mew that Lugia was too paranoid for his own good.

"… Nothing," Lucario responded with an exhausted huff as he fell down on the bed of sprouts beside her, "I'm going to bed. Do me a favor and kill anyone that touches me, I'd hate to have to get up and do it myself."

Zerobi looked at him for a few moments with confusion before shrugging and also lying down, too tired to delve any further. She fell asleep again much quicker than Lucario, who was kept awake by new thoughts buzzing through his mind. Most prominent were the ones that told him that coming here had been a bad idea.


	51. Oppressive Sprite Mesprit

Mew closed her tired eyes as she floated through the long, stretching cavern. She had decided to take a break after only five days inside the main chamber, but realized it would not do her much as the fierce debate continued on inside her own head. Still, she knew a pause was necessary as she was beginning to find herself distracted near the end due to exhaustion and boredom, sorely missing the unexpected and often humorous input from a certain friend.

"How goes the proceedings?" a familiar voice asked as she looked up, and was surprised to have let someone as big as Lugia slip her notice. Being tired and not able to sense his aura had something to do with it, but she also knew the greatest reason was that Lugia somehow seemed smaller than she remembered. He was still massive in every dimension compared to her, but she vividly remembered how unspeakably gargantuan he had seemed when she was still an infant. Between being raised by both him and Giratina, she thought there was no wonder why she was so difficult to intimidate.

"Same as before you left," Mew answered quietly, "It seems that no matter how we go about it, No Man's Land will put a halt to our solution."

There was a moment of silence as she hovered in front of Lugia. Finally, she lowered herself to the ground and sat down. She had hoped to go see Lucario to help get her mind off things, but decided to stay with Lugia for a while to see what his personal opinions were. If there was anyone's judgment she had come to trust, it was his.

"… It is such a shame," she said, thinking about the people still discussing matters back in the main chamber, "We spent so much time and effort to assemble, and now it all amounts to us stopping a local insurgency while the real problem is ignored."

"Indeed," Lugia said while letting the feathers around his eyes flutter slightly, "Perhaps we do not require a collective to handle a situation of such nature?"

"Absolutely, if we were to show ourselves to the public now it would simply hasten the declaration of war…" Mew replied quickly as she had already thought along those lines, when the meaning of what Lugia had said suddenly hit her, "… Wait… Do you mean…"

Lugia let the silence drift between them for a moment as he looked down at her. She had become the exact likeness of her mother, and he felt a little out of breath as he remembered her last words once more. He hated himself for what he was about to do, but knew it was for her own good. This time, the true danger to her life was not among enemies in the ferocious wild, but among friends in her peaceful sanctuary.

"… I can still remember the day you were born," Lugia said quietly after his short reminiscence, "To me, you are still a little child… But I know that in truth, you are strong, wise and independent… Perhaps even more so than I am."

Mew could not believe what she was hearing. She knew she must be interpreting his words poorly, because there was no possibility the Lugia she knew so well was asking of her what she thought he was. Lugia, the one who had always opposed every task assigned to her that bore even the slightest resemblance to danger. Lugia, the first one out to commence a search whenever she and Celebi had ditched their education to go explore the world. Lugia, the very same who insisted on protecting her like a baby even after she had grown up, surpassed him in power and defeated the strongest Pokémon in the world.

"Time is of the essence, because this situation may escalate with every passing day," Lugia continued as he looked away from her as to not falter or hesitate, "Go. I have full confidence in you… However, should things become dangerous, I want you to abort and return immediately. Do you understand?"

"Yes!" Mew exclaimed happily, feeling her exhaustion lift like an exorcised curse. After decades of constantly improving herself, she had finally gotten him to acknowledge her maturity and strength. She wondered if it was thanks to her encounter with Deoxys and Ethan, and could not wait to tell the wonderful news to the latter.

"One more thing," Lugia said as he knew there was one more thing left to make sure of if his plan was to work, "You should not tell anyone of your departure."

"Why?" Mew asked as she calmed down, realizing that her giddy response might have revoked his newfound respect for her.

"You were accompanied here by someone, were you not?" Lugia continued as he craned his neck down towards her, being careful not to let his seething hate for the brash Lucario show, "Are you able to convince him to stay here as to not slow you down?"

"Of course!" Mew replied confidently before realizing the only reason he was here to begin with was because she had failed at just that, "Well… I should be…"

"There is no reason to fret. You will only be gone for a short period of time," Lugia assured her with a gentle smile, "Much like you, he is also an independent soul. I will personally see to it that his stay becomes pleasant."

Hesitation coursed through Mew, but after a few seconds of thinking she nodded in agreement. Lucario still had much to learn, and would benefit from staying with the wise Lugia for a while. He had followed her because he was worried about being ambushed and captured by powerful trainers, something that was nearly impossible now that he was among so many powerful legendaries.

As she exited the passage, Mew saw Mesprit hovering in suspended animation. The even smaller legendary was diligently practicing her ability to form an astral body, a task Mew knew would take her a few more years to master. Creating a being capable of sensory perception mostly out of skin residue and air was a very difficult thing, and Mew hoped the best for the younger psychic. Mesprit was guarding the passage and if she had sensed someone's aura she would have sprung to life in an instant, but as things were Mew knew she would be able to sneak by without much effort. Not far from the exit was a bed of plants that she believed to have been created by Celebi, and on top of it laid Lucario and Zerobi, peacefully sleeping next to each other.

A quick look told her that their muscles were strained, and she realized Lucario must be working to get back into shape after letting her pamper him for so long. A dissonant smile crossed her face as she remembered Lucario's very short attempt at sparring with her, which ended up with him not being able to move for the duration of the day. Even so, she felt a bit sad over the fact that Zerobi had no problems doing what Mew had denied him all this time. It was obvious to her now that they were a much better match for each other.

She flew away from them quietly as to not wake them up, and started planning on how she would get past whichever of the legendary birds was currently keeping watch. She stopped halfway through her planning, as a new set of thoughts interrupted her. Turning around, she looked at Lucario and Zerobi once more.

It would give the two of them more time to catch up. If Zerobi had any interest in Lucario, this would be the perfect time for them to get closer without her there to interrupt. Indeed, her silent departure was beginning to seem more and more like the perfect plan. She spun around once more, but could not bring herself to move away this time.

Mew did not understand. Why was she hesitating? Finally, she could fly free once more! No need to move at a Slowpoke's pace, hiding under a cloak and hoping Lucario wouldn't do anything too stupid to make them both get caught! No useless physical training, no snide remarks about everything and everyone, and no need to explain every obvious little detail regarding Pokémon!

A noise like a cough came from Lucario as he stirred, Mew flinching in surprise. She moved closer to make sure she had not accidentally spoken her thoughts out loud and woken him up. He was still sleeping like a log, just as he had every day they spent traveling together. She had hated all the unnecessary stops at first, but came to enjoy the fact that it had given her an excuse to rest more frequently than ever before. Had she been by herself, she would never have allowed such leisure.

Although she was reluctant to admit it, she knew there were many things Lucario had taught her as well. Disregarding his strange and even dubious claims about the difference between being human and Pokémon, his carefree view of life had somewhat enriched her own. His ability to see the absurdity in everything had rubbed off on her, and made it easier to come to terms with what she herself did not understand. For what she predicted was to come for the world, she knew it would be an invaluable skill.

Mew looked down at Lucario. Suddenly, she let her tail give him a light tap to the head, quietly hoping he would wake up. That way, she could tell him what she was about to do, and he could at least tell her what he thought. Maybe he would say something funny to ease her mind before she left? Maybe he would even demand to follow her once more, so he could help her handle the situation of No Man's Land? Maybe, just maybe, their time together wouldn't have to end like this…?

She shook her head. She knew she was being selfish. She would only be gone for a few weeks at most, and the lives of many depended on her constant vigilance and speed. With a quick turn, she sped away from Lucario so he would not suddenly wake up and ruin her newfound determination.

As she flew out into the raging storm, the past few months suddenly felt like a fleeting dream. Here she was again, risking a lifetime of slavery to ease the burden of strangers. Hiding herself… Fearing everyone… And once more, she was completely alone.

* * *

><p>A new day was dawning. Lucario had finished his morning berry and spent the next few minutes heaving, much to Zerobi's amusement. After that, he had been pacing back and forth restlessly around the cave which seemed to grow more cramped than ever with each step. He needed to speak to Mew with increasing urgency, realizing that every passing moment in which he did not warm Mew about Lugia was one where the paranoid legendary might get to her first.<p>

Zerobi was leaning against a wall while reading another newspaper Azelf had brought with him, her complaints about the uninteresting content falling on deaf ears. Mesprit was hovering by the entrance to the inner chambers, seemingly devoid of any consciousness. The legendary thunderbird Zapdos had come back a few moments earlier, roosting on a higher section of the cavern in an uncharacteristic display of calmness. Lucario knew that between upholding a storm and keeping up with the rigorous debates, she must be completely exhausted.

"Could you… You know… Take it easy?" Zapdos asked drowsily as she could not stop her eyes following Lucario around, "It's difficult enough getting some rest without you running back and forth."

"Damn it," Lucario huffed in response to anyone who would listen, "I've had enough of this. Is Mew finished in there yet?"

"Heh. I'd say," Zapdos said casually as she overheard him, "She left last night."

Suddenly, Lucario stopped walking and stood still as he looked up at her, a bewildered look on his face.

"… What?" he asked, not believing what he had heard.

"Yeah. She's gone to No Man's Land to fix that whole thing," Zapdos explained, glad to see the eager Lucario finally give it a rest, "She told me not to wake you. Not that I could, you snore like a…"

Zapdos stopped herself when she noticed Lucario was no longer there, wondering if this is what other people felt like whenever she took off hastily.

"Uh…" was all Mesprit had time to say as Lucario spun past her and ran into the passage, fury contorting his face. He paid little mind to not bump into his surroundings this time, thinking that Lugia would have an easier time dealing with a flood than him right now.

"Stop!" he heard Mesprit shouting from behind, obviously trying to follow him, "I demand that you stop!"

Lucario ignored her and continued running. Fighting was one thing, but when it came to running long distances, he knew not even a legendary would be able to catch up with him. Over a year of constant walking and running had strengthened his legs, something he not imagined would come in handy in a situation like this. Then again, he had never imagined a situation like this even happening to begin with.

"Lugia!" Lucario shouted as he ran into the room where the gigantic legendary sat, "What did you do! What did you tell Mew!"

Lugia had his back turned to him, but spun around at a leisure pace to face him with a confused look. Then, his expression turned into one of clarity.

"I informed Mew of a potential solution to the current situation of No Man's Land," Lugia said calmly as he regarded the small Pokémon by his feet with a smug smile, "She volunteered to handle it so we may resume with our decision regarding the real issues."

A chilling sensation crept up Lucario's back. It was as he feared; Lugia had spoken to Mew, and now he was truly alone against the massive legendary. He barely paid notice to Mesprit coming up from behind, and she stopped herself to see what was happening.

"… She really left?" Lucario asked with a defeated stare, somewhat out of breath after the previous spurt, "Then… Why the hell am I still here!"

"Our differences aside, time is much too critical for her to have been able to bring you with her," Lugia explained casually while never breaking eye contact with Lucario, "That is a fact."

"I don't believe a word of it!" Lucario yelled angrily, a hint of doubt in his voice as the words she had spoken to Mewtwo regarding his existence echoed through his mind, "She… She'd at least tell me if she was planning on leaving!"

"Make no mistake, Lucario. The decision to send her alone was mine," Lugia explained before his expression because just as stern and menacing as it had the night before, "But the decision to sneak out as to avoid you… Was hers."

Everything froze for Lucario. Was it possible…? Everything had gone down just like she had told Mewtwo it would. Lucario's memories regarding Pokémon had all but disappeared, and so he was not the Ethan she had hoped to bring back… Even after all this time together, did she regard him as nothing but a disappointment? Behind a veil of tolerance, did she actually hate him?

"No…" Lucario whispered to himself as he realized what must have happened. She had been completely fine until she ran into Lugia, who had an obvious grudge against the two of them. He cringed as he imagined what the giant legendary must have told her, and that was assuming he hadn't just filled her head with lies.

"YOU'RE the sneaky asshole here, not Mew!" Lucario burst out in pure rage as he clenched his fists, "What did-"

"I have heard enough of this!" Mesprit suddenly interrupted, grabbing a hold of Lucario with her psychic powers. Lucario was completely taken off guard and lost control of his body, being dragged back through the passage by an invisible force. Lucario glared hatefully at Lugia who stared back at him with intensity, as a deceivingly gentle smile caressed the old legendary's face.

"How dare you speak to Lugia that way!" Mesprit yelled angrily when the two of them had gone about halfway through the passage, slamming Lucario ferociously against the wall with her powers. Lucario twisted and turned to rid himself of her hold, ready to fight her the moment he touched ground again.

"Easy," Lucario growled between gritted teeth, "He's an old creep and I hate him."

"You insolent fool!" Mesprit shouted back, her two tails swishing back and forth in annoyance, "You… You're just a regular Pokémon! You should be worshiping him for even allowing you to be here among us legendaries!"

"Allowing me!" Lucario snapped back as he pushed harder against the psychic powers, rage filling him and strengthening his lingering urge to beat her up, "I'll have you know, I came here to help you ungrateful bastards save the world!"

"No, you didn't…" Mesprit said slowly, letting herself calm down as she eased up on her restraining powers a little, just to make certain she wouldn't accidentally crush him in her anger.

"You came here as a pet," she said bitterly while looking up at Lucario, "Do you really think you or anyone of your inferior kind can help us in any way? You even turned out to be less than useless, having verbally assaulted the great Lugia."

"Y… You little shit! I'll kick your ass!" Lucario burst out with fury, his rage reaching its peak with Mesprit's demeaning words. He refused to accept it; the only thing the future had in store was his fist in her mouth and a smile on his face. He tugged manically at the small legendary's invisible force, which was currently the only thing holding him back from going completely berserk. However, no matter how hard he fought against it, he could not break the hold she had over him, and only grew more and more exhausted with each try.

"They assigned me to be your babysitter, you know…" Mesprit continued with the same sour tone to her voice as she yawned while watching his vain attempts at escaping, "I came all this way just to stay outside and make sure you don't get out of line… Which you did, anyway. I should be in there, why couldn't they have picked my brothers to take care of something this simple…?"

"BASTARD!" Lucario bellowed and continued his mad struggle for several minutes until there was not an ounce of strength left in him. He considered using his trump card in a last act of spite, but knew he required far more control of his body to pull it off. A vicious groan slipped from his mouth as he finally tired and hung limply against the wall. At long last, Mesprit released her grasp of him, but stayed alert in case he tried anything. He slumped down on the ground, drained of all energy.

"… The next time you come back, I'll punish you for real," Mesprit muttered as she turned around to go see if Lugia was fine, "Now, go play and stay out of our way. We legendaries have important business to take care of."

Lucario saw her disappear further in as he punched the ground in exasperation. In his mind, he tried to replace the rocky floor with Lugia's superior smirk and Mesprit's demeaning look, but it did nothing to rid him of his pent up frustration.


	52. Departure: Epilogue of Episode VIII

"What's wrong?" Zerobi asked as Lucario exited the rocky passage. She had stood outside and waited patiently ever since he had gone in, not sure of what was going on and definitively not looking to get into a fight with the most powerful beings on Earth.

"These legendaries are starting to piss me off," Lucario responded bitterly with a grouchy expression, "I regret ever coming here in the first place."

Sympathy filled Zeorbi as she sighed out loud. She had initially looked forward to coming here as it meant meeting so many legendaries, but they had turned out to be less spectacular than she had hoped. After that she had stuck around to be able to see Lucario again, but the atmosphere between them was thinning out in favor of complete and utter boredom. The only good part about all this, she knew, was that it would be a perfect time for her to share her secret plan.

"Hey…" Zerobi whispered as a very sinister smile crossed her face, "… Wanna do something crazy?"

"What?" Lucario asked, the words 'kill everyone' appearing in his mind.

"You said you know how to remove your aura, and I never had one to begin with…" Zerobi continued whispering, before looking around to make sure no one was listening, "How about we sneak out, ditch this island and go someplace nice?"

"I'm liking it…" Lucario responded almost immediately without giving it any extra thought. Anything was better than staying here, waiting for the moment when Lugia decides to kill him, Mesprit decides to emasculate him again or he simply snaps and starts throwing Aura Spheres in everyone's faces. The more he thought about Zerobi's plan, the better it seemed.

"… Wait, it's perfect!" Lucario shouted as the realization suddenly hit him, "We'll go help Mew!"

"Huh?" Zerobi exclaimed in confusion, "… Mew?"

"She's gone to No Man's Land to see Zoroark, who I've already met and talked to," Lucario explained as he felt his spirits rising once more, "I promised to help solve the issue between humans and Pokémon, and I'm not accomplishing anything by just sitting here!"

"You know, I can't but notice that every other word out your mouth is Mew-this and Mew-that," Zerobi muttered with a tinge of jealousy in her voice, "Why do you even care?"

"… I think Lugia might have told Mew a great deal of bullshit about me," Lucario muttered bitterly before his newfound determination told him that there was still a way for him to fix everything, "I've got to set things straight, or I'll never live it down. Oh, and patching things up with Zoroark wouldn't hurt… Maybe say hello to that guy Alfred, or whatever his name was…"

"… I don't know…" Zerobi mumbled. She had hoped for the two of them to be alone and maybe even settle down somewhere, not wander around and risk their lives for a cause she didn't really care about.

"Come on, traveling with you is so much fun!" Lucario said earnestly as he suddenly grabbed a hold of Zerobi's shoulders, "Let's go out and see the world together! You and me, just like old times!"

"… All right," Zerobi answered after a few moments, wondering why she suddenly felt so reluctant to go along with her own plan. It wasn't exactly what she had hoped for, but it was definitively better than sitting in a cave until they die from old age. She knew it would be the perfect opportunity for them to get closer, but was also starting to wonder if anything was ever going to happen between them. If Lucario really was as incapable of love as he claimed to be, she would be wasting her time for nothing. She needed assurance.

"YES!" Lucario shouted triumphantly, withholding the urge to leap into the air out of joy at the last moment, "Oh, right. Sneaking. How are we getting off this island, anyway? I saw that storm up close on the way here, we'll drown for sure!"

"Give me a minute and I'll handle it," Zerobi replied confidently, already having figured out the best solution to both that problem and her own, "Let's meet up here in a while. And yeah, pack your things discretely. You never know, they might try to keep us here if they find out."

Half an hour later, Lucario found himself alone at their designated meeting spot. He had actually been sitting there and waiting the entire time, having quickly realized that he had nothing to pack but a worn-out cloak which would not be needed anymore. Traveling with the very handy Mew meant that he hadn't needed to carry anything with him, and he silently prayed that Zerobi had brought some supplies lest they were forced to sleep on the hard ground without any protection from the rain.

"Are you ready?" a familiar voice suddenly came from behind, one that Lucario had not expected.

"Celebi!" Lucario asked, standing up in shock as he saw the green fairy hovering behind him. His mind raced with many thoughts, wondering if she had come to put a stop to his and Zerobi's plan.

"Dampen your aura and follow me," Celebi whispered as she waved him over, "Sis is waiting!"

Lucario sighed in relief as the two of them moved through the cave, making sure that no one saw them. Mesprit had yet to come back from the passage that led to Lugia, and Moltres was sleeping soundly in a corner, so it was a fairly simple task. Lucario knew Uxie would erase his aura automatically, but still kept it low so they would not be discovered once they exited his area of effect.

They had made it all the way through the slanting passage to the world above ground before Celebi finally broke the silence. Having floated behind Lucario all this time, she had felt bored and scanned his body to pass the time, only to make a horrifying discovery.

"Wait… Your back…" she spoke quietly before raising her voice, "… You've been wounded! What happened!"

"Huh?" Lucario exclaimed, wondering what she was talking about. He let a hand drift over his back, and noticed that it felt sore for some reason.

"Oh… Must be from Mesprit slamming me into the wall earlier," Lucario muttered, having completely ignored his physical damage in favor of how badly she had hurt his pride.

"… I see," Celebi responded with a depressed tone, somehow feeling bad for both Lucario and Mesprit, "Please, do not hate her for it."

"Won't be a problem, it's really not that painful," Lucario said, thinking to himself that he had plenty other reason for hating the oppressive legendary.

"She might seem a bit uptight, but that's because she's still young," Celebi explained as she remembered her own thoughts and disposition before she had matured, "I believe both Mew and I were the same around her age."

"… The same, eh?" Lucario muttered, vividly remembering a particular altercation between him and Mew that had resulted in her immobilizing him with her psychic abilities, "… Never would've guessed."

Celebi soared ahead and created a minor barrier to shield them from the rain as a very nasty thought hit Lucario. Celebi's response had sounded like she was defending Mesprit's actions, and he began wondering if she secretly harbored animosity for him as well. His short but devastating visit to the legendaries had made him far more paranoid than before, his memory of Ivy's unexpected and devastating betrayal burning stronger in his mind than ever before. He really wanted to believe that Mew and Celebi were truly his friends, but could not help but start wondering if there was anyone at this point he could really trust. The only one that even came close was Zerobi, and he hoped that she would never turn out to be hiding skeletons in her closet.

"You're coming with us?" Lucario asked, hiding his reluctance as he was yet unsure of her allegiances.

"Well, no…" Celebi responded sadly, "I thought I might use this opportunity to talk to an old friend who lives over in Viridian Forest! It is nearby, but not in your direction…"

They walked out into the rain, the barrier shielding them well form the elements. Since Celebi was here with him, Lucario wondered if Zerobi was currently alone out in the storm without protection. He remembered her liking the cold, but wondered if the same could be said for strong winds and wetness.

Meanwhile, Celebi was busy preparing herself for what was to come. She had never done anything even remotely like it before, but had promised that she would at least try. There was much riding on it, and she knew it to be was her most important duty as a sister.

"So, Lucario…" Celebi suddenly said, trying to sound innocent as they moved along, "… How are you?"

"Good, I suppose," Lucario responded and wondered what had brought that question on, "How are you?"

"… So, Lucario…" Celebi repeated awkwardly as she mustered up all her courage, "Do you… Do you think you could learn to… Love a Pokémon?"

Lucario stopped as he looked at her for a moment. Then, he started laughing out loud.

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!" Lucario laughed as he held his sides, "Sorry, sweetie, I think I'm a little too big for you!"

"N-No! Not me! Not…" Celebi protested while wildly flailing her arms around a bit before calming down, "… Just… Hypothetically."

"MAN! Why's everyone going on about this, all of a sudden?" Lucario asked jokingly before his expression suddenly turned darker, "… Fucking Lugia. What did he tell you?"

"… Lugia? Why would he have anything to say about this?" Celebi asked with a confused look on her face, realizing this conversation was not going as smoothly as she had hoped, "Did I say something wrong? I am sorry, I am not too familiar with this subject."

"No, it's OK," Lucario replied while waving his hand in a dismissive gesture. He knew what it felt like to be judged by other people for saying something stupid, and decided to ignore the whole thing for her sake.

"So…" Celebi continued after a short moment of silence, "… Could you learn to love a Pokémon?"

"… Why do you want to know?" Lucario asked with a sigh, realizing that she had no plans on letting up.

"You are the only human Pokémon in existence," Celebi explained, saying what she had planned out beforehand to hide her true motive, "I am curious about many things regarding you, and this is one of them!"

"In that case, no," Lucario said bluntly as he resumed walking, "I used to be human, so if I'm looking for love I won't find it in a damn Pokémon. There, there's your answer."

"But… You are no longer human," Celebi insisted as she followed behind him, impressed to see him moving in the right direction, "Will you live life without ever pursuing love?"

"… Well…" Lucario mumbled as he thought to himself, suddenly looking back at Celebi and smiling, "I guess I could join you and Mew in celibacy, no?"

"But… Our situations are vastly different!" Celebi responded with indignation, shocked and appalled that he had even suggested it, "We physically cannot, or we would die! In your case, you simply do not want to!"

"… Actually, it's not even that," Lucario said quietly as he looked forward again and continued walking, "I… Just don't feel like it."

Bewilderment clouded Celebi's features as she tried to determine what he meant. Her decision regarding relationships had always been made for her, and so she had no idea why anyone would willingly reject what was apparently the greatest experience in life. For a moment she felt a little better about herself. There were those that were capable of love but choose not to pursue it, and that meant she wasn't as alone in her predicament as she had once thought.

"What do you mean?" Celebi asked as Lucario scratched his head in annoyance.

"Shit, I don't even know…" Lucario muttered angrily, "I used to be human, and just thinking about getting together with a Pokémon is so taboo I should probably check into a mental institution."

A stifling feeling was beginning to spread through him as he explained himself. He stopped for a moment and looked down, once again forced to remind himself that he was not who he thought and felt he was.

"But… I'm a Pokémon now, and will forever be," Lucario continued has his angry tone dissipated into one of sorrow, "If I wanted to be with a human now… That would be what's crazy, no?"

It felt unfair, and he sighed as he realized there were some things he would never come to terms with.

"See? I don't have an answer," Lucario said as he gave off a dissonant smile and looked at Celebi, "I'm the one who needs love counseling, not you."

"… Then perhaps I can set you up with some manner of… Love counseling?" Celebi responded carefully, going through her memory to see if she knew anyone who would be up to the task.

"Just… Stop right there," Lucario groaned as he held his hands up in front of him, "I can tell you're doing all this on someone else's behalf."

"Ah!" Celebi exclaimed, surprised at finally having been found out and cursing herself for pressing too hard, "How… How did you know?"

"Wild guess," Lucario muttered with sarcasm, "Next time you see him, tell him he's so high up on my shit-list I'm putting his name as the header AND footer for every page."

"… Him?" Celebi repeated, wondering who he was referring to but swiftly using it to cover up who had really asked her, "Um, yes. I will do that."

They continued chatting, Lucario being careful about what he said from that point on. He was still a bit worried over whether Celebi genuinely liked him or not. At a first glance she seemed to, but he knew that she had defended Mesprit's actions before carrying out Lugia's request, and could just as easily turn on him if he explained the situation more clearly.

After a few more minutes the two of them reached the edge of the island. Seeing anything in the raging storm was quite difficult, but the sound of Zerobi's voice ahead told Lucario that he had come to the right place. He could hear another voice talking to her, one he recognized but had not expected. The closer he got, the clearer and more familiar the large, yellow figure became.

"… The refreshing northern cold, it's just way too hot everywh…" Zerobi's voice sounded as she suddenly peaked out from behind the yellow bird, "… Ah, there you are!"

"Yo," Lucario said to Zerobi before looking up at Zapdos, "And… Yo."

"Heard you ticked off pops," Zapdos said with a grim expression as Celebi flew up to Zerobi. The two sisters moved to the side and started whispering to each other as Zapdos' face suddenly lightened up.

"Hey, I don't blame you, he can be a bit stubborn at times," Zapdos said with something like a smile across her beak, "Listen, don't take it personally. He really hates that name, you know."

"What name? You mean… Asshole?" Lucario asked, thinking back to what else he had called the humongous legendary.

"Hahaha! Not THAT name, your name!" Zapdos laughed before her face became a bit more serious, "Wait, you KNOW about the trainer Ethan, right?"

"Of course!" Lucario responded, finally realizing what she had meant.

"He and pops had a bad tussle way back when," Zapdos explained while reminiscing, "I don't remember exactly why, I was just a lil' nestling… But mention that name to him, oh boy, that gets him riled up! Tressie and I used to do it every day!"

"I don't think my name's the reason he hated me," Lucario replied, suddenly very glad Mew had been smart enough not to disclose his past. He did not need more reasons for Lugia to want him dead. Still, he could not help but wonder if their apparently troublesome past had something to do with their current loathing for each other.

"No, of course not," Zapdos said as she snapped out of her dreamlike state, "Oh, well. Can't win 'em all over, can ya? Either way, you'll always have a friend in me."

"Yeah…" Lucario answered, suddenly feeling ashamed about his earlier fit of rage which had more or less included Zapdos as well, "… Listen, I'm sorry about leaving. You've been nothing but great to me, it's just that…"

"Hey, you gotta do what you gotta do…" Zapdos said as she turned her head and looked off into the distance, "… Say 'hi' to Mew for me."

With that, the thunderbird flew off into the night. Lucario turned around to see that Celebi and Zerobi had finished their whispering, both of them giving him curious stare which made him feel uncomfortable. After making sure that they were ready, Celebi used her Miracle Eye to instill a temporary aura upon Zerobi, a sensation she reluctantly described as "very tingly". Celebi then lifted the two of them with her psychic abilities, Lucario keeping hold of Zerobi as a safety precaution just in case anything should happen. Unbeknownst to anyone but himself, he saw it as a safety precaution on his part as well, as Celebi would have to drop both of them into the ocean if she wanted to get rid of him. Together, they soared up into the sky and over the water.

Lucario smiled, eager to finally be leaving the island that had caused him so much inner turmoil and doubt. He knew that he would once again be treading into dangerous and unpredictable lands with nothing to protect him but his own legs and fists, but felt that whatever the future had in store for him it would not be worse than having to question the legitimacy of his own friends. Pokémon or not, they were all he had.


	53. Wild Monster Hunter

Three days had passed since Lucario and Zerobi had reached the mainland once more and said farewell to Celebi. It had been a tearful goodbye with many promises to reunite as soon as possible, most of which coming from the side of the small legendary. The duo was steadily making progress towards No Man's Land, currently moving across a field west of Fuchsia City and far away from civilization as to avoid running into the police or anyone else out looking for their blood.

Their plan had worked a little too well. No matter how far they wandered, the lands were completely devoid of both humans and Pokémon. It left Zerobi with an uneasy feeling while Lucario did not mind in the least, far too happy over not being attacked by random strangers anymore. The grass beneath their feet was warm and dry, a stark contrast to the permanently soggy ground they had been forced to endure on the island of the legendaries. The sun had apparently done its job well, and was retiring for the day by the edge of the horizon.

"Nice to be able to enjoy the scenery," Lucario said dreamily before snapping himself back to reality, "You know, without worrying about some murderous legendary dog popping up in the middle of it."

"… Not to burst your bubble or anything, but that might still happen," Zerobi replied, breathing chilled air against one of her claws and then letting it run through her warm hair. The cool sensation felt pleasant, but it did little to comfort her since she knew the sweltering heat would only get worse the closer they got to the equator. Even though the exotic temperature was something she knew she would have to get used to, she would make sure that they avoided having to pass through the scorching Safari Zone at all costs.

"Sure, but now I don't need to worry about it anymore!" Lucario responded while lightly bashing his chest a few times, "I've completely mastered the Aura Sphere! Heck, I hope they appear, that way we can take revenge! You're up for that, right?"

"Lucario…" Zerobi sighed, wondering just how much trouble Lucario's inflated confidence would get them into this time, "I know you're proud of new abilities and all, but you can't go up against a legendary. It's suicide."

"I can hear that you haven't seen the Aura Sphere in action yet," Lucario said with a smile, Zerobi wincing for reasons unknown to him, "It's too fast to dodge, completely ignores defense and hurt like HELL!"

"It's pretty scary, I'll admit that…" Zerobi muttered as she ran one of her chilled claws past her back to soothe the sudden burning sensation, "How many have you defeated with it so far?"

"Everyone I've used it on!" Lucario replied without thinking, "… Which, coincidentally…"

"… Is none?" Zerobi filled in for him, wondering why she had even bothered to ask.

"Unless you count rocks, yeah," Lucario said, suddenly feeling distraught, "But… By the end of my training, I was able hit even pebbles with perfect accuracy, so if it's my aim you're worrying about…"

"I worry about a lot…" Zerobi whispered truthfully. She had seen firsthand that Lucario was a very powerful and clever warrior, but she knew that his own naivety, lack of experience and unfounded confidence was bound to do him in some day. She would just have to make sure she was there to pull him away from the danger zone and escape when it happens.

"Hey!" Lucario suddenly exclaimed as if on cue with her thoughts, "… Someone's coming!"

Squinting his eyes to avoid staring directly into the twilight of the sun, Lucario saw a figure approaching them from the side. With the setting sun to its back it was impossible to tell what it was, but it appeared to be vaguely humanoid with several appendages sticking out from it. The figure became less of a silhouette and more of an actual being the nearer it came, but strangely enough it was actually turning less recognizable. Some appendages became spikes, others became horns. The grey monotone faded to display nearly every color of the spectrum strewn over its body. Lucario wondered what it could be as Zerobi decided to look more closely, immediately eliciting a stifled gasp.

"Fucking sicko…!" Zerobi hissed with a disgusted tone, surprised to find that there was still something in this world so revoltingly grotesque even she could be staggered by it.

"What the… What kind of Pokémon is that?" Lucario asked, and for the first time since they had met Zerobi herself had no idea. She had never seen anything like it before, and she wondered if this is how confused Lucario felt every time they would encounter a new Pokémon. It was like a mass of gore which bore certain spots which she faintly recognized, but after inspecting it carefully with her keen eyes she was finally able to tell what it was.

"Human," Zerobi gasped with a stunned expression, "It's… It's a human!"

"Really?" Lucario asked while crossing his arms, "Doesn't look very human to me."

Zerobi agreed. The human wore a silvery helmet with spikes protruding out of it, and it covered most of his face. Still, its appearance had a very familiar feel to it, and Zerobi tried to figure out why. The more she looked, the more she realized the likeness the helmet bore to the head of an Aggron, excluding the lower jaw. Where the jaw should have been was a purple chest piece with similar spikes sticking out from the shoulders, something she had expected to find on a Cloyster.

"He's… He appears to be wearing the skin and body parts of a bunch of Pokémon," Zerobi explained slowly as she herself was busy comprehending what she was seeing, "Like… Those red gloves? I think they're the claws of a Scizor, like the one we fought when rescuing sis."

"You mean…" Lucario mumbled as he tried to make sense out of what he was seeing, "… He's wearing them as a suit of armor?"

There was no doubt that the human had some kind of business with them, having already spotted them and starting to move closer at a higher pace. Approximately fifteen meters away, he stopped himself and straightened up his back as he started intently at them. They did not have to wonder long if he had hostile intentions or not, the human suddenly reaching behind his back and pulling out two objects. Nearly as long as the arms holding on to them, the strangest thing about these tools were that they were something Lucario could instantly recognize.

"Oh, look," Lucario said as he smiled to himself, "Sworn'ds."

"Wh-What?" Zerobi stuttered as she looked back and forth between Lucario and the human, "You know what that is? What kind of human is he?"

As Lucario inspected the strange being under the pretense that it was actually human, he was starting to see the connection. Even though the human's get-up would have made him passable for modern art, the shape of his body and general stature was definitively humanoid. For a moment the scene reminded Lucario a lot of his own childhood, when he and his friends would grab whatever sharp utensils they could find before running into the woods to hunt trolls and monsters. While that had all just been pretend and child's play, Lucario could tell from the atmosphere that this human meant serious business.

"If you ask me… He looks like a bit like a hunter," Lucario said before gazing at the human in sudden admiration, "Hey… You told me humans didn't use weapons! I could've been using awesome swords all this time!"

"Weapons?" Zerobi repeated as she looked at the human. She agreed that the tools he was carrying looked awfully sharp, but he was still just human. Outmaneuvering his lumbering form and wresting them from his noodly arms would be easier than subjugating an Oddish, and that was if she decided not to be a spoilsport and simply freeze him solid from a distance. A peculiar thought hit her as she looked over the hunter once more, focusing on something other than his armor this time.

"Wait!" Zerobi exclaimed after she was finished with her inspection, "He's not carrying any Pokémon!"

"… Well, he is…" Lucario said with a snarky tone, "Just, you know, not in any Pokéballs."

"He's gonna try to fight us on his own!" Zerobi continued before lowering her voice and looking disappointedly at Lucario, "Also, what the hell? Not funny."

"Hmm…" Lucario murmured to himself as he reached out with his inner senses, barely noticing anything in front of them, "… His aura's pretty weak."

"He's human, what did you expect?" Zerobi asked with a shrug, the hunter eyeing her carefully but still not making a move.

"Hey, I take offense to that…" Lucario muttered as his and Zerobi's eyes met for a moment, "… Well, not really. How hard can I hit him without killing him?"

"Pretty hard, considering that grotesque armor he's wearing," Zerobi mumbled while thinking that even if he was just a weak human, not even a saint among saints would be able to show such a psychopathic monster any mercy, "Break his leg or something, and we'll drop him off at a hospital in the next town… If we have to."

"… Eh, I can probably just scare him off with a bitch-slap or something…" Lucario whispered to himself, again drawing parallels to his childhood and feeling sympathetic towards the fellow human. He took a step forward and the hunter twitched in response.

"Sorry, dude," Lucario muttered, "Maybe if it was a Rattata you would've stood a chance, but with me you're way out of your league."

The human suddenly held up the two swords like a cross above him, starting to run towards them. Zerobi moved back as Lucario sighed, his current opponent moving much slower than anything he had been forced to fight so far. He wondered if this is how poorly he would have help up in a real battle back when he was human too. Standing motionless, he let the human run up to him as to give the guy a fair chance before knocking him out cold.

The hunter initiated his attack by swinging the right sword vertically down towards Lucario, who easily avoided it by leaning to the side. The very next moment his other sword followed and came aimed at Lucario's throat, and he was forced to duck to let it miss. However, this time Lucario felt a stinging sensation scratch his side, the first sword coming back impossibly fast and slashing him. He instinctively made a small hop backwards, but the hunter had apparently anticipated this, already following him by thrusting both swords forward.

Still in midair and with no hopes of dodging, Lucario was hit squarely in the chest by both swords. He thought for a moment that he was dead, the hunter putting all his weight behind the attack to pierce through his body. However, as he stumbled back, he noticed that the pain was nothing compared to that the small Pokémon under Silver's control had inflicted in the same spot, and the slash to his side was barely noticeable compared to when Zoroark had cut through him. Looking down, he saw two visible marks where the swords had struck, slightly bleeding but just barely having gone beyond breaking the skin. The hunter came at him again as Lucario jumped back further this time, landing several feet away.

"Whoa, what the hell!" Zerobi screamed as she felt the muscles around her neck tense up in sudden fear, "Quit playing around, he's good!"

"It's… It's fine!" Lucario yelled back while inspecting the rest of cuts to confirm that what he was feeling was accurate, "He's fast, but he's really weak; those knives are just grazing me!"

"Get yourself together, he's not just swinging around those things aimlessly!" Zerobi shouted, recognizing the hunter's attack pattern as something she herself had made use of in the past, "He turns them around halfway through a stroke to retain velocity! Don't stand around in the same spot, or you're dead!"

"… Get MYSELF together!" Lucario shouted back as he turned around with an annoyed expression, "You get YOUR lazy ass into the battle! Come on, let's both attack him at once!"

Zerobi hesitated, still shaken from having seen Lucario nearly get impaled just a few seconds earlier. However, she realized that no matter how skilled the human was, beating him would still be a lot easier than many of the battles that lay ahead of them. She decided it would be a good chance to practice their teamwork and prepared herself for combat.

"All right," she said bluntly as she starting running, "I'm faster, follow my lead!"

The hunter remained immobile as Zerobi dashed towards him, the nimble Pokémon leaping back and forth in a zig-zag formation to throw him off. She knew one well-aimed slash would finish it, but worried that human blood would affect her as badly as the blood of Pokémon. The only time she had tried it was during her last stand outside the Cerulean Cave, and she had been so jacked up on blood back then she had not even noticed any difference. To be on the safe side, she decided to go with her original plan and grab a hold of the weapons to throw them away. With her hard and durable claws, grasping even the sharp point would not be a problem.

Sparks flew as the hunter blocked her strike, swords and claws grinding against each other with a quiet hiss as Lucario approached from behind. Zerobi quickly closed her claws around the blades and started pulling, knowing that some steel on a stick could never match up to her fully maneuverable hands. However, no matter how hard she pulled, the human would not let go. She looked down at his hands and saw the claws of a Scizor she had pointed out earlier tightening around the handles, wondering if they were what was giving the human his abnormal strength. Suddenly, the swords gave away all resistance, slipping out of her grasp as she stumbled forward by accident.

The hunter spun around as he narrowly avoid the tumbling Weavile, noticing the spikeless Lucario coming from the left and throwing a punch. Mustering up all his strength, the human shouted as he started swinging his swords both left and right, cutting through the two of them at the same time while bracing himself for what was to follow.

The blow of the Lucario struck him straight in the chest like a bolt of thunder, but the shell of the Cloyster he had once killed protected him well and absorbed the brunt of it. Even so, the powerful strike knocked him back a little as he ignored the pain and continued his attack, slashing the two of them a few more times. The Weavile imitated his strategy of taking hits in order to continue attacking, and he felt something sharp grazing the back of his right calf. If not for his armor, he knew he would have found himself a leg short.

Lucario and Zerobi did not give up, hoping to knock out or at least exhaust the human. His cuts were weak, but were also quickly building up all over their bodies as he continued letting his swords flail madly around him. They were now standing on both sides of him, hitting him with all they had while getting slashed in return. With a swift turn, Zerobi abandoned her previous inhibitions and spun around the hunter to try to pierce him through the back, quickly putting an end to it all. A clinging noise sounded as her claws were deflected by a very hard material, something she noticed was even stronger and sturdier than the armor he was wearing. A chill ran through her as she saw that whatever it was, it was bigger than the human carrying it and also completely smeared with dried up blood.

"TIME!" Lucario finally shouted as he grabbed a hold of the hunter and threw him away, hoping to get some reprieve from the onslaught of attacks. The human was a lot heavier than Lucario had expected, but was still no match for the Pokémon's unbridled strength as he flew through the air and fell hard on the ground. The hunter quickly got to his feet again, but could not stop himself from wobbling slightly in weariness. Lucario breathed heavily and saw Zerobi mimicking him, both of them fatigued and bleeding from many different cuts.

"Hah! He's pretty good, but I'd say we hurt him more than he hurt us!" Lucario exclaimed happily, tired but still fired up from the exciting battle, "Hmm… You don't go mad after getting splashed with your _own_ blood, do you?"

Zerobi did not respond, and did not even look in Lucario's direction. He was suddenly reminded of the time she had turned around and slashed his throat, and feared that he had overlooked something. If she had cut the hunter too carelessly, or if even a single drop of his own blood had come into contact with her, he knew it might happen again. He cursed himself for having let her jump into such a bloody battle, and readied himself for what was about to happen.

Zerobi's breaths were coming slower and less frequently, all while a strangely familiar sensation coursed through her. It reminded her of her final moments in Cerulean City, the memory still fresh like it had happened yesterday.

A very nasty feeling was spreading from her right arm; numbing it and making her feel uncomfortable. She looked down at it, and noticed that underneath all the small cuts, it was beginning to develop a slightly pink hue. Eight long years had passed, but she had never forgotten the indescribable terror that had once led to her demise.

"P… Poison…" Zerobi stammered while realizing that even though Lucario had been hit by the swords even more than her, he was immune and had not even noticed anything, "… Goddamn it…"

A loud thud sounded as Zerobi suddenly fell over, her muscles growing weaker with each passing second. The world around her turned into a blur as her head pounded painfully. She tried to move, but her arms and legs were no longer responding to her commands.

"Zerobi!" Lucario screamed while running up to her, cursing himself for having misread the signs. She wasn't going mad from blood, she was dying from poison! He bent over to examine her when he felt a faint aura approaching, which was immediately followed by the sight of two swords swinging towards him.

"Whoa!" Lucario exclaimed while stumbling backwards in surprise, completely taken off guard by the hunter having returned to go on the offensive. He braced himself for the inevitable follow-up to his sloppy dodge, but it never came. Instead, the human looked down at Zerobi, before suddenly raising his swords up high and thrusting them down towards her.

"H-Hands off!" Lucario shouted in terror, quickly leaping towards the hunter and trying to tackle him, anything to get him and his weapons away from the exposed Zerobi. The hunter saw his charge coming and rolled out of the way, leaving something behind him as he did. Lucario looked down and saw a small canister made out of wood lying next to Zerobi, a faint sizzling sound emanating from it.

Zerobi was too badly poisoned to move out of the way, but her panicked expression told Lucario everything he needed to know. Acting swiftly, he kicked the small canister away from them as it suddenly exploded in midair. Burning pieces of wood scattered all around them, and Lucario was too worried about his bleeding wounds to shield Zerobi properly. Luck was with them as they were left unscathed, except for a single piece of debris which fell down and struck Lucario hard on the top of his head. He groaned painfully and bent over for a second, before looking up again to see the hunter standing still and eyeing him carefully.

The human was not trying to capture them. He was not even genuinely fighting them. He was outright trying to kill them, and was simply using every means available to do so. Lucario looked down at Zerobi, whose eyes were dilating irregularly from the poison coursing through her. Even if he ignored the potentially lethal dose she had been infected by, he realized how close she had come to being gutted and having her face blown off.

The mere thought made Lucario loathe himself for having allowed things get so bad in the first place. Finally, he understood the kind of danger they were dealing with, and saw that defeating the hunter was not going to be as easy as he had hoped. What had been the point of all his training if he refused to put it to use when it was needed the most? What was the point of his continued existence if he was to become the cause for even more misfortune to those that trust him? The faces of Rukario, the small penguin and everyone else he had let down in the past burned clearly in his mind. Swallowing his pride and realizing that he would never be able to live it down, he still knew exactly what had to be done to ensure the safety of his friend.

"Damn it, I didn't want to use this against a fellow human, but you've left me with no other choice!" Lucario yelled at the hunter, who appeared to be unfazed. Focusing on his training and ignoring Zerobi's occasional twitches as to not be distracted, Lucario let the energy in his body flow through his right arm. If he was to be responsible for the death of a human, he knew that at the very least he should make sure that the Aura Sphere that killed him was nothing short of perfect.


	54. BAD END II: 'Negligence'

"And so… We are back where we started…" Lugia muttered disappointingly. The legendaries had assembled deep underneath one of the Seafoam Islands to discuss the current situation of the world. They were all in agreement over preventing the potential war between humans and Pokémon, but the unexpected news of Zoroark's revolution had put a stop to their planning.

"This will not do," Moltres said with a sigh, "We need to take care of No Man's Land as quickly as possible. Any ideas on how?"

"Well… We are legends, after all," Celebi chimed in while remembering the legendary trio's star-struck expressions when first meeting her, "There is a possibility that they will halt their aggressions if we simply ask them."

"Indeed," Lugia said with a gentle smile caressing his face, "Perhaps it would be best for us to send an emissary?"

Mew nodded in agreement, as those present suddenly started looking at Zapdos. She was the fastest being alive, and would be perfect for such an assignment. She yawned in response, and suddenly exploded into a ray of red light.

Where the magnificent avian had once stood was now nothing but a tiny sphere dressed in yellow and white. It wobbled a little from side to side as everyone stared at it in shock, before giving off something akin to a sigh and ceasing its movement.

"A Pokéball!" Celebi burst out, all too familiar with the process Zapdos was currently going through.

"They have found us!" Mew shouted while looking around with a panicked expression, "Everyone, flee! Azelf, you must-"

Mew could not finish her sentence as she too turned red before being drawn into a pink Pokéball. A loud rumble was heard throughout the cavern as Lugia extended his wings in rage.

"Cretin!" Lugia howled madly, "You shall n-"

More than that he did not have time to say, as he himself transformed into a bright red light and disappeared within a cyan Pokéball. Another trainer had snuck up from behind and captured him, and suddenly the legendaries realized the inner sanctum was crawling with humans. Uxie's presence had erased their aura and let them go in unnoticed as legendaries all over the cave began falling victim to their specially designed Pokéballs. Many fought back valiantly, but were eventually taken by surprise and found themselves trapped within a customized Pokéball.

That day, every Pokémon within the secret hideout beneath the Seafoam Islands was captured except for a Lucario and a Weavile, both of which were able to escape by unknown means. The two were later seen mounting a rescue effort to free the legendary Mew, a reckless and daring assault during which all three of them were killed. The legendary Celebi took her own life shortly thereafter, forcing the caretakers of the legendaries to keep those remaining under harsher restraints lest they try anything similar.

With the legendaries under the control of humanity, the budding revolution of No Man's Land lost its morale and was easily destroyed. Their leader Zoroark was assassinated in a manner that left little remains, and to this day scientists wonder what species of Pokémon he truly was. The rest of the world's powerful Pokémon were subdued, and many laws regarding the humanitarian treatment of Pokémon were lifted as to not give them the opportunity to rebel again. For all intents and purposes, the war had ended before it had even begun.

Through experiments and research, the astounding biology of the legendaries amazed scientists all over the world. In only a few months, humanity was able to advance their current technology by almost a century. This success was unprecedented, and with man's natural greed it only left them hungering for more. Utilizing a newly developed manner of interrogation upon the infants Mesprit and Azelf (Uxie was unable to sustain himself in captivity and expired shortly after) proved very effective, and they were able to discern the location of some of the remaining legendaries. Using similar ambushes, they managed to capture Giratina, Dialga and Palika.

After that, all the legendaries mysteriously disappeared. One by one they were taken from their current masters, after which they were never heard of again. However, people paid little mind to this. With their technology flourishing, humanity reigned supreme and began to surrender their reliance upon Pokémon altogether.

The sings of what was to come were weak at first. With the loss of the legendary bird trio, the first generation of the world without legendaries saw nothing but a heavy reduction of storms all over Earth, making people miss the trio even less. The loss of Mew seemed to have no effect at all; no one realizing that had she been alive there might still have been hope for the future of the world. It was not until the next generation that people began to notice that something was wrong.

With the loss of Celebi, the second generation was met with increasingly bad crops. The loss of Lugia caused a widespread drought which only served to make matters worse, eventually leading to worldwide starvation. Unable to rely on food from berries and fruit, Pokémon were forced to devour each other for sustenance, creating devastation and mistrust in their already loosely held society. Humanity fell into line not long after, using Pokémon as a source of food instead of friendship. Slowly, the practice of training Pokémon disappeared, and means to murder them through weaponry became more common.

As the third generation came along, the mighty legendaries Groudon and Kyogre rose from the bowels of the earth, resuming their unending battle. Their fight brought about extremely harsh climates and storms that razed the world, turning large sections of it uninhabitable. With the legendaries gone and humanity unable to command Pokémon, there was no one left to oppose them. Approximately 90% of the population were unfit to handle these new conditions and perished, leaving only the strong to constantly fight each other for food and shelter.

With the loss of Dialga, Palika and Giratina, the fourth generation saw gravitational and dimensional anomalies springing up all over the world, wreaking havoc upon the already desolate wastelands. Survivors over the globe are reduced to mere thousands, and few even remember that times were once different. Day to day survival is the only truth known by the inhabitants of this era, constantly falling prey to their hateful world and each other.

At the start of the fifth generation, all life upon the Earth has been eradicated as storms unlike anything seen before tore it asunder. Once more Earth joins its brethren in the solar system as a dead rock, floating around in space and being completely uninhabitable by any form of life.

**BAD END**


	55. Raging Monster Hunter

As the aura coursed through Lucario, so did a great deal of hesitation. He could scarcely believe that was about the end of the life of a human, a person that could so very easily have been him as his past self. Imagining what it would be like to walk around one day before getting blown to bits by a random monster, Lucario scoffed as he realized that it was not so far off from what he had been forced to experience ever since turning into a Pokémon. Was he really going to inflict the same fate upon someone else? Had he somehow become what he had always hated?

He knew that escaping was always a viable option. Having once been able to outrun the legendary Suicune, there was no way the hunter could keep up with him. However, since carrying Zerobi with as many bleeding cuts as he had meant getting a much deeper one straight through his throat a few meters down the road, he knew that his only choice would be to abandon her. To kill a human and save a Pokémon, or run away to abandon the Pokémon while sparing the human... The answer to the dilemma grew hazier the more he thought about it.

Suddenly, Lucario shook his head, surprised at the stupidity of his own thoughts. There was no relation between his past self and the hunter, the damn guy had attacked _them _and was unwilling to back down. Meanwhile, the Pokémon in question was his best friend, and the human was just some random asshole who the world would be far better off without. A determined smile formed around Lucario's lips, his previous hesitation clearing up from his mind.

"Hope you're prepared…" Lucario mumbled as he held his arm in front of him, forming a straight line between him and the hunter, who suddenly got into a more ready stance.

"AURA SPHERE!" Lucario shouted, suddenly letting the aura flow out of his arm as a great sphere launched itself from the palm of his hand and flew towards the hunter. It was nearly as big as Lucario's head, and rushed forward faster than the eye could follow. Before he could even blink, it was over.

The hunter fell to the side, landing flatly on his stomach while covering the back of his head with his hands. He laid there for a while before realizing that the danger had passed, after which he rose to his feet again while breathing almost as heavily as his enemy.

"I-Impossible…" Lucario stammered in between breaths while in utter shock, "That's… That's impossible! How the hell did he dodge that!"

"Don't…" a weak croak came from the collapsed body of Zerobi, the combination of an Aura Sphere and poison make her feel far more nostalgic than she wanted to, "Don't… Telegraph… Your… Attack… Idiot…"

"It's not supposed to…" Lucario continued before silencing himself due to heavily conflicting emotions. Hearing Zerobi speak made him feel relieved that she was still alive, but what she had said made him feel devastated. He cursed under his breath, realizing that he had held out his arm in front of himself before the attack like a complete idiot. It had been like telling his opponent that he was going to use an Aura Sphere while also showing exactly how it was going to travel. The human only had to react to Lucario doing anything out of the ordinary before easily moving anywhere else.

The hunter's breaths were starting to come in normally again. He drank something from a red flask located at his hip before suddenly sheathing his swords by his sides. Reaching behind himself, he detached something that Lucario had up until now thought was a part of his armor. But even in her poisoned state, Zerobi recognized that it was the thing that had deflected her claws earlier. As the object's true nature became clear, she felt strangely fortunate that she was incapacitated.

It was indeed another sword, yet it was much too big to be called a sword. Massive like the man carrying it, thick like the trunk of a tree and rough as an unpolished rock. It was as if someone had sharpened a statue and decided to wield it as a weapon. The hunter looked a bit smaller now that he was holding what Lucario had figured was some kind of back plating of his armor, and he seemed to just barely be able to keep his balance with the humongous beast of a sword held in front of him.

"Haha, what? He's not going to use THAT, is he?" Lucario exclaimed in surprise, trying hard to contain his laughter at the sight of the wobbling human, "What the hell, he can barely even move!"

Smile fading and upper lip stiffening, Lucario could not help but notice the brown stains of rust and many nicks across the outer edges of the weapon, reminding him not to underestimate the hunter again no matter what. He decided to take advantage of the situation before it disappeared, and rushed towards his enemy.

The hunter suddenly lifted the greatsword and kept it resting at his shoulder, waiting to strike. Lucario wondered who would ever be dumb enough to rush straight into it and ran around the hunter to hit him from behind. The human tried to spin around, but was too sluggish with the heavy sword held high into the air. Lucario saw his chance and moved in to kick the hunter straight in the back.

Before he knew it, the hunter was suddenly facing him, and more urgently he noticed the massive sword coming down upon him from above. The human had twisted himself around with a strangely fluent motion, similar to those he had used with the dual swords earlier. As luck would have it, this larger sword was nowhere near as fast as those, and Lucario quickly sidestepped the swing to let it hit the ground.

The earth shook as shrapnel of rocks diffused in every direction from the impact zone, the sword digging itself through solid ground like it was sour milk. Lucario lost his balance from the quake but still managed to get away through sheer willpower, scrambling away like a frightened bug as the hunter pulled out his sword from the ground.

"HOOOOOOLY SHIT!" Lucario yelled as he almost fell over in terror, "Wh-Where'd that strength come from!

He did not have time to think about what had just happened, the human suddenly attaching his sword to his back again. Then, he ran towards Lucario, and all in one motion removed the sword and tried to cut Lucario vertically this time. Lucario ducked and managed to avoid the swing, but the wind alone whooshing past him was nearly enough to knock him off his feet. A strong chill ran through Lucario as he immediately turned around and started running.

He might die. With a sword strong enough to rend the earth, he knew he was literally a stumble or a slow reaction away from certain death. Once upon a time a battle with his life on stake had seemed as natural to him as eating berries; He hated it thoroughly, but it was something he needed to do it in order to survive. Months of traveling with the almighty Mew had given him a sense of security, one that he had come to enjoy and even rely on.

But as he ran, he saw Zerobi lying paralyzed on the ground in front of him. He had completely forgotten about her, and stopped himself as to not make the same mistake with her as he had with the small penguin, a mistake that still managed to fill him with guilt and remorse.

As he saw the hunter drawing nearer, the past few months suddenly felt like a fleeting dream. Here he was again, fighting for his life just to survive another day. Exerting himself… Fearing everyone… And once more, he was completely alone.

"… Hey asshole, you think I'm going to shy away just because you might cleave me in half!" Lucario shouted defiantly as he fastened himself on the ground, "I've fought for my life before, and at least this time my death will be quick and painless if I fail! Hell, I'm grateful, really!"

The hunter ignored him and continued running towards them. However, Lucario suddenly started running towards him in return.

"But when you're trying to kill someone, you'd better watch out…" Lucario growled between gritted teeth while increasing his speed, "… They just might kill you instead!"

The hunter immediately halted when he saw Lucario's approach, and held up the flat side of the greatsword in front of him. Lucario's tackle connected with it, forcing the hunter stumbling backwards from the impact. Twisting the sword around in midair, the hunter used its velocity to deliver a quick swing towards Lucario, who instantly crouched down and threw his leg out in a sweeping motion. Losing his balance, the human was dragged by his heavy weapon and he tumbled to the side and hit the ground.

Wanting payback for what his opponent had tried to do to Zerobi, Lucario saw his chance and prepared a dropkick against the defenseless hunter. His leg came down hard, aimed directly at the human's head with enough force to easily snap his neck. In the very last second before impact, the hunter suddenly moved his head as he got to his knees, brandishing his two smaller swords from earlier. Lucario aborted his finishing blow and tried to dodge as the hunter suddenly thrust his two swords down towards his unused leg, and Lucario braced himself for the stabbing sensation that he knew was to follow.

However, there was no pain. Lucario looked down and saw that the two swords had been lodged into the ground around his foot, some kind of net dangling between them and covering his leg. When he looked back, the human had already gotten to his knees and was swinging the gigantic sword towards him. Lucario tried jumping back like before to dodge it, but tripped as he felt his leg tangled up in the net. Lacking a proper foothold, he did not even have time to realize what was happening before it was too late.

The massive sword struck against his right arm, plowing through it like an avalanche as it continued on and hit him in the side. Pain shooting through him, Lucario screamed as he was tossed away like a ragdoll by the strong impact. The hard ground felt like landing on a sea of soft pillows in comparison.

Expecting himself to be dead or at least a limb short, Lucario was surprised to notice that despite the great pain and a fairly large cut, his arm was still fully functional. Lucario realized that the hunter had not been able to put his full force behind the attack as he had standing on his knees, but judging from the damage he had just taken there was no longer any doubt in his mind. One good hit would be all that's necessary for him to be utterly destroyed. Again he marveled over how close he had come to actually dying, and imagined what a pathetic end to his life it would have been. Slain by a guy with a big sword, all while not even trying his best.

Gritting his teeth even harder this time, Lucario scorned. He had already used up the debut of the Aura Sphere he had worked so long to master, wasting his absolutely final trump card in a random encounter like this was unthinkable. Even so, he knew that death was even less preferable and decided to finish the battle once and for all.

"… Look closely, Zerobi…" Lucario muttered as he stood up, looking back at Zerobi to see if she was functional enough to give a response, "The time has come for me to use my ultimate skill… I was hoping to save this for a little longer, but better to be safe than sorry."

"It… Already… Missed…" Zerobi groaned painfully, somehow keeping a snarky tone to her voice despite being close to fainting.

"What I'm talking about is nothing like the Aura Sphere, or even the Aura Storm," Lucario said, hastily adding the last part as he realized he'd rather be using the Aura Storm had he learned how to, "I'm talking about the secret technique I developed in order to combat and defeat all the unreasonably powerful monsters in this world that want my ass."

Lucario hesitated, suddenly aware that even though the human had yet to say anything, he could still be able to understand the speech of Pokémon and might be preparing to dodge like before. A bitter smile crossed Lucario's face at the thought. With this technique, it would not make a difference even if he tried.

"It's strong; I believe it could even defeat someone like Mew before she could even blink…" Lucario continued undauntedly, "… And without a doubt, it will blow this asshole away even faster than that! Behold!"

With expectations soaring, Lucario took control over the aura in his body again, this time leading it along a different route through his body. It flowed calmly at first, but began to rage as it passed through unfamiliar territory, Lucario cursing himself for not having practiced more. Focusing with all his might, he forced the mitochondrion to continue towards their destination.

And then, things were no longer as calm as they had once been. A particularly large seepage of aura set off a chain reaction which instantly made Lucario's entire lower body explode into a ball of blue flames. Screaming loudly as the familiar pain spread through him and tore up his every nerve, Lucario crouched down and hunched over while shaking violently in agony.

"Not… Surprised…" Zerobi whispered with a sigh, Lucario's all too familiar display of self-inflicted pain making her feel a bit nostalgic.

"OWOWOW!" Lucario wailed as he bent over and clutched his right leg, "I SCREWED UP! RUN!"

"… Damn… You…" Zerobi wheezed as she made one last attempt to stand up. Not only did she find herself unable to move even a single inch, but she found her own eyelids growing heavier as she finally succumbed to the poison and fell into darkness.

"Shit!" Lucario growled menacingly while carefully caressing his sore legs, the most intensive pain beginning to subside but leaving a powerful ache in its wake. The damage told him that there would be no second attempts at using either the Aura Sphere or his trump card, and he shuddered at the thought of continuing the regular battle.

Suddenly, Lucario began to wonder why the human had not yet exploited his state of weakness like he had with Zerobi. Looking up, he noticed that the hunter was lying down on the ground, completely immobile. Confusion coursed through him as he for a moment thought his ultimate attack had somehow worked despite failing so spectacularly. The sun's glare was still strong despite having almost completely vanished behind the horizon, and it took him a few moments to see that there was something moving beside the fallen human. Something much bigger.

His overuse of the aura had left its sensory functions weakened, so he had not noticed anyone approaching and could still not feel anything from the new arrival. It was not until his eyes had completely adjusted to the sun that he began to make sense out of what it was. The sight shocked him even more than the hunter's sudden defeat.

"… I-Ivy…?" Lucario stammered with a surprised gasp. Standing next to his fallen foe with two vines outstretched was the first Pokémon he had ever befriended.

Her form was different, however. The flower he remembered sitting firmly on her back had moved itself to surround her neck, which in itself was many times longer than he recalled. Two large antennae protruded from her forehead, and her eyes were gleaming yellow unlike the deep red he had thought about so often. Lucario had heard a lot of talk about Pokémon evolving, but had not expected such a radical change. There was a nagging feeling at the back of his head that told him that despite the similar appearance, this was an entirely different Pokémon. While there was definitively something very familiar about the big flower, it felt even more intimate than what he had experienced with Ivy.

"Are you all right?" she asked with a gentle voice, one that was actually quite different from Ivy's, "Can you hear me?"

"… Yeah. Yeah, I'm just…" Lucario mumbled, withholding his questions in order to not make an ass out of himself like usual. Had it really been Ivy she would have said so or at least tried to kill him instead of asking how he's doing. The green Pokémon looked at him as he slowly rose to his feet, and as he got up he saw her pick up the hunter with one of her vines.

"Hey, be careful!" Lucario exclaimed with a worried tone to his voice, "He's strong, dangerous and-"

"Asleep," the big flower interrupted him as it smiled warmly, "Humans are quite susceptible to my special brand of Sleep Powder, but… Has it somehow affected your companion, as well?"

"… Zerobi!" Lucario suddenly exclaimed, turning around to see his incapacitated friend lying where he had left her. He ran to check her pulse, realizing that his knowledge regarding Weavile anatomy was severely lacking as he could not find even a single vein around her metallic wrist. Holding his hand in front of her mouth and looking closely at her upper body, he saw her chest rise a fall at a slow pace while feeling a slightly cold draft run through his fingers. He was relieved that she was still breathing, but her sleeping expression looked so tortured and painful that he could not find it in himself to rejoice.

"Ah, damn… That guy poisoned her, and she's completely out of it…" Lucario said out loud before leaning in closer and whispering in Zerobi's ear, "… I'm sorry…"

"Hmm… Never underestimate poison," the big flower replied as she seemed to drift off into an old memory for a moment, "I was actually on my way towards a place where she can be healed. I could carry her, if necessary."

"You'd do that!" Lucario shouted in surprise as he snapped his head up and put his hands together, "Please! I'll be in your debt!"

"Oh, think nothing of it…" she replied peacefully, moving away from the hunter and carefully picking up Zerobi with two vines.

"Careful, don't let any blood get on her, she hates that…" Lucario warned as he moved away from them while trying to brush off some of his own blood, only succeeding in smearing it around more across his body. He sighed as the big flower placed Zerobi on her back and started walking towards the sunset, beckoning Lucario to follow.

"… Wait…" Lucario muttered with a hint of suspicion, still paranoid over his treatment by the legendaries, "… Did you really just happen to stumble upon us? Out here, right in the middle of nowhere?"

"… No. I scented blood and fear from a little further away and thought to see what had happened," she explained before noticing Lucario's confused expression and smiling warmly, "These antennae aren't just for show."

"Right…" Lucario said, ready to pull Zerobi away from the big flower should she try anything. Still, he could not shake the feeling that he had met this Pokémon before, but no matter how hard he tried to remember where it would only come up blank.

"Hey… I'm kind of new around these parts, so if you don't mind me asking…" Lucario said while cleverly disguising his real question, "… What kind of Pokémon are you?"

"Me?" the big flower responded as her expression brightened, "I am a-"


	56. Grassy Starter Meganium

Ethan was thoroughly enjoying himself. Leaning his head back against a pillow, he wondered how something so simple could feel so great. What was the point of dreams and ambitions? He already had everything he could ever want. A soft bed stuffed with feathers, carrying a permanent indent of his body. A window through which the sun could peek in, eager to share her warm and beautiful light with him. A fragrance, something like a summer's breeze carrying a wide assortment of trees and flowers with it. The familiarity of it all made him sigh in relief. This was his room, and at long last, he had returned home.

"Good morning," a tender voice echoed from somewhere, as everything around him suddenly melted. Half expecting to see his mother when opening his eyes, Lucario was instead greeted by the Meganium that had been nice enough to let him stay in her house. The feathery contents of the bed had transformed into a stack of hay, still soft but rather itchy and prickly. The walls were made out of rammed earth and the window was now just a hole, installed as if mocking the skies to dare cause rain and fill the entire room with water.

Only one thing remained unchanged. The fragrance.

"Your friend seems to be doing better," the Meganium continued with a smile as Lucario sat up hastily.

"Good…" Lucario responded while feeling a great weight lift from his heart, "It's only been, what, three days?"

"The poison was apparently very persistent," the Meganium explained, remembering how carefully the Weavile had to be treated as to not let it affect anyone else, "Something you would only find in the worst Toxic a Muk could possibly produce."

"Really? Hadn't noticed," Lucario replied sourly, scratching the cuts on his arm and feeling grateful for his own immunity. After that, the drowsiness left behind from his fleeting dream instantly disappeared as his mood lightened at the news of Zerobi's recovery. He leaped to his feet and stretched his sore legs.

"Hey, thanks again for helping us out," Lucario said while casually patting one of the Meganium's petals, "Don't know what might've happened if you hadn't come along!"

"Well, SOMEONE had to come save that poor human!" the Meganium responded sarcastically as the flower around her neck twitched slightly, "I doubt he could have lasted another second against you!"

"Uh, yeah…" Lucario mumbled quietly while scratching the back of his head in embarrassment. He knew he had screwed up at the end, but was surprised and happy to get at least some acknowledgement for his effort.

The two of them became silent as they could hear a light pitter-patter coming from outside. Suddenly, a tiny Pokémon came running in through the door, completely out of breath but still quite energetic. It looked like a smaller version of the Meganium, the flower still just budding out of its neck and a great leaf sticking out of its forehead.

"Mom!" it shouted, frustration apparent.

"Yes, dear?" the Meganium asked while bending her head down to nuzzle against her child. However, it pulled itself away from her and showed an aggravated expression.

"No, mom, this is serious!" the small flower continued while shaking its head violently, "We're playing explorers, and Meowth took our flag again! It's not fair!"

"You need to protect your flag, sweetie," the Meganium said reassuringly before lowering her head while whispering as if telling a big secret, "You already know he will try to steal it, right? This time, stand near it and pretend not to see anything, until he's only focusing on the flag… Then, you leap up and stop him!"

The small flower looked up at her with a strangely bewildered face. Then, it turned around and immediately ran outside again.

"I'm in, best out of nine!" they heard it shouting eagerly as the voice grew weaker the further away it got, "You're goin' down!"

"Nice kid," Lucario said, smiling as he saw the pear-shaped Pokémon moving a little too excitedly and accidentally stumbling over its own legs.

"One of many," the Meganium said as she gave off a prideful nod, "My oldest has already defeated the Elite Four. He will be home soon, stay a few days and you'll meet him!"

"Hmm… Sorry, but we're on an important mission," Lucario muttered, thinking about returning in case they were unable to find Mew or get anything accomplished in No Man's Land, "Just being here is costing us precious time, but… Hey, sure beats dying."

"In that case, times of reprieve must be rare," the Meganium said with a meaningful tone to her voice, "Enjoy these moments while you can, they are what you'll come to cherish as you grow older."

Nodding solemnly while remembering the homely sensation he had felt earlier, a completely different feeling suddenly hit Lucario as a deep growl emanated from his belly.

"About time, I haven't seen you eat anything since you got here," the Meganium chuckled as Lucario clutched his empty stomach, "We have a lot of food in stock, feel free to have some."

"Let me guess - Berries?" Lucario asked sarcastically.

"Well, yes," the Meganium responded with a confused expression, "Were you expecting something different?"

"I'd be lying if I said I was," Lucario muttered sadly, contemplating using whatever rough surface he could find to grind off the taste buds from his tongue and lessen the misery that was to come, "… Fine. I'm hungry. Let's eat."

Lucario followed the Meganium out of the small hut and then went in through another entrance. He figured this to be some manner of pantry, berries and bottles of berry juice neatly assorted in various piles. Each new sight brought him distaste, like he was walking through a gallery of gore and mayhem. He looked around to try and pick out whatever looked the least horrible, when in the corner opposite to where the Meganium was heading he saw the absolutely last thing he had expected to see in there.

"… But… That's…" Lucario stammered in shock, his breaths coming short and his heart beating rapidly, "… It cannot be…!"

"What?" the Meganium asked, turning around to see Lucario's stunned expression. In the corner where he was staring laid a tiny sack, its small white contents poured out slightly across the ground. Right next to it stood an even smaller canister, marks of yellowish orange powder strewn across the edges.

"Oh, don't let that rice and curry spoil your appetite," the Meganium said while nonchalantly waving one of her vines around, "It's just that I've personally developed a taste for human cuisine over the years. Want to try some, just for fun?"

"_I love you_," Lucario whispered quietly, a single tear rolling down his cheek where it blended in with the waterfall of saliva pouring out of his mouth. Time halted itself in expectation of what Lucario knew was to be the greatest moment of his life as a Pokémon. Before he even knew it he was sitting down and eating, his hands digging wildly into a lovingly prepared meal of rice and curry.

The exquisite flavor brought life to the mistreated sandpaper he had once referred to as his tongue. Pure euphoria coursed through his body with every swallow, each bite gently caressing inner organs he didn't even remember having. It was as if he had been crawling through the sandy dunes with a parched throat for years, before finally tripping headfirst into the waters of an oasis. Then, he had spent the rest of his life beneath the surface, hating himself for having to come up for air every now and then, and dreaming of the possibilities of replacing the blood in his veins with the water around him… And even if he were to drain the entire oasis of every single drop of water, it would still not be enough!

"Haha! Either this type of food isn't new to you…" the Meganium laughed at Lucario's gluttonous display coupled with his enlightened expression, "… Or you became accustomed to the taste even faster than I did! It's good, isn't it?"

"… Well, yes! But…" Lucario said loudly, interrupting himself as he saw it necessary to grab another bite before continuing, "… There're so many other great meals that humans eat, even better than this! Like… Pasta! Spaghetti with marinara, tons of spices and side-dishes!"

"Oh, that's funny! I knew someone who used to eat that every day!" the Meganium continued laughing, a mild sneer suddenly appearing on her face, "Couldn't stand the stuff, personally… But he constantly insisted on giving me some!"

"Of course!" Lucario grinned as he swallowed down another bite, "I mean, after cooking a meal like that, how could you not want to share it? Good food's not something you experience alone!"

"My thoughts exactly, which is why I always ate it!" the Meganium said while nodding in agreement, "And when it was time for rice and curry, he always did the same for me… I remember now, he used to look so disappointed!"

"Didn't know what he was missing," Lucario responded as he held his empty plate in front of him, "Of course, to a guy customary to spaghetti… Can't really blame him! Anyway, more! Lots and lots more!"

They continued talking as they shared the meal, Lucario eating way past the point of bursting and only stopping when he realized that there were no reserves left. The Meganium sighed and muttered something about having just gotten home and needing to go to the store again. Lucario apologized profusely, despite her insisting that it was worth it to finally meet someone with the same taste as her.

After a few minutes of digesting, they went to another house to see Zerobi, this one also made out of rammed earth. Lucario wondered if all the dirt kept things sanitary enough to call it a hospital, only somewhat recognizing that the same could be said for the food storage he had just looted. He walked through the door and saw his friend sitting upright in a bed, seeing her awake for the first time since the perilous battle.

"Hey, Zerobi!" Lucario exclaimed as he stared at a slowly healing cut right across her forehead, "You look… Great."

"You too," Zerobi responded sarcastically, pointing at a particularly large gash on Lucario's arm before suddenly recoiling away from him "… Ugh, what's that stench on your breath!"

"Genuine food," Lucario said mockingly as he leaned in closer, opening his mouth wider as he spoke, "Aahh'd let youhh haaaave soooome, buuut weeee're cooooompleeeeetely oooout."

"Good. I'm already poisoned enough as it is…" Zerobi muttered, moving to the far edge of the bed as to avoid the hideous smell. Lucario started laughing as the Meganium gave Zerobi a sympathetic look. Zerobi returned it and calmed herself; there was something she had been aching to know.

"… What happened?" Zerobi asked as she stared down into the bed, "That human… He poisoned me, and everything after that's just like a feverish nightmare where Lucario was an idiot who did stupid things."

"Uh… Yeah. What a strange dream," Lucario replied while uncomfortably scratching the back of his head, "At any rate, this badass here made him fall asleep and saved us, so everything worked out fine!"

"Yeah, we've already met, thanks again," Zerobi said while nodding towards the Meganium before staring eagerly at Lucario, "But… Wait, you got him to sleep, and then what?"

"… Uh, we went here?" Lucario answered, not sure of what she was getting at.

"You… You just left him there!" Zerobi shouted as she clutched the sheets with an angry expression, "That psycho tried to kill us! He'll do the same to someone else if we… If we don't…"

Zerobi suddenly became quiet, realizing what she was saying. Parroting the words of others, she remembered that she had been on the other end of things with Snivy and Umk, both of them agreeing that she was too dangerous to be kept alive. It put her stomach in a twist, the understanding that she had been as monstrous as the hunter combined with the awareness that even she would not have forgiven someone responsible for what she had done, had it been someone else.

"Defeat has the potential of teaching even the strongest warrior humility," the Meganium suddenly said, "We might never see him again… Or the next time, he might even be our ally."

Again drawing parallels to herself, Zerobi recognized that she was currently trying her best to do good, but despite her efforts she was always just one splash of blood away from killing again. The thought made her wonder if perhaps she would come to regret surviving being poisoned this time as well…

"I'm not so sure I agree with that…" Lucario muttered before shrugging, "… But it's a good excuse for not having to kill anyone, and a good outlook on life too, I guess."

"Thank you," the Meganium responded as she lowered her head, "… It's something an old friend of mine used to say. It took me a while to understand what he meant, as well."

"I mean, someone attacks you, you somehow manage to win and then they just go looking for revenge!" Lucario exclaimed while thinking about Suicune and holding his arms in front of him, "It's like, no! I already won, what else can I do to get you to stop following me!"

"Oh, don't remind me! I've just finally managed to get all my self-proclaimed 'rivals' to stop bothering me!" the Meganium laughed in return before bringing herself down to a regular smile, "And as it turns out… Even rivals can make for rather nice friends."

Zerobi watched the two of them talking back and forth, surprised to see how much they appeared to have in common. It made her temporarily forget about her inner turmoil, but the sight of Lucario suddenly holding his arms out brought more pressing thoughts to mind.

"Mooooooom!" a voice suddenly yelled from outside.

"… I suppose I should leave you two in private…" the Meganium said calmly before turning around and running outside, "Coming!"

The two of them watched her leave as things became quiet, and Zerobi realized this was her chance. She knew it would not be a fun conversation, but definitively a necessary one. They had both suffered enough.

"Lucario…" she whispered quietly.

"My breath isn't that bad, is it?" Lucario chimed happily, still jacked up form is previous conversation, "Because if you think I'm ever washing the taste out of my mouth-"

"If you use another one of your 'secret techniques' or 'ultimate attacks' again, I swear…" Zerobi said with a menacing voice before jutting a sharp finger in his direction, "… I will never, ever forgive you."

"Huh? But…" Lucario stammered as he realized this was serious, "… Sure, they're kind of risky and might not work all the time, but practice makes perfect!"

"It's not 'practice' if it results in us dying!" Zerobi shouted accusingly as she grabbed a hold of the sheets again, mostly just ribbons now after clutching them too hard during her previous inner struggle, "Using an untested ability with horrible repercussions in a battle between life and death… Are you insane!"

"Well…" Lucario muttered, not sure of how to defend himself, "That's what using the Aura Sphere was like, and I eventually learned from tha-"

"No, you learned it from Mew, who could easily protect you even if you were to screw up," Zerobi explained, realizing she needed to be as harsh as possible to get him to understand, "But with me, I'm depending on you as much as you depend on me, and I for one will NOT die because of a stupid mistake like that."

The two of them looked at each other, and Zerobi saw a moment of regret crossing Lucario's expression. She could tell her reasoning was working, but she had no intention of making him permanently hate her and decided to ease up.

"Try learning it outside of battle, or at least when I'm not in danger," Zerobi continued and sighed as she leaned back into the bed, "You can risk your own life if you want to, but don't risk mine."

"… Fine," Lucario said after thinking to himself for a long time, "I'll stick to the basics, and maybe an Aura Sphere or two. I pulled that one off pretty well, right?"

"You held your arm out, a blind person could see it coming a mile-" Zerobi started, but was interrupted by Lucario.

"APART from that!" he shouted while shaking his head, "I'll keep it subtle the next time, I swear!"

"You'd better…" Zerobi sighed again, becoming quiet for a moment before raising her head, "Hey, Lucario…"

"What?" Lucario asked, wondering what else she could berate him for.

"Good fighting," Zerobi said bluntly while giving off a faint smile.

"… Yeah," Lucario replied while returning her smile, "You too."

The next day came along, and Lucario together with Zerobi knew they had to get back on track with their journey. The Meganium showed them the best route towards No Man's Land and went to see them off, somewhat disappointed that would not be staying longer. The two of them said farewell and had a difficult time giving up the alluring hospitality she had offered, especially Lucario who almost brought the empty canister of curry with him just to be able to sniff it.

"You two seemed to get along pretty well," Zerobi said behind a smirk as they walked along the road, seeing their temporary home grow smaller behind them.

"Well, you know what they say, right?" Lucario replied while grinning broadly, "The way to a man's heart is through his desolate and tortured stomach!"

"… Really?" Zerobi asked, suddenly gaining a very interested expression.

"… Well, apart from that, she just happened to be a great person, too," Lucario admitted as he closed his eyes, "I guess… It's for people like her that we're fighting to stop the war. Hmm, you think that's enough pay for the food and lodging?"

He started wondering if maybe he could start charging everyone for his good deeds to buy genuine food, when suddenly a terrible thought hit him and his eyes shot open.

"… Damn!" Lucario exclaimed while slapping his forehead, "All that time, and I didn't even catch her name! I can't keep calling her 'Meganam' or 'big flower' forever!"

"Huh. Even I had the courtesy to ask, and I was dying from poison," Zerobi snickered as she thought back with a curious expression, "… It was a little strange, but hey, what's in a name?"

"What was it?" Lucario asked, eager to know.

"Hmm… How did she pronounce it, again…?" Zerobi continued thinking before putting her hands together in realization, "Oh yeah… I think it was 'Chica'."

Lucario felt as if his brain had ceased to function. Instantly, a thousand memories roared around his mind at once, each more familiar than the last. He was a child, lying on a grassy hill and reading comics. He was an adult, running away from a rampaging Tauros. He was a teenager, sitting on a chair in a Pokécenter while nervously twiddling his thumbs.

But no matter who or where he was, there was always someone beside him. Someone who had supported him all throughout his life, someone so close to him it was like an extension of himself. There was so much love between them; everyone he had met before and after losing his humanity were like complete strangers in comparison. Tears welled up as Lucario could not understand how he had forgotten the most important being in his life, wanting to run back to see her again with his newly awakened mindset.

However, as quickly as the memories had appeared, they vanished. As if absorbed into a black hole, his treasured past with his cherished friend was completely gone before he had even noticed it. His will to see her again disappeared as the only thing on his mind was the journey towards No Man's Land and Mew. Not a single shred was retained of his old companion, and all he had left to remember her by was a strangely nostalgic sensation and a full stomach.

"Chica, huh…?" Lucario whispered as he smiled to himself, "… Good name."


	57. Roaming Legendary Dog

"999.998…" Lucario mumbled to himself, the occupant beneath his cloak making herself known once more. A little more than a month had passed since he had first met with the legendary Mew, and they were currently heading towards the meeting of the legendaries. So far, the journey seemed to drag on forever. Crossing the lands, they had only moved through empty plains at night as to avoid confrontation, leading to very predictable, dark and boring landscape.

"999.999…" Lucario continued, realizing that the scenery was not the only reason he was bored. Whereas Zerobi had been chatty and outgoing, his current companion might as well have been dead for all she ever did. The only time she would say something was to answer him if he had a question, and even then only if they were unable to sense another aura within a mile's radius. With weight comparable to that of an empty matchbox, he wondered if his back was genuinely carrying her or if she was simply floating near it, and he occasionally had to check to make sure she had not just soared away and left him behind.

A far too familiar sensation once more told him otherwise, and it was then he knew he could take no more.

"That's it!" Lucario suddenly shouted, reaching to the back of his cloak and pulling at Mew. She held on to his back and wondered what was happening as Lucario dragged out her long tail and held it in front of him.

"Unintentionally or not, that was your tail's millionth slap against my back," Lucario muttered before starting to growl menacingly, "As a reward… I'm biting it off."

Mew gasped and hastily pulled her tail away from him, letting it easily slip out of his grasp and lay to rest against his shoulder.

"Heheh… Relax, I'm kidding," Lucario chuckled, glad to finally get a reaction out of her, "Man, you're uptight."

He could hear Mew respond, but suddenly felt her starting to crawl around underneath the cloak, moving down his back.

"That reminds me… Your body is of a different structure than most Lucario," Mew said gently, her voice muffled by the cloak around her, "I have been meaning to determine what your weaknesses and resistances are."

"H-Hey…" Lucario stammered as he felt something soft graze past his own tail.

"Your tail will be a perfect target for my experiments," Mew continued with the same serene tone as before, "Which element would you like me to start with?"

Lucario gulped, wondering if she was kidding or not.

"Fire it is, then," Mew said calmly as a very hot sensation began spreading over Lucario's back. This was all it took for him to finally snap and grab onto the cloak, tossing it and Mew to the side while smacking at his back to put out the flames. But as he quickly noticed, the hotness had already disappeared, and the cloak stopped itself before hitting the ground and floated in midair.

"OK, now THAT's not funny!" Lucario yelled angrily at Mew, a light giggle coming from underneath the hovering cloth. Ignoring Mew's current likeness to a cheap ghost costume, Lucario suddenly realized that their cover had been blown and looked around just to make sure no one was there to witness his clothing's odd behavior. A sigh slipped through his lips as he remembered that so far nothing had slipped past Mew's notice, and since she seemed to think it was safe enough to mess around, it probably was.

He was just about to stop searching the area when he noticed something further ahead. Squinting his eyes, he noticed something that looked a little like an oddly colored plant or rock. Suddenly, he saw it moving slightly.

"Quick!" Lucario hissed to Mew, "Hide!"

"Hide from wh…" Mew started, but stopped herself as she peered through the cloak and saw what Lucario had been referring to.

Waiting for Mew to slip onto his back once more, Lucario's eyes were transfixed upon the being that lay ahead. There was something very unusual about it, something he could feel but not quite put his finger on. Little by little, Mew's presence grew fainter as the mystery creature took a more prominent role in his mind. Unlike every type of Pokémon encountered so far, this one Lucario could recognize despite never having run into it before. Instantly forgetting his obligations to the small legendary, he started moving forward as the shape in front grew more and more familiar the closer he got.

"What… The…" Lucario stammered, completely beside himself at what he was seeing, "No way… NO way…"

The creature was lying down on the ground, not sleeping but resting with eyes occasionally fluttering open. It had a reddish fur, becoming whiter the lower down on the body it crept. Its snout and large ears reminded Lucario a lot of his own, and in his opinion the only thing telling their faces apart was a set of whiskers sticking out by the base of the creature's nose. All in all, it was like a less spectacular version of one of the legendary dogs, but Lucario could not stop himself from trembling in amazement at what he was witnessing.

The creature suddenly yawned, making Lucario jump in surprise, his heart beating quickly.

"A… A dog?" he stammered, barely even believing what he was saying, "… In the wild!"

"Oh my," Mew said with a surprised tone as she came up from behind, "How rare."

"Rare? RARE!" Lucario shouted before turning towards Mew with eyes wide open, "More like, impossible! To think that there is still a place in this world for genuine animals…!"

"If not in this world, then where?" Mew replied with a smile, amused at how Lucario was giving a dog far more attention than he had ever given her, the most sought-after Pokémon of all time.

"It… Yeah, it must have escaped from a zoo, or something…" Lucario whispered as he swallowed hard before slowly nudging towards it, "Come on, there's got to be a town up ahead. Give me a hand in bringing it back there."

"… What? No!" Mew exclaimed as she flew in front of Lucario, "Leave it alone! If it is in the wild, then we must preserve its freedom!"

"No, we must preserve its _life_," Lucario said as he carefully pushed her away, remembering what Zerobi had told him when he had asked where all the animals were, "Dogs are much too weak to compete with Pokémon in the wild… What, you didn't know that?"

"Normally that would be the case, but this one seems to have managed just fine!" Mew said as she scanned the dog's body for any abnormal vital signs, "I believe it has found its own way of life… We have no right to take that away!"

"… Gonna have to veto that, Mew," Lucario muttered before immediately halting himself, the dog looking warily in his direction, "Animals are on the brink of extinction, and we need to gather as many as possible so we can conserve-"

A sudden loud bang next to his ear threw Lucario off his feet. As he fell to the ground, he could see the dog getting to its feet in shock, ready to run at a moment's notice. After he hit the ground, he looked up and saw Mew put her hands together, another loud bang sounding.

"Hey, what the hell!" Lucario shouted before seeing the dog's terrified face and lowering his voice, "You're scaring it away, you idiot!"

"I will not let you entrap an innocent creature, Lucario," Mew explained while giving Lucario a sideway glance of disappointment, "I… I had thought you were better than this."

"Sorry, but I just don't feel like exterminating an entire species today," Lucario growled back menacingly before calming himself down, seeing that he was frightening the dog even more, "… Come on, I promise it'll be happier this way! We'll bring it to a zoo and it'll live like a king, food and drinks every day!"

"It is a free spirit, not some kind of trophy to be put out on display!" Mew shouted, doing the opposite of Lucario and making an effort of raising her voice while throwing an angry glance towards the dog. At the sound and sight of this, the dog finally realized that its luck had run out as it turned around and fled.

"No!" Lucario yelled, harshly pushing Mew to the side once more as he took off after it. The dog was fast, but if there was something Lucario had experience in, it was running. Unless it was planning on going for three days straight without ever slowing down, he knew he would be able to catch up with it in the long run. He had been able to outrun a dog four times its size, after all.

Lucario's plans were put on hold as the ground suddenly disappeared beneath his feet. Touching nothing but air, his legs flailed around for a moment before he looked down and noticed he was hovering in midair. Wondering if he had finally mastered flight, he felt something take a strong hold of his body, preventing him from moving an inch. It seemed somewhat familiar, and a dark atmosphere emanating from behind told him all he needed to know.

"No… Fair…" Lucario gasped as he began to struggle, seeing the dog getting further and further away from them, "Let me go, Mew!"

"So this is how you truly feel, is it!" Mew screamed in rage as she held up Lucario with her psychic powers, "I suppose you believe that I would be safer if captured and under the control of humanity as well!"

"That's… That's different! You're competent enough to survive on your own!" Lucario continued as he fought even harder, wondering why he could not break free like he had when put in the same position by the Gallade, "Dogs aren't intelligent, it'll run into a wasteland somewhere and die from dehydration!"

"Removing its freedom for such an unlikely circumstance…" Mew whispered bitterly, seemingly unaffected by Lucario's valiant effort of breaking free, "… You humans truly are complacent to a fault."

"We have to be, I know your kind doesn't give a shit about animals!" Lucario burst out while clenching his fists, getting more and more outraged at how she was treating him, "That's why they're nearly extinct in the first place!"

"My kind? The kind you humans also capture on sight?" Mew shouted back sarcastically while feigning a mean-spirited snicker, "Are you in fact protecting us, too? Then maybe I should just let one of the legendary dogs take good care of you!"

"… Well, there's really no point in arguing any more, is there!" Lucario growled in defeat, the dog already having disappeared from his view, "Let me go, already!"

A few seconds passed before the invisible grip around Lucario eased up, making him fall to the ground. It had not been as crushing as the attack the Gallade had put him through, but the lasting effects from the argument lingered as he turned around to face Mew.

"I hope you're glad," Lucario muttered irately, a deep sensation of betrayal coursing through him, "You just killed an innocent little puppy…"

"Rather, I rescued it from a fate worse than death at your hands…" Mew responded with an equally disappointed tone. It was clear to both of them that they had misjudged each other, and neither of them knew what to say.

Silently, they continued their journey. They could not sense any other creatures nearby, and so Mew decided to hover a few feet away from Lucario instead of hanging on to his back. The real reason, however, was that neither of them was too keen on acknowledging the other for the remainder of the trip.

Mew wondered which would be worse; Breaking her promise and abandoning Lucario, or being forced to spend several more months with him. He had turned out to be far less noble than she had thought, would it be a sin for her to act the same? Lucario was not thinking similar thoughts, but rather comprehending the fact that Mew had actually defeated his best fighting efforts without even trying. That she was powerful was no news to him, but the idea that he might one day have to oppose that power was. Clutching his fists fiercely, he thought that staying near her might not be such a good idea, after all.

Evil plans clouded their minds as day began to break, and they sat down to rest. Many hours had passed since their conflict, and neither of them had yet to say a thing to one another. The entirety of the situation had begun to sink for both, as Lucario realized that at this point he was just being stubborn. Looking at Mew while scratching the back of his head, he finally spoke.

"… Hey," he said quietly, "… I'm sorry about earlier."

"Regarding the dog?" Mew asked, too surprised at hearing Lucario apologizing to stop herself from demanding a rhetorical affirmation.

"Yeah," Lucario muttered with a somewhat reluctant nod, "I mean, I still think I'm right, but we both only wanted what we thought was best for that dog. Can't really hate you for that."

Mew looked at him, seeing genuine sincerity in his eyes. Suddenly, she was overcome by guilt as she remembered what she had done and lowered her head shamefully.

"… I am sorry, too," she whispered before raising her head to face him, "Forgive me for threatening you, and… Restraining you."

"That was kind of a low blow," Lucario snickered as he threw his arms up, "We had a heated argument, and _you're_the one who turned abusive. What the hell?"

"… You must understand…" Mew said as she tried to explain herself, "My entire life has been an escape from the clutches of humanity, and-"

"You saw yourself as the dog, and always wished that there was someone like you on the other side?" Lucario interrupted her, thinking that he was finishing her sentence.

"… What?" Mew exclaimed while trying to make sense out of his strange wording.

"You know, a group of people that would let you roam free?" Lucario clarified as he saw Mew's bewildered expression. Suddenly, it turned into a grin as she started to giggle.

"Hmm…" she said earnestly, "That would have been nice."

Smiling in relief, Mew was glad to see the heavy atmosphere between them lifting. However, she could tell that there was still something troubling Lucario, seeing him biting his lower lip while looking away from her and staring solemnly at a leaf passing by in the wind. She wondered what could be wrong, but assumed that she was somehow responsible.

"I was not serious when I said I would allow you to be captured," Mew explained with regret, realizing just how vicious she could get during her very rare fits of rage, "Is that what worries you?"

"Nah, just…" Lucario muttered as his eyes left the leaf and turned his head away from her, "… I used to be Ethan, you know? A great Pokémon trainer… That means I've captured my fair share of Pokémon, probably way more."

"… Yes," Mew agreed. While the Ethan she had met had not been carrying any Pokéballs, his skill at handling Pokémon told her that he definitively had very much experience in the matter. She often thought about how under different circumstances, they might have ended up as the worst of enemies.

"… Deep down… You hate me for it, don't you?" Lucario whispered bitterly as if reading her mind, "I took away their freedom… I must've caused misery for hundreds upon hundreds of innocent Pokémon."

"That is not true! Many Pokémon take joy in befriending a trainer!" Mew shouted while shaking her head, "We… Simply prefer that it be our choice!"

"But… How would I know which ones actually wanted to be with me!" Lucario shouted back as he turned himself around again, displaying an expression of complete and utter despair, "It's not like they could tell me!"

"That…" Mew stammered at the sight of Lucario's unexpectedly tormented features, not knowing what to say to calm him down, "… That is all in the past."

"No, it isn't!" Lucario scoffed to himself as he put his right hand to the ground and clutched it hard, digging up a patch of soil in the palm of his hand, "It's going on right now, with me on the other side of things. Now that I see what it's like… Goddamn it, what the hell was I thinking!"

The loathing Lucario had felt for the trainers that had hunted him all this time was culminating, and he was ready to do anything to keep from turning his hatred towards himself. Suddenly, he gritted his teeth and punched the ground over and over again in frustration, looking for something to ease the waves of guilt and anger that washed over him. Normally he would never have done so at the risk of looking like a fool, but his inner turmoil was growing to the point where he was no longer aware of his surroundings. Having finally admitted the implications behind his heritage as Ethan, it was dragging him back into the personality crisis he had faced after the initial revelation, making him realize that he was still far from over it.

Mew was staring in complete surprise, not shocked at what Lucario was doing but rather why he was doing it. Never before had she imagined that a trainer could lament over the Pokémon he had wrongfully captured. It did not make sense to her, for if both sides disliked it, why was it happening? What was the cause? Unhappiness ran through her as she once more slipped back to the conclusion she would always come to when dealing with issues between Pokémon and humans.

"It is not your fault," Mew whispered as she floated down towards Lucario and put her tail on his shoulder. An exasperated gasp escaped him as he slowed down his vicious onslaught, wondering where the soft, familiar sensation was coming from. Looking to his side, he saw Mew giving him a sympathetic look. For a moment everything stood still, conflicting emotions tugging at each other with Lucario in the middle, sitting confused and wondering what was going on.

"… Not… My fault…?" Lucario repeated. It was a term that had once seemed so distant, and now it was staring him right in the face with great blue eyes.

"No…" Mew continued with a pensive expression as she lowered herself and sat down next to him, "… It is… The way of the world."

They remained still for a while, Lucario calming down as Mew gathered her thoughts once more. Sitting down and examining his damaged knuckles, Lucario wondered how he had flown into such a rage just by telling someone what he had been thinking of for so long. Sharing his shame had made it more difficult to ignore, and he decided to keep the rest of his past failures to himself for his own sanity.

"In my dreams…" Mew finally spoke as she looked up into the sky, "… There is a world where there is no difference between humans and Pokémon. A world in which we are all considered to be of the same species, and can co-exist without worry of segregation."

"… That…" Lucario said carefully, having a little trouble finding his casual voice, "… Sounds nice."

"However… The current relationship between Pokémon and humans is deeply flawed," Mew admitted before turning her face expectantly towards Lucario, "Do you think there is hope for us to one day truly understand each other?"

"… Sure," Lucario replied as he looked back and scratched his chin, "We're a good example, aren't we?"

"Yes," Mew answered with a nod before letting her eyes dart off to the side, "… I simply wish there was a way that does not involve the apocalypse… Or switching bodies…"

"What do you mean? My transformation into a Lucario isn't the reason I care," Lucario explained, his confidence slowly returning as he recalled how much his outlook on things had developed over the past year, "In fact, at first I really hated Pokémon… You know, before meeting you."

"Strange," Mew responded with a curious expression, "I had little affection towards humanity before I met you."

Their eyes met for a moment, and their minds seemingly locked on to one another. Instantly the atmosphere turned awkward, and both of them scrambled in their seats to quickly look somewhere else.

"A-At any rate, you're, uh, the legendary Mew!" Lucario exclaimed with a shaky voice, feeling embarrassed and hastily working on bringing back his composure, "I mean, if anyone can make it happen, it's you!"

"Y-Yes. Of course…" Mew said, fairly perplexed but also swiftly collecting herself, "… As of now, I fear that I have no concrete plans on how to do it."

"… Any ideas, at least?" Lucario asked, noticing involuntary movement from his legs and ordering himself to stop fidgeting.

"Mending the current rift between the species would have to be the first step…" Mew explained as she thought to herself and prioritized their ongoing objective, "The larger it grows, the more difficult my task will become."

"Our task," Lucario corrected her as he pointed to himself, confidence at long last fully returned, "I'm with you on this. Can't solve an argument by only representing one side of the species, eh?"

"But… Why?" Mew asked. She knew he had a vast amount of problems of his own to handle, and could still not imagine why he was so insistent on helping her out.

"Let me get one thing straight - I'm pretty bad at giving myself up for the greater good…" Lucario clarified while trying to think of a good way to explain himself, "… But if… If we can really get humanity and Pokémon to co-exist… Maybe then there'll be a place in this world for a human Pokémon like me."

Much to Mew's surprise, Lucario suddenly starting laughing. She felt it was a nice contrast to his earlier fit of rage and sorrow, but still wondered what it could be about.

"Hahaha!" Lucario continued while patting Mew on the back, "Here you are, trying to save the world while I'm only thinking of myself. I should probably hide my selfish intentions better, huh?"

"N-No," Mew responded quickly, her voice involuntarily breaking up from the blunt force striking her, "I… I feel the same. The simple wish of not having to live alone in seclusion is what gave birth to this line of thinking."

"Well… Either way, that's not going to happen," Lucario said as he calmed down and pulled his hand back, having forgotten how physically weak her body was and worrying that he might have accidentally hurt her.

"What do you mean?" Mew asked, once more curious as to his intentions. Normally she was very good at analyzing people's thoughts and predicting their actions, but Lucario was different.

"This is OUR task, remember?" Lucario reminded her while pointing to himself again, "If we fail and you have to go back into hiding, the same goes for me. So… You won't be alone, at least."

They looked at each other, a heavy atmosphere beginning to surround them like before. This time, it was not as awkward as it had been, but more affectionate and friendly. For the first time since they had met, Mew could see the connection between Lucario and the Ethan she had admired, reinvigorating her resolve to protect him… And Lucario finally felt like he could trust the small legendary, at long last seeing her as a genuine friend.

"Uuooh! I'm all fired up!" Lucario yelled as he suddenly stood up with his hands in the air, "Now we've got a goal, let's get training! I'm expecting you to be standing up with only half of your powers this time!"

"Oh, no…" Mew whispered with a depressed tone, "But I was just barely able to do it with sixty percent the last time..."

"Enjoy it while you can," Lucario snickered as he bent over to scratch her head, "By the end of my training regime, you'll be using ZERO percent and doing squats like a real champ!"

"That is not physically possible for me!" Mew protested as she flew up and hovered in front of him, "And you should really be focusing on your own training! Knocking oneself into submission is hardly a legitimate use of aura!"

"Whatever," Lucario shrugged, gulping slightly at the notion of continuing his difficult and often painful teachings, "Even if I can't master that aura thing, I can just make my kicks more powerful by doing squats!"

"And even if I never utilize squats, I can still win every battle through the use of aura!" Mew snapped back, her tail twitching in annoyance.

"Squats!" Lucario yelled.

"Aura!" Mew yelled back.

"SQUATZ!" Lucario yelled, louder this time.

"AURA!" Mew yelled back, also louder.

The two of them kept going until they were too exhausted to train, and went to sleep instead. The following night they continued their journey and were finally able to talk to each other more casually, their friendship stronger and their destination finally clear.

A few miles away, there was a dog. Lying down and resting after a tiresome day of walking piled upon a restless night, it remained oblivious to the fact that it had nearly torn two Pokémon apart while also bringing them closer together than ever before.


	58. Copyrighted Trademark Lucario?

_Who's that guy with the Aura Sphere?  
>Come on, let's hear it, give it a cheer!<br>Lonesome  
>Wanderer<br>LUCARIO!  
>He's really strong, but not too proud!<br>He'll kick you in the gonads, for crying out loud!  
>Lonesome<br>Wanderer  
>LUCARIO!<br>You are cool, and so are we!  
>Watch our show and cool you'll be!<br>Lonesome  
>Wanderer<br>LUCARIO!  
><em>

* * *

><p>The show starts with a shadow running through a forest. The shadow belongs to the protagonist, Lonesome Wanderer Lucario, who has chosen to run through the densely grown forest in favor of the road that lies just beside him. He has no problem running at maximum speed despite all the roots and trees in his way, and the lackluster animation causes the same set of trees to pass by him at least three times before the angle switches.<p>

"BWA-HA-HA-HAAA!" a loud voice echoes from somewhere, "How predictable! You have fallen into my trap!"

Spinning around, Lucario sees an intimidating figure floating above the road he had been running next to all this time, shrouded in the sudden darkness of the previously bright forest.

"How devious! As expected from the evil Dusknoir!" Lucario exclaims in the direction of the audience, "What manner of trap have you placed me in! I see nothing but trees all around!"

"Do you, now?" Dusknoir snickers while pointing to his right, "Look closer!"

Twisting his head, Lucario gasps as he sees a large building sticking out from above the treetops, a lavish construction with several towers.

"A fortress!" Lucario says with amazement while overacting just a little, "Out here!"

"I told Joe the Carpenter to erect a big one as soon as I heard you were coming!" Dusknoir continues laughing, as a man shows himself from behind a bush. He is fairly old and wearing a carpenter's uniform covered in soot and dust.

"Uh, yeah," Joe the Carpenter mumbles with a light cough, "Any chance of me getting paid for my work this time?"

"You know the contents of our contract," Dusknoir responds with a serious tone as he suddenly lowers his voice, "You only get paid if the construction still stands by the end of the day."

"Uh…" Joe the Carpenter mutters before looking in Lucario's direction with pleading eyes, "Hey, Lucario, could you NOT destroy my piece of work, this time? My kid's been reduced to peeling the skin of berries and eating them, selling the good parts to other, less miserable kids."

"Silence, villain!" Lucario snaps back while pointing at him, "You should know that crime doesn't pay!"

"Oh, it pays… YOU! A VISIT!" Dusknoir shouts while displaying the astounding wit of the writers of the show, "Prepare yourself, Lucario! I have a surprise waiting for you! Come out, my UnInts!"

Throwing his arms out, three figures suddenly appears beside Dusknoir. One was a tall insect with long arms and a red shell. The other was a round and short sumo with yellow skin and black gloves. The third was Joe the Carpenter.

"Kricketune, the Unintelligible!" Dusknoir shouts, signaling to his right.

The red insect moves forward.

"Je suis enchanté, compadre!" he says with a very peculiar dialect while clicking his mustache-like mandibles together like castanets, "Ko no niño wa sugoi, mon cheri!"

"Makuhita, the Unintelligent!" Dusknoir yells, signaling to his left.

The yellow sumo starts to stagger around for no reason.

"Ugh. Um, duh…" he grumbles with a voice like a base, "Imma beat you like mah gramps beat me... LOTS!"

"And finally… Gorulk, the Uninterested!" Dusknoir screams, signaling to his right again.

Joe the Carpenter looks around, before reluctantly taking a step forward.

"Sir, he's not here," he says slowly, "He's staying home today."

"WHAT!" Dusknoir bursts out with pure rage, "You let that FOOL remember who crafted him out of the distant detachments of aloof impassiveness!"

"I did," Joe the Carpenter mutters while shrugging, "He didn't care."

"In that case, YOU shall take his place!" Dusknoir says determinately before turning towards Joe the Carpenter and placing his arms on his shoulders, "Rise – Joe, the Uninterested!"

Joe the Uninterested tried to shrug in response, but his shoulders were being held down by Dusknoir.

"And so, the UnInts have assembled!" Dusknoir growls as he suddenly turns back to face Lucario, "Tremble, Lonesome Wanderer Lucario! Do you think you stand a chance!"

"Out of our 75 encounters, I have defeated them every time, including that time when you transformed me into a finless Magikarp," Lucario replies quickly and confidently, "So… Yeah. I'm SO gonna win."

"Rather COCKY, aren't we!" Dusknoir snaps at him, "Kricketune, the Unintelligible, attack! The rest of you, do absolutely nothing and stand and watch while they battle!"

"Busenkelt, coño!" the insect chimes, pulling a rose out of nowhere and sticking it in his mouth. Then, he rushes up to Lucario and takes a swing at him.

"UGH!" Lucario groans from the unexpected attack, narrowly dodging it as he stumbles back. The insect continues to attack as Lucario avoids every attack without problem, the insect's rose appearing and disappearing between shots as the animators were unable to keep anything detailed in mind.

Suddenly, Lucario leaps back.

"AAAAAAAAUUUURAAAAAAA," Lucario bellows in a drawn out attack animation, "SSSSPHEEEEEREEEEE!"

A very familiar animation appears as CGI swirls around the Lucario's body, culminating in a sphere of bluish fire, flying directly into the screen with The Unintelligible nowhere in sight. The next shot, the poor Kricketune is lying on the ground, his body blackened from the attack that had somehow hit him.

"Watch the power of aura!" Lucario says with a sardonic smile, the voice clip recycled from a previous episode.

"Watch the power of POWER!" Dusknoir replies with his amazing wit, "Makuhita the Unintelligent, ATTACK!"

"Uh, duh?" the Makuhita says. He then rushes up to Lucario and nearly punches him in the face.

"You know, that's the 714th swing you've taken at me, and the 714th time you've missed, including that time I was shrunk down to microscopic size," Lucario replies with a snicker as he sidesteps, "Just saying, maybe you should rethink your strategy?"

"THINK!" the Makuhita yells with anger, steam coming out where his ears should be, "I HATE THAT!"

"Ha ha, you fool!" Dusknoir laughs menacingly, "Pointing out his stupidity only makes him dumber!

The sumo continues to attack as Lucario avoids the next set of attacks without problem, a single shade of yellow covering the sumo's normally nuanced body in order to save the animators work when coloring. Lucario stops himself for a moment as he yawns and taps the forehead of his opponent, the Makuhita becoming even more enraged by this.

Suddenly, Lucario leaps back.

"AAAAAAAAUUUURAAAAAAA," Lucario bellows in yet another drawn out attack animation, "SSSSPHEEEEEREEEEE!"

A very familiar animation appears as CGI swirls around the Lucario's body, culminating in a sphere of bluish fire, flying directly into the screen with The Unintelligent nowhere in sight. The next shot, the poor Makuhita is lying on the ground, his body blackened from the attack that had somehow hit him.

"Watch the power of aura!" Lucario says with a sardonic smile, the voice clip recycled from a previous episode.

"See, I told you that promoting a mentally challenged person to second-in-command was a bad idea," Joe the Uninterested says while sighing.

"SILENCE!" Dusknoir yells, "You are now Joe the Uninterested! Act the part!"

"Believe me, I wish I could…" Joe the Uninterested says as he looks back at the large tower behind him, "But if that fortress crumbles, so will my hopes and dreams."

Joe the Uninterested suddenly swallows hard and takes a step forward.

"For the sake my son… While there's still a breath in my body…!" Joe the Uninterested says while clenching his fists with determination he never knew he had, the laughter of his only child passing through his mind, "… You shall not pass, Lucario!"

"Oh yeah?" Lucario asks before charging up another attack, "Too bad, 'cause the episode's running short and I still haven't used the AAAAAAAUUUUURAAAAAAAA STOOOOOOOOOOOORM!"

An attack animation very similar to that of the aura sphere appears, only that it ends with the aura around Lucario not forming into a ball, but simply exploding from all around him. At the end of it, Joe the Uninterested is lying on the ground, a new sheen of coal surrounding him.

"Incompetent fools!" Dusknoir screams with an angry huff, "Looks like I'll have to handle this myself!"

The scenery explodes into a mist of blackness as Dusknoir's stomach opens up to reveal a second mouth.

"UNLIMITED POWER!" Dusknoir yells in unison with his second mouth, "WHAT NOW! PREPARE TO FACE THE UNTOLD WRATH OF-"

Slowly bending over, Lucario picks up a small rock from the ground and throws it at him.

"Ow. Curses!" Dusknoir growls while closing the second mouth and starting to float away, "Retreat! I'll get you next time, Lonesome Wanderer Lucario!"

"Retreat…? But… That means… Our beautiful fortress still stands…" Joe the Uninterested whispers to himself, just barely keeping his consciousness intact as tears start to run down his face, "Finally, I am allowed to look my kid in the eye and not see disappointment…! I do not have to witness his life ebbing away with our every failure…! Perhaps when his severe illness has settled down with the medicine I will purchase, he will even smile and call me 'Father'-"

"AAAAAAAUUUUURAAAAAAAA STOOOOOOOOOOOORM!" Lucario shouts, the fortress in the background exploding into a thousand pieces. From far away, Dusknoir curses.

"Why… Why…!" Joe the Uninterested weeps, his mind in shambles, "It… It wasn't even in your way…!"

"You should know…" Lucario says as he looks down at Joe the Uninterested, deciding to end on a rhyme, "… Crime doesn't pay!"

* * *

><p><em>Who's that guy with the Aura Sphere?<br>Come on, let's hear it, give it a cheer!  
>Lonesome<br>Wanderer  
>LUCARIO!<br>He's really strong, but not all that proud!  
>He'll kick you in the gonads, for crying out loud!<br>Lonesome  
>Wanderer<br>LUCARIO!  
>You are cool, and so are we!<br>Watch our show and cool you'll be!  
>Lonesome<br>Wanderer  
>LUCARIO!<br>_

* * *

><p>Lucario woke up, gasping for air. It took him a moment to realize that he had been dreaming, and quickly looked down at himself before sighing out in relief. For the first time he was happy to see that he was in fact a Lucario, which while not all too pleasing of a concept was at the very least a step up from being a sloppily drawn cartoon version of one.<p>

He looked to his side and saw Zerobi sleeping on the grassy soil next to him. He wondered if maybe she would know.

"Zerobi…!" he whispered while poking her in the side, "Hey, Zerobi…!"

"Mmm…" Zerobi moaned with a tired voice as she stirred, "… What…?"

"Did… Did you ever watch a show called 'Lonesome Wanderer Lucario'?" Lucario asked worriedly.

"Uh… No…" Zerobi mumbled, never having watched TV in her life, "I think I read 'bout it… Why?"

"Just… You know…" Lucario continued while still feeling like he was dreaming, "… Was it any good? It wasn't just some kind of cheap-ass no-effort shit by a bunch of hacks trying to make some quick dough out of stupid kids, right?"

"… I dunno… Who cares…?" Zerobi groaned with an exasperated tone before lying down and turning her head away, "C'mon, lemme sleep…"

Lucario continued sitting upright, thinking to himself for a few moments. Carefully, he let his body fall down to the ground once more.

"Just… Just a bad dream…" he repeated to himself and closed his eyes, "… Nothing else…"


	59. No Man's Land

"Celadon City…" Zerobi said quietly as Lucario stood and stared, "… No Man's Land."

After only two weeks of traveling, Lucario felt a certain appreciation over the fact that they had reached their destination fairly quickly this time. Hitching a ride in a truck on Route 17, they had managed to get back some of the time they had lost from the fighting and subsequent recovery. They had been forced to continue on foot as Route 16 had been shut down due to unstable roads, something Lucario realized was a bit of an understatement when they had come across massive craters and rocky debris blocking the way. He imaged they were most likely remnants from all the fighting surrounding No Man's Land, smiling at the fitting name for what had looked very much like a battlefield.

The rooftops of No Man's Land stood gleaming in the sunset, and were the only parts that could be viewed from the outside. While they had been able to see the tops of some of the taller buildings for quite some time, it was only now they realized that actually getting there would not be so simple. Before them stood a dense forest of massive trees, trunks wide and crowns high. Growing in thick clusters, they stood like a natural barrier, preventing anyone from passing through. Zerobi and Lucario began to wander around the outskirts of the woods, trying to find a good spot to squeeze in through.

"To be honest," Lucario muttered while almost tripping over a root sticking out of the ground, "I thought that whole 'Celadon' thing was going to turn out to be a metaphor, or something."

"The forest shouldn't be this expansive," Zerobi replied, barely recognizing their surroundings and trying to figure out where they were, "I was here on a class trip a couple of years ago, and things weren't nearly this bad."

"You sure?" Lucario asked, surprised to hear Zerobi talking about her past and even more so at the prospect of Pokémon going on class trips, "A couple of years… Trees don't grow that fast."

"You kidding?" Zerobi said and smirked in response, "I've seen sis make dust go into full bloom in a second. For grass-types, this is nothing."

A few minutes later, they were able to find a path that had thinner growth and led deeper into the forest. There were still plenty of trunks and bushes blocking them, but both Lucario and Zerobi were slim and agile enough to traverse the rough terrain. As they went further in, the air was beginning to turn heavy with rank odors from various plants and berries, making it harder to breathe as Lucario felt nauseous.

"Feels like some kind of fortress," Zerobi said, a light case of claustrophobia setting in due to the cramped and humid environment, "You think they might've planted all this to keep out intruders?"

"If so, it's doing a pretty bad job at it," Lucario said, amused at the thought of someone as bulky as Raikou or Entei trying to press through the compact area, "We're already halfway there, and no problems so far."

"I could get used to that," Zerobi grunted as she used her claws to cut through a particularly dense collection of vines in their way, "The last time we went to a city, we ended up fighting it. You, uh, realize that's not going to happen this time, right?"

"Definitively," Lucario replied with a confident nod, "The strongest Pokémon in the world have all gathered there, and from the aura I'm sensing I can tell you that's not a joke. With this many, we'd get murdered in an instant."

"Just tell me when you sense Mew…" Zerobi whispered, worried that someone might be listening in on them, "… And stay under the cloak… And if anyone asks, my codename's Weavile and yours is-"

"Lucario," Lucario responded while patting her back, noticing how tense it had become, "We've gone over this… A lot. Honestly, I was mostly worried about sneaking in undetected, but thanks to this huge forest, no one's going to-

"HEY! YOU!" a loud, skittish voice suddenly sounded behind them. Lucario flinched and instinctively held his arms in front of him, Zerobi spinning around to see where the noise had come from. To her surprise, she saw nothing but the path they had made to get there. She felt a tap on her shoulder, and saw Lucario quietly pointing upwards.

Above them was a Pokémon, hanging upside down with his tail coiled around a branch. Both Lucario and Zerobi recognized the Pokémon as a Mankey, the bitter memory stinging Lucario's face like tiny scratches and reminding him to not drop his guard. He had been able to beat up quite a few of the fuzzy balls before, but knew how vicious they could get when in numbers.

"I haven't seen you two before…" the Mankey spoke with an angry glare directed at them, "… Are you trying to get into No Man's Land!"

Lucario and Zerobi looked at each other for a moment, wondering just how badly they had been busted.

"… Yeah?" Lucario replied carefully, getting ready to jump up and pull the hairy Pokémon down to where his fists could reach it.

"In that case…" the Mankey said before dropping down from the trees and landing in front of them, "… Let me be the first to welcome you to our humble home! I saw you enter the premises and thought- I mean, if you're here to join the revolution, you should go talk to Z- No, wait, there was something else I needed to-"

The small chatterbox kept talking as Lucario stood and stared, Zerobi sighing out in relief while Lucario fastened his guard and covered his face again. The Mankey smiled and reached out to shake their hands before suddenly pulling its hand away, digging around in the fur on its back.

"I just remembered, I need to take your names!" the Mankey continued as it dragged a sheet of paper out of its hairy backside, "What are they?"

"… Lucario?" Lucario answered, now more confused than worried as he slowly lowered his hands.

"Weavile," Zerobi said determinedly, hoping Lucario would realize that they were no longer in any danger.

"Wait, let me guess - Born and bred in captivity, recently escaped?" the Mankey asked as it stretched out its arms in triumph, "Don't worry, there's no police inside! Now that you're here, you're free to pick any name you want for yourselves!"

"… All right, then. I guess I'll be Ethan, and she'll be Ze-" Lucario said, but was cut off as Zerobi quickly stepped in front of him.

"Oh, honey!" Zerobi burst out with a nervous tone while putting her sharp claws dangerously close to Lucario's mouth, "You really should not be using our _private nicknames_ for each other in public! It's embarrassing!"

"Oh…" the Mankey exclaimed as it fell quiet, suddenly realizing the implications and jumping a bit, "Oh! Don't mind me, I won't judge or- I'll just, uh, put you down as your species so you can go inside and get acquainted with the rest- Maybe not like _that_, but…"

They watched as the very embarrassed Mankey hastily scurried up the branches and disappeared inside the canopies, hearing the rustling of leaves grow fainter as it leaped further away. When she was certain they were alone, Zerobi turned towards Lucario with a vicious stare.

"What the hell is your problem!" she nearly shouted, growing even more tense after what had happened as Lucario smiled mischievously.

"Well, 'honey', I couldn't prove that I'm the real Ethan even if I wanted to…" Lucario explained while trying his best to sound clever, "… And, in case you weren't listening, there's no police here, so you're not in any trouble with the law."

"Great idea, let's take as many unnecessary risks as we can!" Zerobi hissed sarcastically, aware that the police were not the only ones that would want her dead, "Listen - I'm Weavile, you're Lucario and we're friends. Take it easy or that last part's going to be another lie."

"Man, you're nervous," Lucario chuckled while ignoring the fact that he had been one second away from knocking the friendly Mankey into submission, "Relax. I'm sure it'll be fine. Looks like we're guests here, after all."

As they continued walking, the forest was beginning to clear out the closer they got to the city, the jungle-like environment transforming into a regular forest and finally becoming nothing but a small collection of trees.

"So… No Man's Land, huh?" Zerobi mumbled, once more failing to imagine the concept of a city with only Pokémon, "What're you expecting?"

"Can't be the same underground dugout as before," Lucario replied, remembering the revolution's previous lodgings and feeling glad that they had yet to run into any traps or ambushes, "But it IS a warzone. You should've brought some heavy duty boots, because we might have to wade through a river of blood just to get-"

"Somehow, I don't think that's probable… Or possible," Zerobi interrupted, wanting to keep the thoughts of blood distant. If the Pokémon were as powerful as had been said, she hoped her self-preservation would make it easier to keep her urges in check to avoid getting beaten to death by an angry mob.

"I think… I think you're right…" Lucario whispered in surprise as they finally crossed the last wall of bushes and officially entered No Man's Land.

The sight was too much for either of them to comprehend. Before them was the foundation of a regular city, but one that had been completely altered is so many ways it could hardly even be called as such anymore. The road had been ripped out of its foundation in seemingly random areas, leaving several spots of soil and growing grass. Skyscrapers lay toppled on the side, having been segmented into several different houses despite the rooms inside being entirely vertical. The buildings that were still intact were connected to one another through extremely long vines that came from trees growing right in the middle of the pavement. Between two of the buildings directly ahead were vines that had a strange formation to them, almost like a net. They blocked the evening sun and cast a shade on the ground in front of them, a shadow in the shape of pawprint that Zerobi could read as "No Man's Land."

And that was only the environment. Pokémon of every type and species were swarming the area, half of them so strange Lucario could scarcely believe his own eyes. A loud blast sounded as a Pokémon that looked like a living rock jumped up and smashed down into the pavement, cracking it even further. A small section was bent from the impact as another Pokémon with a shield for a head suddenly tackled it, snapping it loose. At the same time, a large mushroom moved to the impact site and started shaking itself, letting a thick cloud of yellow spores dwindle down on it.

Not really understanding what was happening, Lucario heard a sound from above and realized the ground was not the only crowded place. Birds, insects and something that looked like soaring balloons with tentacles were circling the buildings, the roof of which had been covered by branches like a bird's nest. There were also a few wingless Pokémon climbing the vines between the buildings, spitting vertigo in the face. Clinging to the wall next to a window, Lucario saw three purple Pokémon with translucent wings, all gossiping between one another about something called a Beedrill that was apparently very charming. One of them let go and flew down to a truck that lay overturned to the side, covered in many segments of green and orange shells. Slowly petting one of the green shells, it suddenly started moving and appeared to grow two eyes from out of nowhere.

"Whoa…" Lucario gasped, astonished and curious. He wanted to see what was going on, and began moving towards the truck.

"Lucario…" Zerobi whispered while lightly tapping Lucario's shoulder in warning.

"I know, right!" Lucario burst out in amazement, thinking Zerobi had to be as stunned as he was. He kept walking closer to try to make out what was happening to the green shell, when suddenly he felt his right leg sink through the ground.

"Ow!" a meek voice sounded from beneath him, making his already strained composure shatter. He tumbled forward and retained his balance by hopping a few times on his left leg, turning around to see what the hell had just happened.

He noticed that the ground he had walked across looked slightly different from the rest. He had been too busy admiring everything to notice it, but he had stepped into a passage of newly dug soil which now had a big hole in it. Suddenly, the cylindrical head of a creature popped up from underground, eyes glistening with tears. Its brown fur was fuzzy and dirty, and it had a large pink nose.

"That hurt! Don't step on me!" the head whined, looking at Lucario with a pleading expression.

"D-Don't dig a pitfall in the middle of the road!" Lucario stammered as his poise returned, "I could've twisted my ankle, you know!"

"A pitfall…?" the head asked quietly while pitching slightly to the side in confusion, "No, no, I'm working on the canal! You know, so the water-types can go into the forest?"

"Right…" Lucario muttered, wondering why a creature such as the Floatzel he had fought would require water to get by. The water-type had displayed perfectly mobility on the ground before Lucario had shoved his face into it.

"Forgive my friend. He's new around here, and he's never seen a Diglett before," Zerobi chimed in with a wave of her hand, making the Diglett turn its head around to look at her. Quickly it looked back at Lucario, apparently eager to say something, but stopped itself short in the last second.

"Wow… You look strong!" the Diglett said in admiration, "You should go help out the roadworkers!"

"Sorry, but we're kind of busy," Zerobi continued as Lucario was too busy to answer, crouched over and examining the Diglett to figure out what the rest of its body looked like, "We're looking for someone."

"Oh? Hmm…" the Diglett said quietly while thinking to itself, "… Well, if he's here, you'll eventually find him, 'cuz no one ever leaves! Good luck to both of you!"

The Diglett dug itself underground again, Lucario giving off a disappointed gruff as he had just started seeing the neck of the Pokémon. He reached out with his senses and realized the Diglett had been fairly weak, wondering what someone like that was doing in No Man's Land. At the same time, he realized that there was another aura deep underground, this one massively powerful and strangely familiar.

"Was… Was that a threat?" Zerobi asked quietly, suddenly worried that getting out of No Man's Land would be more difficult than getting in.

"Nah," Lucario replied with a shrug as he tried to identify the strong aura, which was far more intense than anything inside the actual city, "I could've easily kicked that thing like a football, no problem."

"Not that, I mean…" Zerobi started before sighing deeply, letting the uneasy feelings seep out of her, "… Nothing to do about it now, I guess. Do you sense Mew yet?"

Lucario shook his head. Whatever the powerful aura underground was, it did not remind him of Mew in the least.

"No way, she's not here yet?" Zerobi asked, thinking that would be rather astounding considering she flew and they mostly walked, "Or… Has she already left?"

"She might just have transformed into a different kind of Pokémon, or she's hiding her real aura…" Lucario answered and realized he had not thought the whole plan through, "… If not, we'll have to ask Zoroark. Either way, Mew should be able to sense me without problem, so she'll most likely be the one who finds us."

"Great, I thought we went here to _get away_ from all the waiting…" Zerobi muttered before looking towards a Donphan rolling by with an interested stare, "… Want to look around a bit more while we still can?"

"Yeah… Oh, yeah!" Lucario exclaimed as he grabbed a hold of Zerobi's arm, "There's a place I really want to check out! Come on!"

Lucario dragged Zerobi away further into the city, running past the roadworkers and almost stepping on the Diglett again. In an instant they had blended in among the other Pokémon, and were indistinguishable from the general population of No Man's Land. Indistinguishable to everyone, except for a lone figure sitting in the window of a building not far away. Idly stroking through his long red hair, he wonders who the new cloaked arrivals are, all while trying to figure out why the taller one seems so familiar…


	60. Mysterious Stranger Gengar

Once more running his claws through his red hair, Zoroark felt an inexplicable itch in the back of his head. His better judgment told him not to needlessly worry about every single new arrival that came into No Man's Land, while his paranoia insisted that cloaked creatures were always those that have something to hide.

Zoroark let a bothersome sigh escape him. He had more important things to be thinking about, and knew he was just using the new visitors as an excuse to shun his duties. The vacation he had taken after narrowly surviving the encounter with Entei had been far too short, forcing him back into work before any of his limbs had fully healed. He cracked his right wrist a few times. It still did not feel quite the same, but at the very least it was not as bad as when it had been but a bag of tendon and shattered bones. He was reluctant when it came to letting the already suspicious Chansey take another look at it, but preferred it over his precious hand requiring amputation in the future.

Looking down upon the city of No Man's Land, Zoroark spotted a Gabite and Quagsire carrying boxes of sand through the streets. They had found many such boxes randomly strewn about the city, and later dug a hole by the outskirts which they planned on filling up with pure, clean sand for all the ground-types to enjoy. Zoroark loathed sand more than anything else, but had allowed it to be done for their sake. He took comfort in the fact that he would at least not have to get near the thing, and hoped they would figure out a way to keep the sand out of people's eyes should a storm ever pick up.

Thoughts moving on to preparations for poor weather conditions, Zoroark suddenly heard a few light knocks on the door.

"Come in," he said coolly, knowing there was only one Pokémon in the world that would knock instead of just entering the room. As he had predicted, the door slid open to reveal the large tuft of white cotton he had come to recognize so well over the past few years. Zoroark's flowing red hair was no slouch in the size department, but was still no competition to the small Whimsicott who was literally more hairdo than body. Those shameless enough to nestle up against the soft texture would find that the body underneath was nearly completely wooden, save for a few joints and amber-colored eyes that could apparently be seen in the dark. Zoroark was not certain about the last part, having had perfect night vision for as long as he could remember.

"Sir…" the Whimsicott whispered quietly as he peeked inside from the open door, "… You have a visitor, one that demands to see you in private. Should I send her away?"

"Depends. Is she a legendary with bloodshot eyes and an angry snarl?" Zoroark responded immediately, wondering if the naïve shrub would catch on to him for once. A subtle tilt of the head and thoughtful expression told him that was not going to be the case.

"Hmm…" the Whimsicott mumbled, "Allow me a moment to verify-"

"A joke," Zoroark interrupted him while holding up a hand in a stopping gesture, "I told you before, everyone is allowed entry, always. Send her in and leave."

"Leave, sir?" the Whimsicott asked while showing uneasiness. Ever since Entei's assault during a time when the Whimsicott had been out on the field, he was always nervous when it came to leaving Zoroark alone with unfamiliar Pokémon.

"Go…" Zoroark mumbled, trying to think of some random menial task to send the Whimsicott out on to give him and his guest some peace and quiet, "… Go check on the canal work."

"Yes, sir!" the Whimsicott replied, still worried but glad to at least have a destination. His head disappeared behind the door one more, as a different head suddenly poked through it. Apparently it was only a moment's hesitation, as the new arrival quickly looked back before fully entering the room.

* * *

><p>"Hey, I'm sensing something!" Lucario said triumphantly while turning his head to the side, expecting the eager face of Zerobi to be looking back at him, awaiting his news. Instead, he was met by the sight of her with her face deep in an occult magazine they had found earlier in an abandoned store. She had pointed out that the store was not as much abandoned as it was currently serving as a home for Bidoof and Rattata, but Lucario had not paid notice to anything but the fact that there had been no food left on the shelves.<p>

"Mew, I presume?" Zerobi mumbled slowly, caught up in an especially interesting passage about the legendary lake trio and lifting her head a little. There were many different Pokémon walking all around them, so she decided to keep her voice down.

"Do you see me dancing in joy?" Lucario asked, grumpily trying to get Zerobi to look at him, "No, it's… It's kind of hard to explain."

"Something to do with that thing underground again, then?" Zerobi asked in return, this time lowering the magazine and idly watching Lucario through the corner of her eye.

"No… I mean, yes… I mean…" Lucario tried to answer before pointing in front of him, "Something similar to it has just appeared way over there."

Zerobi looked in the direction he was pointing. Three very small Pokémon seemed to be playing tag in one of the grassy sections of the road, two of them losing miserably as long appendages suddenly stretched out of the third and grabbed a hold of the others.

"Not that! It's much further away!" Lucario insisted as he pointed past the playing Pokémon.

"Outside the city?" Zerobi muttered while longing for the days when she too had been able to have fun with others, "How's it similar? Is it something powerful or something familiar?"

"… Both," Lucario responded after a second of thinking, "And not only that, but… They're similar in other ways, too. There's a certain likeness between them."

"You've got that right," Zerobi snickered as she started reading her occult magazine again, "Neither are Mew, neither are actually in the city and neither should be diverting our attention."

"Don't talk to me about diverted attention!" Lucario shouted angrily as he tried knocking the magazine out of Zerobi's claws, the agile dark-type casually moving to the side while continuing to read a section regarding Uxie and his alleged ability to erase memories.

"While no one actually remembers him doing it, we consider this to be a sign of forgetfulness which further supports our theory…" Zerobi read out loud before throwing away the magazine with a disappointed expression, "… Wow. I can't believe I used to read this drudge."

She turned her head to the side, expecting the annoyed face of Lucario to be looking back at her, awaiting his relief now that she had gotten rid of the paper. Instead, she saw him running off somewhere, and immediately became painfully aware of just how much he and probably she too stood out in the crowd while wearing a cloak.

Running up to him, she noticed that he had stopped in front of a peculiar store. Every other room on this street was bustling with Pokémon going in and out of them, while this one looked both dirty and deserted. Looking up and squinting her eyes to read the sign, she understood why this was the case.

"Restaurant…" she read out loud before turning towards Lucario, who had a very excited look on his face, "You don't honestly think it's still in business? No one but you would ever even touch this stuff."

"Which means there should still be plenty in storage," Lucario answered happily as he licked his lips. Ever since they had left the Meganium, Lucario had dreamed of once more wrapping his tongue around tasty food. Without an ounce of hesitation, he opened the doors to the restaurant and went inside.

* * *

><p>Zoroark examined the new arrival carefully. The Pokémon that entered was a Pachirisu, a name he hoped he would not be asked to pronounce anytime soon. The short blue stripe running down the Pachirisu's head showed Zoroark that she was female, and her unrecognizable smell told him she had only been in No Man's Land for a few days at most.<p>

Despite everything from the yellow cheeks to the long bushy tail looking like normal, he could immediately tell this was not a regular Pachirisu. The few he had met had been skittish creatures, bouncing around with silly grins across their faces. This one, however, had a very serious expression, looking both left and right as if expecting to be pounced by something from the shadows. Zoroark might have considered this suspicious had it been anyone else, but felt confident enough in his combat abilities to not have anything to fear from a tiny electric squirrel.

"No need to be so nervous…" Zoroark said as he jumped down from his perch by the window, "You wanted to see me about something?"

The Pachirisu felt her pulse speed up, realizing just how bad it would be if she appeared to be fearful or unsure of herself. She looked Zoroark deep into the eyes while straightening her back in order to gain back authority, something easier said than done considering that Zoroark had just become twice as tall after standing up.

"Please, do not be afraid at what I am about to show you," the Pachirisu said as clearly as she could, "I mean you no harm."

Not giving Zoroark a chance to respond, the Pachirisu closed her eyes and braced herself for what was to come. She had spent a long time analyzing the structure of the building, knowing the exact location of every unwanted viewpoint and potential entryway so she could use her powers to seal them off. In this closed off environment, she was finally free to reveal herself.

* * *

><p>Darkness filled the inside of the restaurant. The evening sun seeped in through a window behind Lucario and allowed him to see a little, but it was more difficult to do so the further in he looked. The light bulbs had long since faded, and remained as untouched as the tables and chairs they had once illuminated. All in all, Lucario was surprised to see that the store was not as big as he had expected and had a long bar table at the end, reminding him of a pub rather than a restaurant. He was also surprised to find out that the joint was not empty.<p>

At the very edge of the bar table, sitting in the darkest corner of the restaurant was a Pokémon. Lucario could not tell the exact form or shape of the creature, as it was cloaked in a purple haze which seemed to distort everything around it. The shroud gave it an air of mystery, and Lucario was glad to see that while the stranger was larger than he was, at least it was not nearly as big as one of the legendary dogs.

Letting his eyes drift, Lucario spotted something he recognized on the table in front of the mysterious stranger. It was a half empty bottle, the label of which said "Berrybrew Pecha". Lucario remembered hating this brand of alcohol in particular and shook his head to clear his mind. Berries were the absolutely last thing he wanted to think about right now.

"That's a Gengar," Zerobi stated, having better eyesight in the dark compared to her companion. There was a tinge of worry to her voice as she remembered killing a Gastly in the past, and realized how bad it would be if this Gengar had any relation to it. Not wanting to take the risk, she quietly slipped outside as Lucario moved further in.

"Hey, you!" Lucario shouted as his stomach growled lightly, "Where's all the food kept?"

The Gengar remained completely still, the gas enveloping him swirling a bit.

"Ain't nothing for you here, kid," a deep monotone voice emanated from the ghost-type, "Berry deposit's two blocks further."

"Not that…" Lucario muttered before taking another step forward, "I mean, human food!"

This time the Gengar lifted his head a bit, or at least what Lucario assumed to be his head behind the thick purple mist.

"Spoilt… Thrown out…" the Gengar explained while staring up into the ceiling, "… And buried."

The realization hit Lucario like a stack of bricks, and his face fell flat. Over and over again he had promised himself that once he got to No Man's Land, he would loot them of every grain of rice until he was sated. His hopes shattered and his mood distraught, the bottle of alcohol that stood on the bar table was beginning to look very captivating.

He had never been much of a drinker, but after all the crap that had gone down since becoming a Lucario, he felt it was time to at least give it a try. He approached the strange Pokémon who paid no attention to him, continuing to face the ceiling as if he had been left alone again. Quietly yet swiftly, Lucario reached out for the bottle.

The Gengar's hand had grasped Lucario's arm before he could even touch the drink.

"I wouldn't," the ghost-type said coolly, an icy cold pair of eyes staring down Lucario from behind the veil of smoke. The Gengar's hand was cold and wet to the touch, refusing to let go as Lucario tugged against it. A feeling of urgency struck Lucario as he reached out with his senses to determine just how strong the Pokémon he had pissed off was, but was thrown off track as another more important aura instantly flooded his mind.

* * *

><p>Zoroark's eyes widened as the Pachirisu's feet suddenly started growing. Her ears bent themselves to the side while her eyes expanded. Her mouth was pushed downwards on her face as the yellow pouches of electricity retracted themselves and disappeared from sight. The long bushy tail shrugged once, letting a large amount of white and blue hairs dwindle to the ground and leaving a thin, almost skeletal pink tail with a bulbous end behind. With the tail followed the rest of the body, shedding every strand of hair as only a fine pink fur underneath remained.<p>

* * *

><p>"It's Mew! She's in the city!" Lucario stammered in shock as he turned around, only now realizing that Zerobi had not followed him inside. Suddenly, the grip around Lucario's arm tightened. Turning his head back towards the strange Pokémon, he was about to apologize in order to get out of there as quickly as possible.<p>

His plans instantly dropped as he saw the full face of the Gengar, having burst out towards him from the hazy gas. Gone was every notion of peacefulness, the icy stare having turned into a fiery glare of hatred, searing his own eyes with intensity alone. A mouth had appeared on the face, large and sharp teeth gnashing together as if belonging to a predator moments away from the killing blow. Letting his arm go limp, Lucario felt his knees grow weak in terror as he slumped down on the floor.

With an annoyed gruff, the Gengar suddenly let go of him and disappeared behind the cloud of smoke again. Zerobi came inside to see what was happening, when Lucario suddenly stood up and ran for the exit, not wanting to question the stranger's change of heart or ever see him again.

"A fight!? Why!?" Zerobi whined desperately as they sprinted outside, regretting that she had left Lucario to his own devices for even an instant.

"Never mind that, I sense Mew!" Lucario said as he almost bumped into a Pokémon that looked like a tree, "She was in disguise, but now she's herself again! I know where!"

Lucario jumped over a Pokémon that looked like a budding flower, almost landing on another one by mistake. Zerobi used her superior speed to quickly run ahead of Lucario and stand in front of him with arms outstretched.

"Way to not draw attention to yourself, asshole!" Zerobi hissed angrily, "Slow down! Pretend that you're jogging, or something!"

Halting himself, Lucario felt his heart rate grow less frequent and his breathing come in more naturally. The horrible sight he had seen in the restaurant vanished and replaced itself with the joyous thought of seeing Mew again.

"Yeah, you're right," Lucario said as he grabbed a hold of Zerobi's arm and started moving again, "Come on, she's this way!"

* * *

><p>"Do you know what I am, Zoroark?" Mew asked calmly after her transformation had finished, and Zoroark could not help but swallow hard. He did. It was a form he had attempted to imitate before, yet one he had never imagined it to be so radiant and colorful. He felt his breath coming in faster, only faintly remembering that he had prepared himself for a situation like this, wishing he would have been given a better warning.<p>

"U-Unexpected…?" Zoroark stammered in shock, trying his best to settle down and compose himself, "No, I mean… The legendary Mew… To what end do I owe this great honor?"

"You must cease this revolution!" Mew pleaded, an earnest and serious expression on her face, "It will lead to war, with people and Pokémon dying every day due to meaningless fighting!"

"… It is all but meaningless, Mew," Zoroark replied as he forced himself to face her directly, feeling disappointed by her request, "Humanity has wrongfully dominated this world, with Pokémon falling under their control like animals… If we must fight to show that we will not submit, we will!"

"No species is capable of dominating the entire world… We need each other!" Mew continued with determination, "Only if we cannot co-exist do we run the risk of not surviving!"

"That was once the case, but no more. Are you oblivious to humanity's progress?" Zoroark said, growing more agitated as he waved his right arm around, "They have already taken away our freedom without any remorse, what will they claim next? Our bodies as food? Our skin as clothing? Our very heads as ornaments?"

"… What an absurd thought! They would not do that!" Mew exclaimed with a stunned expression, surprised that Zoroark was expecting such unspeakably horrifying scenarios, "A species as diverse as humanity would never accept such a heartless consensus!"

"… You know nothing," Zoroark growled bitterly, the memories of his childhood burning like a white hot flame all over his body, "Nothing of the plight of us normal Pokémon. If you did, you legendaries would have stopped this from ever happening."

"Right now, the first thing that needs to be stopped is the impending war…" Mew said quietly before raising her voice and intentionally letting her demeanor grow wild, "And if you will not co-operate… That means stopping you!"

Much to Mew's surprise, Zoroark did not even flinch in response to her outburst. She had hoped to rationalize with him, or intimidate him to the point where he would at the very least consider it, but the dark-type showed no signs of weakness. Clueless on what to do, Mew eagerly awaited Zoroark's response to see where this encounter would bring them next.

At that moment, something struck her from behind. The impact transformed into blinding pain in the blink of an eye, Mew gasping in shock as Zoroark pierced her with his claws. She was still unable to sense his aura, but had kept her eyes on him the whole time and still not seen him move before feeling the stab.

"Let's not get too hasty…" Zoroark whispered menacingly, an unexpected sense of satisfaction coursing through him. His insides roared in triumph, the feelings of betrayal that had been dormant for so long finally sated as he saw the small legendary slump down on the floor. He basked in the glory of the sensation, but before long his more rational side took over once again.

"… Oh, damn, I guess I'm the hasty one for doing this?" Zoroark chuckled before feigning a confident smile, "Sorry, but if you had attacked first, I doubt I would have stood a chance. Can't have you running off, either."

Lying immobile on the floor, Mew had no idea what was going on. She had tried to fly away in reflex after the attack, but instead she had fallen to the ground like an old acorn. Her mind was beginning to feel sluggish as the pain running through her immediately dulled, replacing itself with a tingling sensation she had never felt before. It spread throughout her body and grew stronger by the second, and as it did the pain started to return. At the same time, her outer senses faded off quickly, leaving her with nothing but her basic five senses to rely on.

"Do you know of the ability 'Miracle Eye'? What I used just know is something I like to call 'Disaster Eye'," Zoroark said with an amused expression as he let an empty vial roll back and forth between his claws, "It's reversed, you see. I infused my dark-type aura into you, effectively removing your ability to control your psychic powers."

Mew tried to gasp in terror, only to realize nothing was happening. Her diaphragm felt so heavy, so sluggish. She could not get it to contract against her lungs even a little, it was like pushing against a large boulder that refused to budge. Horror struck her mind, and only now did she realize that she was no longer breathing. She panicked and tried to scream, only able to let out a small whimper.

"It will eventually pass, and when it does I will let you go," Zoroark explained in order to calm her down, wondering why she was making such a scene, "For now, let us continue this discussion in a more relaxed environment. Not much else to do, might as well hear me out, right?"

Chest burning for air, the only thing still within Mew's control was her tail, which was currently torn between helping her up and reaching out towards Zoroark's neck to make him share her fate. Although she knew that her feeble strength would deny her of that kind of revenge, she could think of nothing else that might soothe her overwhelming feelings of hysteria.

She could not believe what was happening. She had defeated Mewtwo through willpower, she had survived the monstrous Deoxys through strength, and now she was dying the death of a stillborn fetus.

"First, let me start by saying that I truly respect you, and just to be talking to you…" Zoroark started talking before noticing that Mew's movements were starting to weaken, a pang of worry striking him, "… Mew? Can… Can you hear me?"

Trembling in spasms, Mew felt as if every nerve in her body had come alive and was busy committing suicide. She tried breathing in one more time, her already unwilling muscles refusing to work due to the lack of oxygen and her frail body could do nothing to stop her from choking to death. Every bodily section she had subdued and controlled since birth was reminding her of its existence, joining the hundreds of simultaneous thoughts rushing through her head. Was this truly the end? Could all this have been avoided? Would anyone even know of her passing? Why had she sensed Lucario earlier? How had Zoroark moved so quickly?

"Wh-What's happening!?" Zoroark gasped in shock, finally realizing that something had gone very wrong. His expression of worry and regret did nothing to settle Mew's heavy emotions, tears running down the side of her face. She felt frustrated that there was nothing she could do, wishing she had just ripped the building from its foundation to immediately force Zoroark into submission. Her mind was turning foggy, but she could not prevent it. An equal amount of regret coursed through her at the thought of leaving the world the way it was, not having been able to even try to realize her dream before dying. Her chest burned in agony, and everything was fading away. However, the strongest emotion of all was the one that had gripped her entire body, keeping her from fighting, moving or even breathing.

_Fear_

Mew felt her eyelids fall, mind blank as everything clouded itself in endless darkness.


	61. Docile Shrub Whimsicott

"Come on!" Lucario shouted, rushing up the staircase at a high pace. Zerobi stumbled closely behind, but had trouble keeping up as she did not have much experience when it came to climbing stairs.

"H-How many more f-floors…?" she panted and immediately stopped as her cloak was caught up on one of the railings. She carefully pulled it free and was glad to not have tripped and broken her neck from the shock.

"Doesn't matter, we're going to the top!" Lucario exclaimed as he continued higher up to where he had previously sensed Mew. Her aura had disappeared a couple of moments earlier, something he thought meant that she had transformed again and was about to go back into hiding. He would have to hurry, or they would miss her completely. As luck would have it, the building they were in was quite empty save for a few lone individuals here and there, and it helped him keep Mew's location fresh in mind.

A minute later, Lucario had made it to the top floor where the staircase ended. Zerobi came up from behind, exhausted and still trying to grasp the concept that they had reached the top of the immensely tall building by running diagonally upwards. The thought mocked her inner senses, and she could understand why there weren't many Pokémon at this height.

"Here, I think," Lucario said with a determined nod before looking around. His confidence waned as he could see that the layout of top floor was anything but simple, twisting corridors and turning passages in every direction. Many doors were scattered about, and Lucario solemnly wished that Mew's aura had not gone away so she would be easier to find.

"You think?" Zerobi repeated with a worried tone, seeing a window a little further away and promising herself not to look out of it. The last thing she needed was to confirm her fears and freak out.

"It's not THAT accurate," Lucario muttered as he examined their surroundings more carefully and counting the amount of doors, "Might've even been the previous floor if we're really out of luck… Damn, this is going to take forever."

"I'll start here and you go there, then," Zerobi said while pointing to her left, feeling impatient and wanting to get out of the sky high construction as quickly as possible, "It's not THAT big. Yell if something happens and if not, we'll switch floors."

"Right," Lucario responded and turned left. There were three doors on each side of the corridor, and it seemed to continue in another direction by the end. Very eager to see Mew, he set off and immediately started checking the rooms behind the doors.

A few minutes into the search, Zerobi was starting to regret her suggestion. Room after room had brought nothing but empty offices, leading her far away from the stairs and into a slithering corridor. Everything looked so much the same that she could have sworn she was going around in circles. The closed off air and symmetrical backdrop made her feel uneasy, wondering how humans could work in such a boring environment. Even the cavern she had spent seven years of her life in seemed more exciting than this.

Sighing deeply after having examined another empty room, she turned a corner and suddenly wished she had not been complaining about the monotonous structure.

Where the corridor turned another corner, the walls and floor were corroded and dented. It was as if something had exploded, a deep indent in the ground where the carpeting had burned up and left nothing but ashy remains behind. Knowing there was no time to waste, she carefully made her way across the burned floor and, to her surprise, saw that the rest of the corridor had been too damaged to continue. Whatever had once been there, it had now been reduced to slag. Sighing deeply at her fruitless search, Zerobi started running back to rejoin Lucario.

"Don't leave me alone…" a whispering moan echoed through the corridor, Zerobi stopping and immediately turning around. Seeing no one, she spun around once more to fully examine her surroundings.

She was all by herself. A shiver ran through her as she looked back and stared at the molten mess behind her. It had been a soft, whimpering voice she had heard many times before, but like always she knew it was just her mind playing tricks on her. Ignoring what she had heard, she kept moving back through the corridor.

Distractedly rounding another corner, she felt herself bump into something. There was no time for her to react as a set of thick knuckles came down upon her head, immediately rendering her unconscious.

Meanwhile on the other side of the building, Lucario grumbled in annoyance. The corridor he had picked seemed to go on forever, and with each empty room he felt like Mew was slipping further away from him. Opening yet another door, he recalled how she had left him on the island of the legendaries without saying anything, almost as if she had been avoiding him on purpose. While at first he had thought Lugia must have filled her head with lies about him to make her run, he had since then come to realize that she was much too smart fall for something that simple. Even if she had, she would have come to talk to him about it, not just go away without saying anything.

Lucario swallowed hard as he came to the most logical conclusion, and a nasty thought hit him. If she really had abandoned him by her own free will, had he made a grave mistake in coming here to find her…?

His mind raced as he opened yet another door and examined the room inside. His thoughts elsewhere, he idly paid notice to the window at the far end, the regular tapestry and familiar smell inside. It was not until he was just about to turn around and search elsewhere that he saw something lying in the middle of the room.

A small, pink creature lay hunched over. Lucario's mind immediately turned to Mew, but this creature's fur was nowhere near as colorful, radiant and outlandish. Appearance-wise it was far more like a stuffed animal of Mew, the colors a little off after years being exposed to the elements. Also, the Mew he knew would never lie down; she was always floating or occasionally sitting. Lucario could at least admire the accuracy of the replica's size, before noticing a trickle of red running down its back.

"Mew…?" Lucario whispered, a cold feeling sweeping over him. He ran up to the puppet and crouched over it, putting his hand over where the red liquid was running down. Immediately, he drew his arm back with a frightened gasp. The red smear over his palm told him two things - The puppet bled, and it was warm beneath its skin.

Bleeding. Wounded. Dead?

"Mew? MEW!" Lucario shouted, grabbing a hold of the tiny legendary and rolling her over. Terror flowing, Lucario choked on his own breath as he saw the face he had come to know so well, still and lifeless. Her eyes were closed and her mouth was halfway open, but those were not the only things that told him something was wrong. There was no aura or purity surrounding her, all that remained was pink ball of hair that looked and felt like someone had just dyed any other Pokémon pink.

Is that what happens when you die?

"Snap out of it!" Lucario continued, wondering why the hell was going on. She was not breathing, had she figured out a way to take in oxygen without using her lungs? Her pulse was gone, was she trying to trick him into going away so she could flee?

Or maybe… Maybe she really was dead?

"You… You can't just…" Lucario said, noticing that his voice was trembling. He could not understand what had happened. Was it too late to do anything about it? She was not breathing, but could he give her CPR with his peculiar snout? Her pulse was gone, but could he give her heart massage without crushing her tiny body? In the end, all he did was and stare at her lifeless body, unable to comprehend what was happening.

It had been a while, but one by one they were slowly returning. A set of vines constricted Lucario's neck, a wounded Rukario lying next to Mew with the tears running down her face still visible in the rain. In every corner of the room were Dragonair, twisting around and shaking uncontrollably. Lucario looked around in terror and despair, a bat-like creature flying past the window outside. Suddenly a high-pitched scream filled his head, the small penguin pleading for his help as he turned his head away and covered his ears-

In an instant, everything vanished. One familiar sensation replaced another as something very painful pierced and spread from Lucario's right side. The pain spiked as something pulled out of him, Lucario gasping and falling over Mew. He hit her with the full weight of is body and worried that he had hurt her, still clinging on to the hope that she was alive. Her body was still warm, but it was not moving. As he tried to get off, he noticed he was just barely able to move, his muscles turning more sluggish by the second. Before he knew it, he could not even lift his head as his arms gave out and he fell onto Mew once more.

A pair of feet suddenly appeared in front of him. Spiky red claws adorned rough grey fur that continued up on a set of legs. As the creature bent over, Lucario felt like he was looking at a twisted version of himself, before the bushy red hair fell down and he knew exactly who it was.

"Z…" Lucario stammered in shock as he felt a fire of hatred ignite in his chest, "Zoro… Ark…"

Zoroark's emerald eyes narrowed as they examined him, the dark-type's stature far less composed than usual. His face looked nervous, not confident. His crouch was sloppy, not steady. His fur was rugged, not sleek.

"Oh, please! What's with the surprised expression?" Zoroark exclaimed with anger, heavy agitation apparent in his voice, "You were expecting a different welcome after what you did the last time!?"

The pain vanishing altogether, Lucario now knew what had happened. He had been stabbed in the side by Zoroark's claws, in the exact spot as the year before. The effect of this attack was less painful but had rendered him completely immobile, and Lucario remembered how the dark-type would coat his claws in liquid that causes paralysis.

"My offer expired a long time ago, I'm afraid," Zoroark huffed while giving a nervous shrug, trying to stay calm but drawing ever closer to the complete opposite, "If you had played your cards and hid your intentions better… Oh, you can't even imagine what I had in store for you…"

A sliver of hope entered Lucario as he thought that maybe Mew had simply been paralyzed as well, but to his sadness he could feel that his heart was still beating. Hers had not been.

"… Mew…" was all Lucario could muster with a croak as he looked up at Zoroark with eyes of sorrow, "… Why…?"

"… How was I supposed to know she couldn't even breathe without psychic abilities?" Zoroark muttered furiously as he turned his back away from Lucario, feeling guilted by the gaze he had been given, "It's absurd! Ridiculous! I've seen Patrat with stronger wills to live!"

He turned back to see that Lucario's body was completely obscuring Mew. Sighing deeply in yet another attempt of settling his nerves, Zoroark walked up to them and pushed Lucario aside with his foot. Lucario helplessly rolled to the side, unable to control himself. His head fell back, his face now completely expressionless. He knew that even if he could speak, he would have nothing to say. Even if he could feel, it did not matter anymore. Mew was dead.

"Years pass without her doing anything, and when I finally decide to fix things myself, she comes out to stop me and gets taken down in one blow…" Zoroark explained as he focused on breathing in and out, at long last starting to feel better about the whole situation, "… Good riddance. What an utter disappointment. And to think I once admired you… Both of you!"

Zoroark pointed accusingly at the two lifeless Pokémon before him, suddenly realizing that neither of them could see him any longer. As Zoroark pondered over what to do next, he heard a set of heavy footsteps outside the door. Had it been any other set of footsteps, he would have hid himself and prepared to incapacitate whoever was to enter once more. However, the owner of these footsteps was of unwavering loyalty, and the only one he felt like he could trust with anything.

The door flew open with a slam, revealing the great Connor standing behind it. Zoroark knew the slam had not been intentional, rather he had been holding back his strength quite a bit as the door had refrained from turning into a pile of splinters. The upper floors were always empty of the regular inhabitants of No Man's Land, so no one but those normally serving him would hear the slam and come to help.

Zoroark smiled. Finally, he felt like he had gained control of the situation again.

"I presume you haven't forgotten about Connor, no?" Zoroark said with a bit more confidence than before as he gently tapped Lucario's open wound with his left foot, sending a shiver through the fighting-type, "He's got experience when it comes to keeping you in captivity, so he will be your host until I have time to ask you what the hell you're doing here. Forgive my hospitality, but as you can see, I'm kind of busy with matters of genuine importance."

Unwillingly frozen in place, Lucario could not help but look at the Conkeldurr that had once been his ally. His large, bulging muscles looked as intimidating as the day they had crushed solid steel, and seemed far more fearsome now that Lucario's skull could be on the receiving end. The strong fighting-type looked at him, and then at Mew. His expression never changed, and he never said a word. Even so, both Zoroark and Lucario could not help but look at him with surprise. Hanging limply from his shoulder like a fine, black coat much too small for the massive Pokémon was none other than Zerobi.

"Zoroark! Zoroark!" a meek voice suddenly peeped as a small pitter-patter filled the room, "Are you hurt!? What happ-"

The noise trailed off as a ball of white fluff came running beside Connor, immediately halting himself at the sight of Mew and Lucario. The Whimsicott recognized both and gasped in shock.

"Wait… Is that…" Zoroark said slowly as he recognized the Weavile that Connor was carrying, immediately remembering the fearsome tales Astrid had told him about her, "She… She's unconscious, right?"

A quiet nod from Connor was his only response, the Whimsicott looking up to see who they were referring to. Also recognizing Zerobi, he fell back in terror, remembering exactly what had been written in the papers regarding the massacre of the Cerulean Cave.

"Good…" Zoroark whispered before swallowing hard, thinking that a rampaging serial killer was the absolutely last thing this crime scene needed, "Listen, those two will probably want me dead when they wake up. Connor, take care of them until I figure out what to do. As for… Mew…"

Zoroark trailed off, curious to see how they would react to him having killed the most popular legendary in the world. Connor had so far followed his every order without ever objecting or even saying a word, surely the death of Mew would not change things? As Zoroark had expected, Connor was not one to hesitate when it comes to orders and bent over to pick up Lucario, who was currently certain he would be popped like a berry between the large Pokémon's fists. As he was thrown onto Connor's shoulder and once saw Mew's lifeless body lying on the floor like a discarded toy, it suddenly did not seem like such a terrible fate.

"Mew…" the Whimsicott whispered sadly, moving up to her as Connor left the room with Zerobi and Lucario hanging from his shoulders. To Zoroark's surprise, tears began to form in the grass-type's eyes. He had not expected such a strong reaction.

"I went too easy on Entei, and almost got killed…" Zoroark mumbled as he turned around, again feeling guilty over what had happened, "Then I go even easier on Mew, and she dies…"

"She… I-I can't believe…" the Whimsicott said shakily as he fell down beside her, "Was there really no other way…? Sir…?"

Zoroark did not answer. Quietly he approached the window at the end of the room and looked out, the Whimsicott sniveling behind him. Everything outside was the same as it had been just a little over an hour ago, before Mew had come to visit. The familiar sight broke down the tensing he had been locked up in. Many conflicting thoughts raced through his mind, remorse over what he had done and fear of what sort of repercussions it might bring, both from the Pokémon of No Man's Land and perhaps even other legendaries. No matter how he looked at the situation, he could not help but imagine a very bleak future.

The Whimsicott's crying did not help in the least.


	62. Silent Brute Conkeldurr

Everything was gone.

What had once been a living being floated around in endless emptiness, thoughtless and unmoving. It could not see, and all was darkness. It could not hear, and all was silence. It could not smell, for it existed nowhere. It could not speak, for no one would respond.

But it could still feel. A gentle, rocking motion disturbed the creature from its eternal sleep. It tried to think, but something inside deterred it. Something inside that was very important. Something inside that had been brought back to life. Something inside that had been waiting ever since the creature's birth to fulfill its function. Something inside that was drawing every shred of energy from the creature's body, depriving it of four senses and the ability to think. Something inside that was starting to move for the very first time.

And with an anguished inhale, the body drew breath once more.

* * *

><p>"Ahh…" Zerobi groaned as the world returned to her, somewhat hazier than she had left it. A dull pain in her head made her draw her hand up, getting a few small scratches across her forehead from her sharp claws. She would have to tolerate it for now, because nothing else seemed to be able to soothe her pounding headache.<p>

Before noticing anything else, she saw a Pokémon sitting in front of her. Although his face was turned away from her and his cloak was missing, she immediately recognized him.

"Lucario...?" Zerobi asked groggily, "What happened…?"

"Dunno…" Lucario mumbled in response, not budging an inch or turning around to face her. Zerobi got the strangest feeling that her recovery was the last thing on his mind. She wondered what was wrong and decided to examine their surroundings. They were in a fairly small room with two chairs, both padded and looking a lot more comfy than the glorified sticks in the offices she had been searching through. Lucario had still chosen to sit down on the floor for some reason. Upon the walls hung a few mundane paintings, and the tapestry was soothingly blue.

The events of the day were starting to come back to Zerobi as she continued looking around. She remembered some big brute knocking her out, but nothing else from that point on. However, the cozy atmosphere made her feel like they were in some kind of a guest room, which struck her as odd considering how they had gotten there. The room had no windows and only one door, which to her surprise was not only unlocked but had been left open.

"Hey… Look!" Zerobi said while pointing towards the exit, the discovery bringing clarity to her dazed mind, "It's not locked or anything! Come on, let's go!"

"Yeah…" Lucario muttered solemnly, but continued sitting perfectly still. An awkward silence filled the room as Zerobi stood up, moving into Lucario's field of vision to see what was going on.

She immediately felt her mouth go dry, for Lucario's face was not the face she knew. His flaming red eyes were not eagerly zooming around, but empty and still. His ears that used to stand tall and twitch whenever she poked them now hung to the side, looking like withered leaves stuck to a dead branch. The mouth that she had seen smile, snarl and speak was now unmoving and slightly open, looking more like an unhinged door than anything else.

"You don't look so good…" Zerobi said quietly as she looked Lucario in his lifeless eyes, hoping for some kind of response.

"I don't… Feel so good…" Lucario replied quietly, sensing a familiar and dangerous aura approaching them from just outside the door. He did not make any attempt at hiding or preparing himself for battle. Something inside of him was not responding, as if it had died together with Mew. Why do anything, he wondered, it was not like his intervention would normally change the outcome for the better. If anything it would only make things worse, as with Rukario and the Zubat.

"Someone's coming…" Zerobi warned, feeling herself tense up as she heard a heavy set of footsteps approaching. Still confused as to what was happening and taking the moment into action, she ran to the side of the entryway, ready to ambush whoever was to come through it. Her confidence waned as the footsteps became louder and louder the nearer they came, signifying a very big and strong creature heading their way. Lucario remained immobile like before, and Zerobi wondered if his inaction was due to him being drugged or something. Eventually the footsteps reached the door, and Zerobi prepared herself to attack.

She halted herself as a huge Conkeldurr entered the room, making the paintings that had not been nailed to the wall properly rattle in a miniature quake. The brown, veiny muscles bulging in brute strength made her recall the instant before she had been knocked out cold, realizing just how badly outclassed she was against the powerful fighting-type. As luck would have it, he did not look at her, but his eyes seemed to be fastened on Lucario and nowhere else.

Without any warning, Lucario suddenly stood up.

"D-Don't…" Lucario stammered in surprise before shouting, "Don't you fucking touch her!"

Zerobi looked at Lucario and then at the Conkeldurr, suddenly realizing that the brown giant was carrying something. It was a Pokémon with pink fur, and a long tail that seemed to have some kind of white bandage attached to it. She thought it looked like Mew with a peculiar tinge of realism added to her, like Celebi when she would lower her aura to camouflage herself against other plants. Mew seemed to be unconscious, and the Conkeldurr was cradling her like a baby. The colors drained from Zerobi's face as she realized that the small legendary was not moving.

Lucario's anger soared in an instant. The traitorous Connor had brought Mew, gruff uncaring hands carrying her gracious body like they would a bag of potatoes. Lucario wondered if the Conkeldurr was here to kill the two of them, just so he would be able to dispose of all three bodies in one go. Although Lucario felt just as bad as before and would very much prefer to simply lie down and die, he raised his fists. Not knowing what to do or how to feel, he did what he would always end up doing anyway - Readying himself to fight to the death.

Connor continued staring at Lucario, suddenly moving towards him. He slowed down his footsteps as to stop the quaking, his movement looking both strange and unfamiliar. Lucario realized that the large bodybuilder was not using his arms to walk around as they were busy cradling Mew. He had not just thrown her across his shoulder like he had with Lucario and Zerobi, but was actually carrying her rather carefully. If he was not using his arms, how would he fight? Before Lucario had noticed it, Connor stood directly in front of him, still not making any signs of hostility.

Eyes drifting downwards, Connor looked at Mew, a subtle nod urging Lucario to do the same. Careful about not dropping his guard, Lucario turned his vision towards Mew, still as colorless and vague as when he had seen her earlier. However, unlike back then, this time she was not completely still. There was a very subtle and strained movement of her upper body, like water filling a balloon before pouring out due to pressure. Throwing all caution to the side and putting his hand by her mouth, Lucario felt his pulse skyrocket in anticipation. The small draft across his palm made his own breaths come in faster than ever.

"MEW!" he screamed, Connor remaining unfazed while Zerobi flinched from the sudden outburst. As if a mask had suddenly fallen off, Lucario's ghastly expression went away and was replaced by a face she was more familiar with. She paid little mind to it however, since at the current moment she was far more terrified over what was wrong with Mew.

"She lives!" Lucario yelled happily as he turned towards Zerobi, "I shit you not! She's alive!"

"What!?" Zerobi burst out in confusion, once more wondering what the hell had happened while she was unconscious, "Don't scare me like that! From the look of things, I thought she was dead or something!"

"She was!" Lucario continued as he began to smile, "She really, really was!"

Before he knew it, he had reached out to grab Mew from Connor's arms. Suddenly realizing what he had done and expecting a swift knuckle to the head, he was surprised to see the giant letting go of her without a fuss. The Conkeldurr looked down at the frozen Lucario holding Mew, before nodding to show his acceptance.

"… Mew, can you hear me?" Lucario asked while gently tapping Mew's forehead, marveling over the body in his arms. It had been warm before, but only now did it feel alive. There was a clear pulse moving through her, and if he focused really hard he could even hear her strained breathing over the various noise coming from outside in No Man's Land. After a few moments, Mew stirred, very slowly opening her eyes. She looked extremely confused as her vision turned up towards him.

"L…" Mew wheezed before suddenly starting to choke. She gasped for air, closing her eyes again and letting herself go limp as the breathing resumed after a few moments.

"N-No! Don't talk!" Lucario stammered in fear, worried that he was about to lose her again, "Focus on breathing, nothing else!"

"That's…" Zerobi whispered as she moved closer, still wary of getting too near the Conkeldurr that had been able to defeat her in one blow, "She's using Rest?"

"Wha…" Lucario exclaimed, suddenly aware that both Zerobi and Connor were there. For a moment it had seemed like it was only him and Mew, like the many months they had spent traveling together.

"It's like a self-inflicted coma, disabling needless bodily functions to focus purely on one or two…" Zerobi explained while remembering her failed attempts at using it a few years earlier, "It's said that it can be done by every Pokémon in the world, and that it greatly boosts natural recovery if you use it properly."

"So… We can't wake her, huh…?" Lucario mumbled as he looked around the room, wondering what to do next, "Hmm… I wonder if Zoroark knows about this? If not, better get out of here before he or any his followers find us."

"Great idea, but…" Zerobi whispered with a scared tone while pointing towards the Conkeldurr and swallowing hard, "… What about this guy? Do you know him, or something?"

"Huh?" Lucario exclaimed, looking at Connor with a bewildered demeanor. Connor looked back at him without any expression on his face at all, as if he was looking at an empty pot or something else of very mild interest. Although it had only been a few minutes earlier, Lucario's impending battle with the fighting-type over Mew's corpse now seemed like part of a completely different world. He suddenly recalled being carried to this room by Connor, and the more he thought about it, he remembered it being due to Zoroark's orders.

"Hey… Does Zoroark know that we're here?" Lucario asked. Connor's expression seemed slightly troubled before he nodded.

"Does Zoroark know… Mew's here?" Lucario continued. Connor hesitated for a moment, but then shook his head.

"Oh, and by the way, do you have an explanation as to why you punched me so hard in the head that I was rendered unconscious!?" Zerobi shouted angrily, not at all pleased by the friendly atmosphere between her best friend and worst enemy. Connor sneered at her, but did not respond.

"Fine, whatever," Zerobi muttered, annoyed by the still throbbing pain in her forehead, "If he's not here to stop us, then let's go with your plan and get the hell out of here while we still can. About time, I've had it up to here with this place…"

Zerobi headed towards the door, but this time Connor responded. He held one of his massive outstretched hands directly in front of Zerobi, making her stop and give off a grumpy expression. Both her and Lucario stood frozen in place as the Conkeldurr moved forward, walking past them and to the wall on the opposite side of the door.

Taking a step back, he suddenly threw the bulk of his body against the wall. A loud boom filled the room and made Lucario instinctively try to cover his ears, stopping himself in the last second as he was almost about to drop Mew. She was a small Pokémon, but still about as big as his torso, requiring his full attention as to not let her fall and hurt herself even more.

The wall that Connor had rammed suddenly crumbled, revealing the outside world beyond. The hole was shaped in almost perfectly square, showing that the spot had once housed a window which had hastily been cemented and covered up. Connor walked back to the middle of the room before looking at Lucario and pointing towards the hole. To his own surprise, Lucario had no problem understanding what the massive fighting-type meant.

"An escape route…?" Lucario whispered to himself, looking up at Connor in surprise, "But… Why?"

What happened next caught Lucario even more by surprise. For the first time since he had laid eyes upon Connor, the stoic giant's face finally showed genuine emotion.

Sadness.

"Are you kidding!? We're on the top floor, we can't just jump ou…" Zerobi protested before looking out the hole and realizing they were back on ground level, again wondering what she had missed while unconscious. Connor and Lucario looked at each other, Lucario trying to understand why on earth the seemingly loyal giant had decided to betray Zoroark for their sake.

Suddenly, Connor's mouth opened. Not a sound was made, but his lips formed a word. Two syllables.

"This is not something we've got time for!" Zerobi said, feeling very uneasy around the Conkeldurr and imagining him going berserk at any moment and taking both of them out, "We're still in trouble as long as we're in No Man's Land… You want us to get to safety or not?"

"… Right!" Lucario exclaimed as he came to it, seeing the urgent look on Zerobi's face and feeling the tiny body in his arms. Moving towards the hole in the wall, Lucario lowered his head to whisper in Mew's ear.

"… Relax, Mew… I'll be the one protecting you, for once…" he said, not caring whether she could hear him or not, "I… I swear… This time, I swear I won't screw up!"

Zerobi jumped out, Lucario following closely behind. Night had fallen and the streets were fairly empty, no source of light present apart from the full moon soaring high up in the clouded sky. Zerobi sighed out in relief as they started running, knowing it would be easier for them to not be seen in the darkness. She felt secure as they headed towards the woods, but the sensation waned as she noticed just how slowly Lucario was moving. Looking back, she noticed that being encumbered by Mew was not the only reason for his sluggish pace.

"See… Run…?" Lucario whispered, trying to imitate the Conkeldurr's lips with his own. He felt the aura grow distant behind him and knew he had better things to be thinking about, but could not shake the feeling that there was something important about Connor's last and perhaps only statement.

"She… Won…?" he continued, the outcome still not sounding quite right. There were two syllables, but both were shorter than three letters. Lucario kept trying to mimic him over and over, until finally the right combination struck.

Immediately stopping himself, Lucario turned his face back towards the building they had left. The room they had left was empty, and Connor was no longer anywhere to be seen.

"… Cy… On…?" Lucario said out loud, feeling as if his heart was about to stop before an unfamiliar set of memories suddenly came upon him. He saw a very tiny, almost child-like Lucario looking himself in the mirror, a different Pokémon standing beside him. Holding a piece of lumber above them and flexing his beige muscles, the other Pokémon smiled broadly as suddenly a heavy set of footsteps sounded, the two of them turning around as-

"Keep up!" Zerobi shouted further ahead, already slowing herself down considerably so Lucario could follow. As if struck by lightning, Lucario snapped back to reality and continued running. An odd feeling ran through him, something aching in his chest and on top of both his hands. He had no idea what was happening, but decided to leave his curiosities for later. They were not out of the woods yet.

* * *

><p>Zoroark carefully examined the handheld monitor, lightly tapping the side of it to scroll through the readings. His grin grew wider with every number he calculated.<p>

"A pulse…" Zoroark whispered to himself, a great weight lifting off his shoulders. Laughing a little, he realized that he had once more underestimated a legendary. He would have to prepare something far more extraordinary for the next encounter, and preferably something involving less of him sticking his neck out. His nerves were not keen at taking any more punishment than they already had.

While the name Sphygnomanometer alone had been enough to scare off the two Bellsprout that had found the curious bandage and tiny monitor it lying in an old hospital, Zoroark had realized its functions and kept it in case he needed to make sure that someone was not just pretending to be dead. He had attached the bandage to Mew's tail before letting Connor carry her downstairs, not really expecting her to spring back to life so quickly. He would have to apologize profusely before continuing their discussion, this time with less panic and more of the peace and quiet he had initially hoped for. The best part, he thought, was that he was still safe from harm, since she would still not regain her psychic powers for at least a few days.

Relieved as Zoroark was, he could not help but frown as the readings from Mew's pulse stopped coming. The words "OUT OF RANGE" suddenly appeared on the screen. The remote Sphygnomanometer supposedly had a range of over 50 meters, so for it to be out of range was not a possibility as long as she remained in the building.

A nasty thought hit him. On a whim, he ran up to his favorite window and peered outside. Seeing nothing, he ran out into the corridor and looked out a window acing the other way. There, in the darkness of the city, he saw two figures running away into the woods.

"Damn…" Zoroark mumbled, recognizing Lucario and Zerobi thanks to his sharp eyesight and perfect night vision. He wondered how they could possibly have escaped the dauntless Connor, but felt that perhaps it was for the best. With Mew as a guest, he had far more pressing matters to attend to than exacting revenge upon Lucario. Also, he genuinely had no clue on how to handle Zerobi, who aside from being a coldblooded killer could apparently survive a gaping hole in her chest as well as being completely liquefied.

It was not until Zoroark noticed the small pink creature in Lucario's arms that he realized the gravity of the situation.

"Oh, damn!" he burst out, turning around and starting to run down the stairs. He had no idea what the two of them had in mind for Mew, but if she was to get away now the consequences could be catastrophic for both him and No Man's Land. Zoroark picked up the pace and leaped out of an open window, sliding down the rope-like vine that hung from the side.

Running his claws through his hair once more, he confirmed that the useful vials tied up within were still there. Zoroark smiled as he set off towards the forest. Zerobi and Lucario might have been able to escape Connor, but there was not a creature alive that could escape him. It had all been but a minor setback, and he would show them exactly why it is a bad idea to cross the leader of No Man's Land.


	63. Elusive Trickster Zoroark

Night had fallen upon the city of No Man's Land. The evening's cool and refreshing air replaced the sweltering heat which had lingered at daytime. Even so, Lucario knew everything would turn dense and rich with unpleasant odors once he went deeper into the woods, and took the moment to enjoy his current surroundings. Running through the forest, the strong moonlight filtering through the leaves and branches was the only thing illuminating his passage and stopping him from tripping over a root or crashing headfirst into a trunk. Soon the thick crowns would fully block out the sky, and he wondered how much longer he would be able keep going before the forest became too dark to move through.

Zerobi was leading the way, relying on her fairly adapt night vision and gleaming claws to beacon a route for Lucario to follow. Normally she was only a little bit faster at running than he was, but with Mew in his arms and quite the troublesome terrain to navigate in the dark, she felt like she could be running circles around both of them without breaking a sweat. Still curious as to what could possibly have incapacitated Mew, she had no intention of slowing down to find out. Instead, she was busy trying to decide if her paranoia had returned at the worst possible time, or if there really something behind them.

"Is someone's chasing us?" Zerobi asked, deciding to check with Lucario. Lucario looked behind them for a moment, then shrugged.

"Probably not… I'm not sensing an aura," Lucario responded while panting a little from the exhausting run, realizing that his statement was not entirely true. He was still sensing many aura from No Man's Land, the extraordinarily strong one from underground grabbing his attention once more. As he reached out with his senses, he could not help but notice that the familiar aura he had noticed outside the city was currently on the move. He tried to pinpoint exactly where it was heading, but was suddenly interrupted.

"STOP!" a loud voice came from behind. Lucario snapped out of his thoughts and looked back, almost dropping Mew in surprise as he saw a black and vaguely red figure coming right at them.

"It's Zoroark!" Lucario screamed as he recognized the voice, "Shit! He's fast!"

"THAT'S Zoroark!?" Zerobi shouted as she spun around to look for half a second before turning her face forward again and speeding up, "Come on, keep running!"

Lucario tried to speed up as well, but noticed he was already at his limit. Mew stirred a little as he jumped over a root, and he could hear Zoroark quickly closing in from behind.

"Lucario and Zerobi! I do not care about you two!" Zoroark yelled with surprisingly clarity despite running at top speed, "Hand me Mew and I will let you go!"

"Sounds trustworthy!" Lucario replied sarcastically, noticing that his panting was becoming heavier and more labored. Zoroark was catching up fast, and he had no hope of dodging or fighting him while carrying Mew. Growling menacingly while putting all his powers into a spurt, he increased his speed a little and ran up beside Zerobi.

"Z-Zerobi, here!" Lucario gasped as he held Mew's sleeping body towards her, "T-Take Mew and r-run! I'll stop Zoroark!"

"Wh… What!?" Zerobi exclaimed, moving a pace away from Lucario before ducking and narrowly dodging a low branch, "You can't be serious!"

"He's t-too fast, I can't outrun him!" Lucario continued as he moved closer and forcefully pushed Mew towards her again, "I can't fight while holding Mew, either! Take her and let me kill this asshole, I'll catch up with you later!"

"But… But…" Zerobi stammered, unable to think of what to say as she noticed the pricks of deep red across the tiny legendary's back, "… I can't carry her, she's bleeding! If that gets on me-"

"Just from behind, hold her the other way!" Lucario yelled as he flipped Mew around far less carefully than he would have wanted to, starting to panic as Zoroark was now closer than ever before, "NOW!"

Zerobi muttered a curse as she held her arms out, turning the sharper side of her claws downwards. Lucario tossed Mew's body into her chest, making her recoil as she repositioned the legendary as to not drop or accidentally cut into her. Letting Mew's body rest upon her outstretched arms, Zerobi steadied her run and could not help but pensively eye the blood trickling down her sides.

As soon as Mew left his arms, Lucario let both his feet hit the ground, stopping and turning around. Zoroark was heading straight for him.

"No!" Zoroark suddenly yelled, a panicked expression crossing his normally confident features while his eyes followed Zerobi and Mew, "Don't let them get away!"

"Go ahead, try to follow them!" Lucario shouted with a smile before letting the aura flow through his arm, "Let me introduce your back to the Aura Sphere!"

Zoroark flinched as a thousand conflicting thoughts ran through his head at once. While most told him that Lucario was bluffing and he should keep running, his back was already quite familiar to the Aura Sphere and knew exactly how badly it hurt. The thought of getting knocked out and possibly killed finally made Zoroark halt himself a few feet away from Lucario, hastily trying to think of what to do. Before he knew it, the Weavile carrying the legendary had disappeared out of sight into a sea of trees and bushes ahead.

"You… You idiot!" Zoroark burst out with an exasperated voice while clenching his claws together in rage, "Do you realize what you've done!?"

"Yes!" Lucario replied with a sense of excitement that surprised even himself, letting the aura flowing through his arm settle down as to not misfire and ruin his valiant stand. At long last, he felt like he was making a difference. He felt like he was selflessly protecting someone he cared about, and his worries and doubts about himself began to vanish as Zerobi and Mew managed to get further and further away. Although neither had an aura for him to sense, he knew they would be fine on their own.

"You left the legendary Mew in the care of that murderous psychopath!?" Zoroark shouted, watching his plans go dreadfully wrong and once more ending up with the death of Mew.

"… Who? Zerobi?" Lucario asked after thinking for a moment, "Hah! I think you've got it mixed up, YOU'RE the one who's trying to kill Mew!"

"I don't have time for your bullshit!" Zoroark kept going as he impatiently waved his arms in front of him in a threatening gesture, "I mean Mew no harm… And her blood will be on your hands unless we stop Zerobi!"

"Yeah, not going to happen," Lucario said before shaking his head and striking a battle pose, "Come on, you could at least put some effort into lying."

"You… You goddamn fucking dumbass motherfucker!" Zoroark suddenly burst out, finally fed up with Lucario's misinformed views and unreasonable confidence, "Why do I even give a shit trying to explain anything!? You're so deluded it's just… Not possible! You're impossible!"

"You should've realized before that I'm way too smart for your trickery," Lucario replied with a smile while continuing to ignore Zoroark's words, "Face it, you've met your intellectual match!"

"I will not let Mew die because of your stupidity!" Zoroark growled as he prepared himself for combat, "Last warning! Move!"

"Fine… As you wish!" Lucario shouted as he cracked his knuckles and ran forward. He took a swing, his fist whishing through the air as Zoroark reacted quickly and crouched down. Coming in low, Zoroark countered by aiming his claws at Lucario's right leg. Lucario pulled his leg back and spun around in a clockwise motion, a mighty kick striking Zoroark in the side.

"GAH!" Zoroark coughed as he hopped sideways, the painful blow reminding him that he was no match for a fighting-type in direct combat. Even so, it only served to make him more indignant.

"That was for last time!" Lucario exclaimed cheerfully while putting his hand to his own side, the successful attack bringing him extreme satisfaction, "… AND the time before that, might I add! Get ready for more, I've got so many skills for kicking your ass I don't know where to start!"

"For your sake…" Zoroark whispered with a grim, loathsome expression, "… I hope none of them rely on you actually knowing where your enemy is."

In an instant, Zoroark was no longer there. Lucario's eyes widened and he choked on his own gasp in surprise, turning around to examine the area. Not seeing anything and still not able to sense the dark-type's aura, he finally turned his head upwards as if expecting to see him hovering above.

There was nothing. Out of nowhere, Zoroark had completely vanished. There were only trees and bushes around, all of which provided ample hiding places. Lucario wondered if Zoroark was just waiting for the right opportunity to strike, or if he had gotten past him and was already trying to catch up with Zerobi and Mew.

The latter thought seemed to be the most likely and troublesome as Lucario immediately took off in the direction where Zerobi and Mew had disappeared, neither of them providing an aura for him to track. Instead, all he could sense was the aura that had been roaming the outside of the forest. It was definitively on the move, closer now than before and seemingly inside the forest. Not only that, but there was something else there… Something approaching quickly from behind…

Spinning around and thrusting out his elbow, he felt it connect with Zoroark's snout. However, he had not been fast enough, as something slashed across his chest before the dark-type staggered backwards with a pained cry. Both of them were taken by such surprise that they just stood and stared at each other for a moment.

"H-How the hell did you…!?" Zoroark snarled viciously while clasping his hand around his nose, realizing that he was bleeding. His own attack had drawn blood from Lucario, but had not done nearly as much damage as he had hoped.

Lucario smiled while reaching up and flicking his ears a bit.

"These aren't just for show, you know," he said confidently, suddenly grateful to finally get some use out of having such large ears. So far, all they had done was bump into things overhead and force him to cover them whenever a loud noise sounded. Zoroark had moved both quickly and quietly, but the light pitter-patter that would have gone unnoticed by anyone else had alerted Lucario to his presence.

"… Damn it!" Zoroark huffed angrily, having hoped for a quick and easy resolution instead of a drawn out battle. Every second that passed, Zerobi was getting further away, and the bandage part of the Sphygnomanometer had already fallen off Mew's tail, so soon he would have no hope of finding them. Not that it would matter, Zoroark thought, not knowing just how many moments it would take before Zerobi started digging into the poor helpless legendary. A wave of guilt ran through him, and he knew that he had to try anything to rectify his mistake in incapacitating Mew.

"… You know what? Screw this!" Zoroark suddenly snarled as he dropped his stance, "I've got better things to do, damn it. I am willing to call this a draw if you are."

"A… A draw!?" Lucario burst out in surprise, having expected the battle to continue for quite a bit longer, "Uh… I'm keeping you busy so the others can escape, remember?"

"You are all free to go for now," Zoroark muttered as he waved his hand and turned around, "Go ahead, before I change my mind."

Lucario looked at him with a confused expression for a while, before also dropping his guard.

"… Alright," he said while nodding in agreement, "It's a draw. Good bye."

Also turning around, Lucario and Zoroark stood with their backs to each other. Hesitantly, they both started walking away.

After nearly three steps, both of them turned around again and charged each other, clashing together in a violent slam.

"… So?" Lucario asked expectantly as he took a step back.

"I… Changed my mind," Zoroark mumbled before raising his voice, "You were planning on attacking me too!?"

"Hah! You think I'm settling for a draw after coming this far?" Lucario chuckled as he struck his battle pose again, "No way! I'm kicking your ass!"

Something sinister passed over Zoroark's face. His angry features began to melt away as his usual confident demeanor crept forward. It was obvious that he had just gotten some kind of idea. In a flash, he zoomed one of his arms through his hair, his claws clutching a small vial containing a clear yellowish liquid as they came out.

"Kicking? MY ass? I never knew you thought so highly of yourself," Zoroark mused as he uncorked the vial and gave the contents a quick whiff, "Mmm… Tell me, which flavor of defeat would you prefer? Paralysis, sleep or poison?"

"… Poison?" Lucario responded, hoping Zoroark did not know about his inherent immunity to poisoning. He remembered how he had been taken down with a single blow when paralyzed, and how the scientist Zoroark had put to sleep had faced a similar fate.

"Ahaha… Clever," Zoroark snickered, trying to draw things out as much as possible, "No, I think paralysis would do nicely, so you can lie here and mope while thinking about what you've done."

Before pouring the liquid over his claws, Zoroark looked down and realized they were covered in blood. Some of it was his, and some of it was Lucario's.

"Hey asshole, you think I'm going to let this happen?" Lucario asked, realizing that this was a perfect opportunity to cancel his enemy's preparations, "You know I can attack at any moment, right?"

"Oh, I wouldn't suggest that…" Zoroark mumbled while holding up his bloodied hands, "Do we share the same blood type? If not, stabbing you with these would probably kill you."

"… How considerate of you…" Lucario grumbled sarcastically, the wound on his side that had been pierced by the same claws twice aching a bit. Zoroark produced a towel from his hair which he used to wipe his claws clean, using his tongue to lick up the last remnants of blood. The flavor was iron-like and strong, and he could not comprehend how Zerobi could be so passionate about it. Something told him that understanding her twisted mentality might actually be worse than not.

Meanwhile, Lucario had his own problem to worry about. Focusing his senses, he noticed that the powerful aura that had been on the move was definitively heading directly towards them. At first he had thought Zoroark was an idiot for stalling the battle, since he needed to catch up with Zerobi and Mew as quickly as possible… But the more he thought about it, he realized Zoroark was probably just waiting for some kind of backup from No Man's Land. The aura came from the outskirts of the forest, so it was probably some kind of guard... A very strong one, judging by its ferocious and strangely familiar aura.

"You ready, or what!?" Lucario yelled impatiently, knowing he would have to end the battle quickly before having to fight two foes at once.

"Oh… Almost…" Zoroark whispered as he was finally given what he had been waiting for; a light, cold and wet tap on the nose.

Lucario felt something touching his head, and he looked up. It was difficult to tell in the darkness, but the steady stream on water falling into his eyes told him it was starting to rain. In just a few moments it was as if the skies themselves had dumped a bucket over them, the rain coming down in a violent shower. The darkness around them became covered in grey scratches, illuminated by the moon's pale light.

"Hmpf… Heheh…" Zoroark snickered, a sinister smile appearing on his face. Lucario braced himself for what was to come, wondering what possible use his opponent could make out of regular rainfall. If anything, it should wash the poisonous coating from his claws before long.

"… You've got good hearing, do you?" Zoroark asked gleefully as he ran one of his hands through his bushy red hair, water dripping down his face and matting down his fur, "I wonder… Can you hear this?"

Zoroark then stepped down with his foot on the wet soil. It made no splash and left no mark, and whatever miniscule sound it might have caused was drowned out by the millions of raindrops falling all around it.

"No? I guess those ears really are just for show!" Zoroark shouted triumphantly while shaking his head, several droplets of water flying off to the sides. Lucario tensed up, finally realizing what Zoroark was getting at. The dark-type snickered as he finally turned the vial upside down and coated his claws with the strange yellowish fluid. It was done both swiftly and efficiently, for he was no longer waiting for the rain to start.

"Take a deep breath, Lucario. I hear gargling mud is a fairly disgusting experience…" Zoroark said, and then he was gone. Lucario was just about to rush him, but stopped himself when realizing he had missed the opportunity.

Immediately he began thinking of a way to counter the attack, but nothing obvious came up. He really had no way of seeing, hearing or otherwise detecting Zoroark's location anymore. He thought of using the Aura Sphere, but while the attack was both destructive and accurate, it wouldn't matter much if he didn't know where to aim. It had missed once against the hunter, and this time a miss would result in defeat.

Lucario suddenly thought about the hunter. He remembered how the fairly slow and heavy target had still managed to dodge his Aura Sphere. He suddenly had an idea. It would be quite risky, but it was still better than nothing.

Closing his eyes, Lucario dropped his hands to his sides. Both his arms were flexed, and ready to attack at a moment's notice. However, even so he tried to relax as much as possible, attempting to figure out when to strike. At any moment he could be pierced, paralyzed and left for dead on the wet ground. The rattling of the rain made it seem like it had already happened, and he was completely still while lamenting over his defeat. Knowing Zoroark was already moving on. Knowing he would take Mew back to No Man's Land despite her near death experience. Knowing Zerobi might not even make it that far before being killed off. Knowing that he had failed to protect the only two people in the world he genuinely cared about.

He would not have it. Not this time.

"YAAH!" Lucario burst out, putting all his weight behind an uppercut to his right. His fist connecting with Zoroark's chin like a volcanic outburst, sending the dark-type flying upwards in a graceful arc. Zoroark's mind went numb as he flew back and fell down on the ground, instinctively getting to his feet but still not capable of any rational thinking.

"Wh… What the…" he stammered through his dizziness, the pain pounding against his head and making it seem like he was being hit over and over by the attack, "How the… How could you possibly…?"

"Take a deep breath, Zoroark," Lucario said with a confident smile as he charged, "I hear kissing the ground's not all that great, either!"

Zoroark wobbled a bit, trying to get out of the way but still too dazed to make a genuine effort. Lucario was just about to slug the dark-type once more when a very strong feeling overwhelmed him, making him halt and grit his teeth in anger.

"That's… That's not fair! I'm winning, damn it!" Lucario yelled before pointing accusingly at Zoroark, "Hey, you're not a coward, are you!? Tell your backup to piss off so we can continue this fight in peace!"

"My… Backup?" Zoroark repeated with a curious expression. His mind began to clear as he heard a booming crack somewhere within the woods. It sounded something like a branch breaking in two, but many times louder.

"Yeah! I've been sensing that thing ever since getting here!" Lucario continued, feeling the immensely powerful aura coming up right upon them, "You know, one of the guards you put outside No Man's Land?"

"… I didn't put any guards outside…" Zoroark whispered and stared into the forest, a very bad feeling spreading through him. He heard yet another explosion-like snap, closer this time.

"… Huh?" Lucario exclaimed in surprise, "But… That can't be! I recognize this aura, I just can't remember from where! You mean… It's NOT one of yours?"

Both their curiosities were answered as one final blast sounded, and one of the trees they had been staring at broke around the middle and came crashing down. Behind it was an incredibly large creature, one that both Lucario and Zoroark recognized all too well. It approached them with footsteps so heavy that they could be heard even through the pouring rain.

A figure suddenly emerged on top of the beast, crawling out from under its fur. As astounding of a sight as the monstrous creature was, the one thing that drew their attention was the color emanating from the trainer on top…

**RED**


	64. Electric Tiger Raikou

A crash of thunder sounded somewhere in the distance, and Lucario felt his heart miss a beat in shock. Zoroark sobered up in an instant at the terrifying sight before them. In the middle of the forest where they had fought now stood the legendary dog Raikou, carrying the eternal champion Red on his back.

Raikou looked as intimidating as ever, perhaps even more so in the darkness of the night and pouring rain. Yellow fur covered his massive body, one that was not as enormous as that of Entei but still more than twice as big as Lucario's. His four legs were long, but rather than lanky they were all thick, muscular and extremely sturdy. Droplets of rain dripped down the crest covering his forehead, disappearing somewhere within the white mane covering his face or the purple mane reaching across his back in a wavy patter. The water that came into contact with his spiky tail was not as lucky, instantly evaporating into tiny blue explosions.

Red sat on Raikou's back, nestled within the purple mane as if it were a classy robe. His beard had been trimmed and was shorter than Lucario remembered, but it was still quite prominent and did not hide the old trainer's advanced age. The red cap on his head was slightly different this time, but just as unfitting for a man of his position. However, his stature was as powerful as ever, radiating assurance and evoking a curious sense of respect from both Lucario and Zoroark.

"Two for one…?" Red said with a bored expression, eyes barely open as he looked back and forth between the two Pokémon, "… Half the challenge. What a shame."

Lucario did not know whether to cower or straighten himself up. The utter defeat he and Zerobi had faced the last time against the legendary and his masterful trainer still burned fresh in his memory, as did the unparalleled voltage that had left him paralyzed for days. He had trained and fought with the hopes of one day claiming revenge, but simply thinking about it was nothing compared to actually standing there. Raikou stared him down like the implacable beast he was, and Lucario could already feel something sinister in the air. It reminded him of static electricity, except it seemed to be flowing freely all around him. His hairs stood on end, partly due to the electrical currents and mostly due to the combined fear and excitement he was experiencing.

"So…" Lucario whispered as he looked back at Zoroark with a hopeful expression, "This is the part where we put our difference aside and team up to fight a common foe, right?"

Zoroark drooped, wondering when this extremely long day would finally end. Between nearly killing Mew, getting beaten up by Lucario and somehow running into the most dangerous enemy in existence by chance, his only wonder was if he was to die from a heart attack before the rest of the world succeeded in one of their many attempts to do him in. Shaking his head, he finally realized the severity of the situation and felt his adrenaline start pumping again. He knew he had survived worse, and refused to accept such an unfair end to his life.

"Not a chance," Zoroark replied bluntly as he took a step forward, "Stay quiet and let me talk to him."

Instantly he regretted moving, Raikou's piercing gaze quickly falling upon him. The giant canine's red, volcanic eyes reminded him so much of Entei, he felt an involuntary shiver run up his spine. Raikou was supposedly every bit the fighter Entei had been, the main exception being that he was guided by the greatest trainer of all time. Zoroark knew there was no tricking this experienced duo, and even if he wanted to there were few geographical advantages to make use of in the middle of the forest. He knew that actually defeating Raikou was not an option, and his only hope was to do what he was best at. If it had worked against both Entei and Mew, what were the odds of things being any different with this legendary?

"Hmm? Lucario…" Red muttered with a facial expression of mild curiosity as he looked at Zoroark, "… Is it the Weavile who has evolved into this strange, new species…?"

"Raikou!" Zoroark suddenly shouted, staring at the legendary while completely ignoring the aged trainer, "I bring a message from your brother Entei!"

Raikou returned his stare without giving off any hint of a response. For a moment, Zoroark felt like he was talking to Connor, slowly realizing just how much more intimidating the silence was when trying to communicate with a dangerous foe.

"He said…" Zoroark continued as his posture turned sharp and his voice gained more confidence, "… No, he demanded that you do not hinder this revolution!"

"… Foolishness…" Raikou suddenly responded, to both Lucario and Zoroark's shock. Even Red seemed to be taken slightly aback, wondering what the Pokémon could possibly be discussing to actually get a reply out of his normally mute guardian. Raikou's voice was rough and dry as the desert, yet not nearly as deep as Entei's had been.

"It is the truth!" Zoroark yelled, glad to finally get a reaction and possibly even a chance to escape the encounter unharmed, "As proof that I have earned his trust, he showed me what was behind his mask! I know what lies beyond yours, as well! He would never let someone he did not trust know about something like that!"

The legendary's eyes widened. A troubled look crossed his face for a moment as he seemed to contemplate what to do next.

"Raikou…" Red said with a dull tone as he petted the side of his Pokémon's head, "… Charge."

Suddenly, Raikou's bemused expression was no more. He continued staring down Zoroark with cold, uncaring eyes as his upper body began to give off a faint glow. The hair around his face rustled quietly, and his purple mane slightly lifted from his body. Lucario could see the legendary's yellow hair moving in ripples, and was suddenly struck by a feeling of unease all over his body. Looking down, he gasped as he noticed that his own fur was also in motion, dancing to the powerful pulses of static electricity emanating from Raikou.

"Are the negotiations going well, or what!?" Lucario yelled to Zoroark, but was not given a response. The once confident leader stood completely frozen, not budging an inch or making any effort of either talking or attacking.

"... What the hell am I waiting for!?" Lucario growled to himself, remembering his vow for vengeance against the legendary monster that now looked like fearsome lantern in the dark woods, still only partially lit. Not knowing how much time he had to spare before Raikou had finished charging up, Lucario quickly amassed as many mitochondria in the palm of his hand as he could. They burst and formed a glorious sphere of deep blue, contrasting against Raikou's white shine which was lighting up the night.

"HAH!" Lucario shouted, throwing his arm out towards Raikou and letting the Aura Sphere fly. The glowing hound suddenly looked up from Zoroark, Red harshly pulling a tuft of hair to signal a warning. Raikou did not even have time to recognize the Aura Sphere before struck him right between the eyes. Lucario smiled, knowing what was to come next. Had he taken more time to stabilize the sphere, it would have pierced right through the overgrown dog. However, such was not his intention, this time.

Raikou howled in pain as the Aura Sphere suddenly exploded, a flare of blue fire covering his head and burning both outside and inside his helmet. He staggered and took a large step backwards, Red holding on tightly as to not fall off.

"GOTCHA, BITCH!" Lucario yelled triumphantly while Raikou's sparkling fur began to tone down, and the light quickly diminished as the legendary lost his focus and stopped charging. Teeth bared in hostility, Raikou glared viciously in Lucario's direction.

"See? Let's team up and show him how it's done!" Lucario said confidently as he turned around to look at Zoroark, still quite still and quiet. He had a hard time making out the dark-type's features in the darkness of the night, and the lack of any response made him feel strangely alone in his fight against the legendary.

"Ah… I see you have mastered the Aura Sphere," Red said quietly while stroking through the large mane beneath him in an attempt to calm down his Pokémon, "… Raikou, prepare maneuver Surge-two. Show the boy proper use of a projectile."

After hearing this, Raikou's angry expression settled down as he crouched down and once more started glowing with increasing intensity. Lucario got a bad feeling, but knew the Aura Sphere was by far his most speedy attack, and a large beast like Raikou really should have no possibility of dodging it. He let the aura flow through his right arm again, charging up while ready to react at a moment's notice. To his surprise, Raikou seemed to be doing the exact same thing.

"TAKE THIS!" Lucario shouted as he thrust out his left arm, trying to fake out Raikou. The legendary stood completely unfazed as Lucario two seconds later threw out the arm carrying the sphere, shooting it directly towards Raikou's body. It was already halfway there, and Lucario thought another direct hit was inevitable.

In an instant, Raikou made a short hop. To Lucario's utter disbelief, Raikou turned himself around like a corkscrew in midair, the Aura Sphere just barely grazing past the mane whishing through the wind. Watching the bulky body move with such impossible grace was enough to throw Lucario off, and he failed to notice Raikou opening his mouth. While still upside down in the air, the legendary spat out a surge of electricity which instantly took on the form of a thunderbolt. In a flash, it raced towards Lucario who did his best to leap to the side, but everything had happened to quickly for him to fully comprehend.

Lucario's world turned white and yellow as the thunderbolt struck, electricity coursing through him and causing a burning pain throughout his body. He felt his legs give way as he fell to his knees, confused and disoriented. A deep thud told him that Raikou had landed, realizing that all this had happened within the timespan of a small hop.

"Despite his size, Raikou is actually quite agile…" Red said, peeking up through Raikou's mane with a somewhat disappointed expression, "… Raikou, discharge."

A roar filled the skies as Raikou suddenly threw his head up, releasing the charge he had been building up. Red ducked within the mane as the legendary exploded in a brilliant flash of white, sparkles of slightly blue electrical currents stretching out over the area. Powerful thunder leaped between trunks and branches, chaining themselves together like a highly advanced and lethal spider's web. Stray leaves exploded into flames as a bolt of lightning struck Lucario, lying on the ground and shaking uncontrollably as if his every nerve had caught on fire. Unable to shut his eyes due to the intense pain, he could not help but see an even stranger sight unfolding before him.

Several feet behind the shimmering Raikou, a previously obscured figure stood illuminated in the middle of the electrical current. The creature became more and more visible with each passing moment, as if fading into reality. It rattled violently with painful twists of its upper body, before falling forward and landing squarely on its face. It was then that Lucario looked back and realized that Zoroark was no longer standing where he had last seen him. Before he could examine the figure more closely and confirm his fears, another bolt of stray lightning struck. The indescribably strong electricity claimed his very being, leaving his mind in a scrambled, panicked state up until the point where it finally gave out and he fainted.

After a few moments, the lightning diminished as the last of the stray bolts crawled after deeper into the forest, growing weaker with each passing tree. Raikou lowered his head calmly as Red peeked back up, witnessing the destruction around them. To his relief, he noticed that the fires had already gone out thanks to the rain, so there was no need for him to worry about an impending forest fire. To his disappointment, however, he also saw that his two opponents both lay on the ground, unmoving and utterly defeated.

"I knew it would be overkill…" Red sighed with pensive melancholy, having hoped for a better challenge and deciding to pick a weaker Pokémon the next time, "Raikou, you have done well. I demand that you take a vacation once we are finished."

Raikou lowered his head further, remembering how boring his last vacation had been. While thinking of a way to stay longer with Red, a painful cough sounded behind him. Turning around, the legendary saw Zoroark lying down, struggling to get up.

"You new species are all the same…" Red muttered as he examined the dark-type with chagrin apparent in his voice, "… Using whatever unique ability you were blessed with, thinking it makes you invincible… So boring."

Zoroark looked up, a terrified expression on his face. His attempt at escape had failed, and he knew there was nothing he could do about it. Quivering heavily while trying to stand, he remained lying down as he could no longer move or even feel anything below his waist.

"I… Will not…" Zoroark said with a trembling voice, reaching into his hair to grab a hold of a vial. He tried to drag it out, but dropped it as his hand continued shaking and refused to get a good grip. Red sighed once more as he patted Raikou on the side, the massive legendary beginning to walk towards Zoroark. The dark-type panicked and scrambled to get up, once again to no avail. Coughing ferociously, he stretched out towards a nearby root and tried to drag himself away.

"… No Man's Land…" Zoroark wheezed indignantly as Raikou and Red came up behind him, "… Is not ready… To survive… Without me… I can't… Not yet…"

"Who would have thought it would be this easy…?" Red said quietly as he reached into his backpack, pulling out something that Zoroark needed no closer inspection to recognize. He struggled harder, actually managing to pull the full length of his body ahead as Red jumped down from Raikou and walked up to him.

Only then did he realize that it was all over.

"N-No…!" Zoroark pleaded one last time as a round, metallic object touched the back of his head. In an instant, his being transformed into crimson light and was sucked up by the Pokéball. Red left the ball lying on the ground, watching it bounce back and forth as its captive gave his one last display of refusal, trying his best to escape the advanced contraption.

"Three… Two… One…" Red counted down, and precisely on the last beat, the movement of the Pokéball stopped. With that, the leader of the revolution was no more. All that remained as yet another addition to Red's sizable collection of Pokémon. He had caught Zoroark.

"You will get used to it," Red whispered reassuringly to the Pokéball as he picked it up. While he was still disappointed at how easy it had been, he felt relieved that at least one of his targets was able to fit inside a Pokéball.

"As for you, my friend… I am afraid the easy way is out of the question," Red said as he walked back to Lucario, seeing that the fighting-type was already unconscious and not about to make a final stand like Zoroark had tried. There were a few things he wanted to tell Lucario, but knew there was little time to spare. Carrying his body and placing it on Raikou's back, they began their journey towards the outskirts of the forest.

Red looked back in the direction of No Man's Land. For a moment, his boyish spirit for adventure awoke as he wished he could have seen the acclaimed city of Pokémon at least once. With its leader and founder resting quietly in his backpack, he knew it would not be there for much longer.


	65. Equilibrium: Epilogue of Episode IX

Perplexed and exhausted, it took Lucario several minutes to comprehend that he was awake. He sat still, vacantly looking at nothing in particular, everything around him a darkened shade of brown. There was a light tapping against his right foot, but like everything else it was not enough to grab his absent attention. Things were rocking back and forth in a very soothing motion, and it only served to bring him closer to sleep once more. It was not until the room suddenly lurched violently, sending Lucario to the side where he knocked his head against some kind of metal and abruptly came back to his senses.

"Son of a…" he murmured, clutching his sore head. It felt like he had been banging it repeatedly against an unprotected electrical socket, the thought of electricity suddenly bringing his mind up to date. He tried sitting up straight, only to bash his head against yet another hard object. Swearing while clutching his head once more he looked around hastily, expecting to see Raikou or maybe even Zoroark sneering at him from somewhere.

There was not much to see. All around him was some kind of thick brown cloth, light seeping in through various small holes and cuts. He could see it move in the wind and hear it flutter, but the air was musky and unpleasant. Reaching up to try and lift the cloth, he was stopped by some kind of metallic object in his way. It was difficult to tell in the darkness, but as he inspected the object more closely he noticed that it was bar made out of iron, and only one of the many that now surrounded him.

Lucario growled and bashed his cage as hard as he could, not even making a dent in the hard metal. A decently powerful aura beneath the cage told him he was being carried by some Pokémon, one he had never met before. All of this seemed strangely familiar, and Lucario thought back to the last time a trainer had captured him. Back then he had been unconscious for most of the trip, and worried as to where he was being taken this time. If the scientist wanted him back for more experimentation, he knew he would eventually face the same fate as the poor Dragonair had.

Realizing the cage was not even large enough for him to sit up straight, Lucario slumped back in defeat. With nothing else to do, he suddenly became aware of something tapping against his right foot. Looking down, he saw a small round object lying on the ground, rolling with the constant motions of the cage between one of the bars and Lucario's toes. Picking it up without really thinking, the upper half of the ball suddenly opened up and exploded into a flash of red light. Lucario tried to back away but had no way of moving around, and the strangely sentient light ended up landing right in his lap. A warm sensation preceded that of something like a heavy pelt taking form upon him as the cage became more and more cramped by the second.

"Ah!" Lucario exclaimed in terror as he had no intention of being crushed against the floor, when the creature from the Pokéball suddenly stopped growing and the red light faded away. He tried to see who it was, his vision now obscured by a sea of red hair as something kicked him right between the ribs.

"Lucario!?" Zoroark shouted out with a confused voice as he tried to stand up, "Where are-"

"A cage!" Lucario replied as he covered his chest, somehow ending up with a fast elbow against his nose, "OW! Stop squirming, damn it!"

"Get away from me!" Zoroark yelled as he once more tried pushing Lucario away, but failed to do so. He began to realize that there was something behind him both of them, and quickly started to think of another way to separate. Trying to stand up, he ended up banging his head against the top of the cage. Almost falling face first onto Lucario, his descent was stopped by the fighting-type holding his arms in front and catching him in midair.

"Move your hands!" Zoroark suddenly burst out with indignation, his voice filled with rage. Lucario was about to snap back with a snide remark, when he suddenly noticed that his hands were sinking into something unexpected. It was warm, soft and hairy, but had the toughness of firm flesh to it. Zoroark quickly backed out of Lucario's grasp and scratched his aching head as Lucario pondered over the strange thing he had felt. For a moment he thought he'd pushed against Zoroark's belly, and that the dark-type had really gained a few pounds since their last meeting, but closer observation told him that he had definitively been pushing against the upper body.

There was something familiar about the sensation, like something from a very distant past coming back to him through either Ethan or Cyon's memories. Looking at Zoroark's torso, he saw nothing that could even remotely compare to what his hands had told him. His hair was bushier around his shoulders and chest, and Lucario began to wonder if maybe something was hidden within. Zoroark was busy examining their surroundings and seemed fairly unaware of their situation, and so Lucario saw his chance. Carefully he moved his hand to try to brush some hair aside without its owner noticing, but before reaching his target he felt his hand sink deep into the softness once more. Zoroark and Lucario flinched in unison, and Lucario filled up with horror as he could now feel the strange thing, but could clearly see that his hand surrounded by nothing but air.

"Last warning!" Zoroark growled sharply as he quickly raised one of his spiky hands in a threatening gesture, "If you touch me again-"

"I'm not touching you!" Lucario blurted out in shock, trying to figure out what was going on, "See? There's nothing there, but… But… I feel something!"

Zoroark glared at him for a moment, his expression slowly turning bitter as he saw Lucario's confusion. Trying not to break eye contact lest the dark-type try anything, Lucario could not help but notice something moving by the edge of his vision. Hesitantly looking down to where his hand was, he saw a faint swirl of darkness surrounding it, connecting his hand with Zoroark's body. He froze up, watching with utter disbelief as the darkness grew thicker and more solid, turning into the color of Zoroark's black hair. It finally took form, the swirl converging into two spherical designs, both symmetrical with one another. It was not until Lucario noticed a small nub at the end of one of the globes that he realized he was currently groping one of Zoroark's surprisingly large breasts.

"_Now _can you move your hand?" Zoroark sighed, Lucario immediately pulling his arm back and scrambling to get himself in order. Staring directly at the well-developed chest in front of him, he could hardly believe what he was seeing, but there was no denying the first thought that popped into his head.

"Y-You…" Lucario stammered with a perplexed tone, turning his gaze upwards to face Zoroark with a new set of eyes, "… You're female?"

"Took you long enough to figure out," Zoroark responded quickly and gave off an exasperated huff, "Was it too dark for you to see when I showed you the first time?"

Lucario thought back, remembering how Zoroark had initially promised to show him a secret which he ended up never seeing. Looking down at the bust once more, he realized that while it was quite apparent now, he could easily have missed it in the dim lighting of the underground cave.

"I… I'm no good at telling genders apart, but there's no mistaking the feeling of…" Lucario started before he suddenly realized what he had done and moved further back in alarm, "… Ah! Sorry about that, I thought you were… Or rather, weren't…"

Zoroark gave no response and looked away from him with an annoyed expression, making him lose his train of thoughts. Suddenly, he became very aware of Zoroark's body lying on top, trying to figure out exactly which parts of her he was rubbing up against. He had no way of telling, as everything still just felt like warm, hairy rug.

"… Why?" Lucario asked after a few minutes, examining Zoroark more closely to see if anything else had changed. Zoroark turned back towards him, an agitated expression still present on her face.

"Long story…" she whispered, before noticing Lucario's eyes on her body and feeling her temper rise once more, "… Would you stop staring!? I'd like to spend my last few hours alive with some manner of digni-"

"I knew it!" Lucario shouted as he clasped his hands together in triumph, having finally come to the conclusion he was looking for, "You… You can turn invisible! That's how you hid your gender, and vanished during battle!"

A moment of silence passed between the two of them, Lucario awaiting a response while Zoroark had no idea what to say. She had assumed Lucario would have figured out her true powers by now, and if her pounding headache was anything to go by, even managed to see through them.

"Wait… You didn't know?" Zoroark exclaimed in surprise, "Then how could you possibly have hit me that last time?"

"With my fist!" Lucario replied cheerfully, the great sensation of sweet revenge seeping back into him.

"… I know my illusion was perfect, tell me how you managed to see through it!" Zoroark demanded, far from satisfied with his answer.

"Well, honestly…" Lucario murmured as he thought back, "… I guess it was just a lucky shot?"

"Stop playing dumb!" Zoroark growled, becoming very infuriated by the stubborn fighting-type, "I am about to die because of you, at least give me some damn answers!"

"I… I just felt like that point of time would be a good time for you to attack," Lucario said quietly as he tried to remember exactly what he had been thinking about before deciding to lash out with an uppercut, "So I punched to the side, precisely where you attacked me the last time, and to my surprise I actually hit something."

Zoroark was speechless. Something inside her mind told her Lucario was neither joking nor lying. Leaning against the side of the cage, she suddenly felt very weak. Trapped right next to someone she was beginning to hate quite a bit and on her way to certain execution, all while No Man's Land stands unaware and defenseless. Forcing back her tears, she slumped down in defeat. She hoped her life had been as meaningless as it had seemed.

"… Luck…" Zoroark repeated quietly as she solemnly looked off to the side, "… How I miss the days when I had that…"

"What, you weren't expecting any bad karma after what you've done?" Lucario asked as he also leaned back into a more comfortable position, trying his best not to make their current positions too awkward, "Luck's with everyone else in the world, seeing how this is the end of your stupid revolution."

"… And I suppose you have a better idea for getting humanity to stop treating us like garbage?" Zoroark muttered bitterly, "You know, enslaving us on a whim? Hunting us down and murdering us just because they can?"

"… Uh…" Lucario murmured while trying to think of a good response, "… Did you try protesting?"

"That IS what we're trying!" Zoroark snapped back as she pointed accusingly at Lucario, "They are the aggressors, trying to shut us down through force since they are unable to do it through reason!"

"What I meant was… Violence only creates more violence," Lucario explained, copying what Mew had told him earlier, "The root of the problem is the lack of understanding humans and Pokémon have for each other. All we need to do is sit down and… Uh, talk."

"Exactly! Again, that is precisely what we are trying to do!" Zoroark continued with her tirade, feeling her spirits return at the thought of the injustices she had been served in life, "The language barrier forces us to show our displeasure through actions rather than words… I mean, just being near a human means they have the right to do whatever they want with you, so every discussion like that would open with a Pokéball and end with a lifetime of slavery!"

"… Alright, so maybe you've got a point," Lucario mumbled, not having given much thought as to how he and Mew were going to fix the relationship between humans and Pokémon, "But that doesn't change the fact that a selfish cross-dresser who hates humanity is SO not the right person for this job. Let someone more qualified handle it."

Suddenly, Zoroark lowered her head, letting an ominous shadow cover her face.

"… More qualified…?" Zoroark snarled intensely as she clenched her claws together, "… I've spent years studying… Researching… Planning… Do you think I would have given up everything for this cause if ANYONE else was able to do this!?"

Lucario flinched as Zoroark's voice turned into a powerful shout, the dark-type filling up with murderous rage.

"Pfft, given up everything?" Lucario responded casually to prove that her roar had not intimidated him, "Yeah, right, don't give me that bullshit. You're obviously just doing this as a grab for power, to become ruler of the world or something."

"Ruler!? Why, you little…!" Zoroark continued as she suddenly thrust her arms forward and held them right in front of his face, spiked fingers hanging limply at the end, "Look!"

"… Uh, did you change gender again or something?" Lucario asked, not seeing any obvious difference on the dark-type.

"Oh, for the love of-" Zoroark groaned as she leaned forward and pushed her right arm against Lucario's hand, "Feel, then!"

Lucario wondered if she was trying to get him to molest her again when he suddenly noticed that there was something unusual about her arm. It was covered with the same fine hair as the rest of her body, but while the hide underneath was mostly smooth, certain sections had a particularly coarse texture to them. Moving his hand around, Lucario could feel the rough skin stretching over her arm like long cuts, slowly beginning to realize what they were.

"I got these scars barely a month into the revolution, and was lucky to escape with my life," Zoroark explained with a vicious tone and angry facial expression, "Ruler? I'll be happy to have eyes left to see the fruit of my labor! These scars will never heal… I'm already disfigured beyond recovery, and you dare question my motives!?"

Breathing heavily, Zoroark had no intention of calming down. Her ideas of composure and putting up a reliable facade were all but gone at the thought of imminent death. What difference would it make?

Suddenly, Lucario's hand reached out and grabbed a hold of her arm, pulling it into himself and dragging it firmly across his chest. Before she had time to react or protest, a certain sensation of crudeness upon her wrist made her realize what he was trying to show.

"Welcome to my world," Lucario muttered sourly, "You think you're the only one suffering?"

Zoroark pulled her hand back in surprise, speechless once more. From sight alone there was no way of telling, but beyond his thick chest hair Lucario had more scars than even she. Giant, impossibly devastating scars, signifying a mutilation no living creature could possibly have survived. She knew she must have felt it wrong and decided to examine them more closely, caressing and prodding through Lucario's fur. He seemed a bit discomforted at this, but what she came to realize next shocked her even more.

"That… That shape…" Zoroark whispered as she felt around carefully and was able to determine the form of one of the scars, "… Caused by surgical tools? By… Humans!? But… Why…?"

Lucario came up short. He rarely thought about his scars, and figured they were just something Cyon had gotten from another Pokémon in the past. He knew two of them were from Deoxys, but the idea that the many others might have been caused by human tools made him feel uneasy.

Zoroark noticed Lucario's changing expression and pulled her hand back, worried that she had made him too uncomfortable with her examination. For a moment, she wondered why she even cared. Suddenly, Lucario no longer seemed like the brash ignorant who had ruined everything, but rather a tragic figure who really did not know any better… Just like she had once been.

Guilt came down upon her with great weight as she realized that she had done what she always hated when others did – Judged someone on face value. After dealing with thousands of different Pokémon each day, she had forgotten that there might be those out there that really are nothing like they seem. Wanting to test Lucario's character and knowing she really had nothing left to lose, she decided to be completely sincere for once just to see where it would bring them.

"… Listen, Lucario. I severely underestimated you when I said my reason for doing this was because I hated humanity," Zoroark explained while looking Lucario deep in the eyes without blinking to show that she was not lying, "I thought it might get you to join the revolution, since you were hurt so badly by them. You would have been a valuable ally, and I… I did not want to risk losing you."

"If it's any consolation, I wouldn't have joined, anyway," Lucario replied while wondering where her serious expression had come from, "Why am I so important? Cut the bullshit this time around, OK?"

"Because… Lucario… You are not like everyone else," Zoroark continued explaining, "You have no past to sway you from making the right decisions. You have no relatives to dictate your choices in life. It is as if you were born an adult with a mature mind, completely untainted by the opinions of others and ready to see what truly needs to be done…"

Zoroark suddenly felt a bit distressed, realizing that speaking truthfully might come back to bite her in the future. Even so, seeing Lucario's surprisingly interested expression made her decide to go through with it. Most would have shut her out by now, but here he was, listening to every word of her confession as if it really mattered to him. To her, it confirmed what she had felt all along.

"You are like me," Zoroark said bluntly, giving off a faint smile in confidence, "If it's because you have amnesia or used to be human, whatever. You are the only person capable of understanding what I am doing."

"But…" Lucario muttered, not sure on how to respond, "… I don't understand what you're doing."

"Humans do not treat Pokémon as equals. To everyone in the world this is simply the way things are, and no one believes it is possible to change," Zoroark clarified, a fire suddenly lighting up in her eyes as she rose a bit, "I will make them believe. Humans and Pokémon can coexist as equals."

"… Coexist?" Lucario repeated, the word sounding right to him but not clearing him of his previous concern, "So… No trying to overthrow humanity?"

"Heheh, Lucario…" Zoroark snickered at the strange notion as she shook her head in amusement, "I am merely the leader of an ideology, currently followed by thousands of others. If I deviate even a little from my original plan, they'll abandon or flay me in an instant. It is literally impossible for me to do something like that."

Zoroark fell quiet, Lucario sitting deep in thought as he considered her words. In the end, their goals were the same – To unite humans and Pokémon. He thought her methods seemed reasonable, and potentially a lot more effective than Mew's dedicatedly pacifistic route. Even so, Lucario found it hard to believe that he could have been so wrong about the revolution all this time, and he knew that he was not exactly the first person to ask when it comes to solving a conflict he had not even known about a year prior.

"… All right," Lucario finally said, "I understand what you're trying to do."

"That means…" Zoroark exclaimed hopefully, "You'll join the revolution!?"

"No," Lucario said bluntly as he shook his head, "But I won't hinder you anymore."

"Heheh… Odd choice of words for someone in a cage," Zoroark snickered quietly, her expression slowly turning into one of depression, "… Damn it. After finally managing to convince you… Why does it have to end like this?"

"What will happen to us?" Lucario asked as their surroundings suddenly lurched, making him feel nauseated.

"Had we been taken by a common rube it would've been one thing, but…" Zoroark said before stopping herself, "… Hmm, no, I suppose in that case we wouldn't have been captured in the first place. It had to be one of the champions, didn't it?"

A moment of silence followed, Lucario eagerly waiting as Zoroark thought of what to say. Little did he know she was not thinking of what to say, but rather how to say it without getting him to needlessly panic. The day had been rough to the both of them, and she did not know how many more bad news he could take before snapping.

"… Red is being manipulated by a troublesome group," Zoroark explained while displaying a grievous expression, "They call themselves Team Rocket, but that name is just a ruse. They are actually made up of remnants from many different criminal organizations that have disbanded over the years."

"Red? Manipulated?" Lucario repeated, the idea of someone putting a leash on the man who had defeated him twice sounding unreasonable and hurting his pride.

"The ultimate revenge…" Zoroark whispered with a sigh before raising her voice, "Red was the man who disbanded the original Team Rocket, and now they're the ones controlling him from the shadows. He is but a man and has grown old and feeble, but organizations… They take in fresh blood and stay young forever."

"… I see," Lucario whispered while nodding towards Zoroark, "That's what you're planning for the revolution, isn't it?"

"Hmm… Maybe? Their leader Giovanni stepped down and his son immediately took over… Monarchy really simplifies things, no?" Zoroark mused while contemplating the idea of having an offspring to take things over should anything happen to her, "Speaking of the revolution, I am fairly sure Team Rocket are the ones responsible for experimenting on the Pokémon in the tape. You know about the tape, don't you?"

"Read about it," Lucario said with a nonchalant wave of his hand, "Didn't see it."

"… I envy you…" Zoroark replied with distaste apparent in her voice, "… If we truly are within Giovanni's grasp, odds are we will be starring in a video of our very own before long…"

"Wait…" Lucario mumbled as the thought of being experimented upon brought back unpleasant memories, "… They're the ones that took me after I was kidnapped by that brat, weren't they!?"

"And I had to rescue you?" Zoroark verified, sadly aware that such an outcome would not be possible this time and starting to imagine the horrors that lay in store for them, "… The poor souls we took away from that place have yet to recover. I… I really don't want to end up like them…"

"… End up like what?" Lucario grunted defiantly and gave one of the iron bars above him a few knocks, "We're not dead yet. Turn invisible and escape when they open this thing."

"It is not that simple," Zoroark muttered with regret and a hint of grief as she leaned back against the cage, "My ability is convenient, but riddled with too many shortcomings to be of general use. There's no way I could use it to trick a master like Red, or a veteran like Raikou."

"Hmm…" Lucario mumbled in response, "What makes you think they'll be there?"

Zoroark looked at him. Suddenly, her eyes narrowed.

"Wait, who's carrying us?" Zoroark asked with confusion in her voice.

"Dunno, but I can sense its aura," Lucario explained while focusing his senses on the creature beneath them, "It's really not that strong, and definitively not Raikou or Red."

"… It's… It's not Red…?" Zoroark repeated hopefully before sitting up as straight as she could without bumping into the ceiling, "… Then… Then maybe… If only I could get past these bars, I could steer us right…!"

Lucario watched her as she began to examine the cage around them for structural weaknesses. He tried moving out of her way as to not intrude upon too many private areas when he suddenly noticed something tapping against his right foot. Looking down, he realized that he had all but forgotten about the Pokéball that had brought Zoroark there. A thought crossed his mind where he put her back into the Pokéball to get some more stretching room in the cage, but the thought quickly took the form of an idea.

"How was the Pokéball?" Lucario asked, wondering what transforming into a red light and living inside a container could possibly feel like.

"… I am never going back in that thing again!" Zoroark growled as she looked down at the Pokéball, apparently seeing it for the first time and moving as far away from it as possible. Nothing in this world could have prepared her for the sheer horror that was the inside of a Pokéball, at least to a Pokémon with her incurable affliction. She tried to subdue the fear welling up, but the thought of returning to that hell was even worse than the idea of dying.

"Too bad," Lucario huffed before a smile began to develop on his face, "Might be our ticket out of here."

"It won't fit, the bars are set too tight," Zoroark mumbled bitterly, trying to catch on to Lucario's train of thoughts while drawing attention away from her growing terror, "… And I won't be able to parachute if I'm still in the ball."

"… Huh? I mean, I don't exactly know how they work, but things that come out of it look like thin, red lights…" Lucario explained while hoping he was not completely off with his plan, "… If I hold it between the bars and open it, wouldn't you materialize on the outside?"

Zoroark thought to herself for a moment. A smile crossed her face as well, but it did not stay long.

"… Aha. Clever…" Zoroark whispered with a frown, "… By sealing me back within the Pokéball, you make sure that I will not find a way to escape, thereby condemning the revolution to a failure… Is that it?"

"… You don't trust very easily, do you?" Lucario sighed, realizing that his original thought actually amounted to something like that before he had come up with the idea. They looked at each other for a moment, trying to read one another. Somehow, the hostile atmosphere between the two had completely evaporated over the past hour, and it seemed almost unreasonable that they had been involved in such a perilous battle right before.

Still, Zoroark was not entirely convinced. She knew she had not made it so far in life by blindly trusting whoever she came across. Now that escape was a possibility, she was starting to feel that divulging her deepest secrets might not have been such a good idea. She needed to be sure of who she was dealing with.

"Tell me, Lucario…" Zoroark said quietly while giving him a serious look, "What is your purpose in life?"

"… Do I need one?" Lucario asked, feigning an offended tone.

"You struggle and suffer, yet leave behind all the impact of a passing cloud," Zoroark explained with an unwavering stare and harsh tone, "What is your reason to keep on living?"

As decisive as Zoroark hoped the question was, it was nothing new to Lucario. Since finding out he would never become Ethan again, he had asked himself the same thing more than once, weighing out his current situation. How he was a human-Pokémon hybrid that could not find peace in either societies. How he fought and bled for the sole purpose of keeping himself alive. How many others had suffered and sacrificed in order to help him.

Although the last thought brought him discomfort, the answer was more than obvious.

"I'm not a fan of the alternative," Lucario replied. Zoroark continued examining him with her pensive gaze for a moment before accidentally cracking up. She snorted, stifling a laugh from the direct yet unconventional answer.

"… Alright," she finally said, looking down at the Pokéball and regarding it with equal amounts of hatred and terror. She swallowed her fears and picked it up, careful not to touch the opening that would suck her back into the unending nightmare that dwelled inside. Breathing heavily, she kept telling herself that no matter what unimaginable terror she was to face this time, it would only be for a few moments.

"I will… Enter the Pokéball once more, and trust you to pull this off," Zoroark said as she thrust the Pokéball into Lucario's open hands, a bit woozy at the thought of soon being back inside the infernal contraption, "I am literally placing my life in your hands. Whatever your plans, thoughts or feelings might be… Please, do not waste it."

Lucario nodded assuredly, starting to get the idea of just how much Zoroark loathed being trapped. He held up the Pokéball and turned it around a bit, trying to figure out how to make it work. As Ethan he had supposedly used the things over a million times, but right now he was as oblivious as a child with his first Gameboy.

"Just… Push it against me," Zoroark muttered, noticing that she was already starting to shake and worried she would soon lose her nerve, "Once I am out, tear that thing in two… I do not want to know what happens if I try to escape while it's still functional…"

Their eyes met one last time, both regarding the other in a new light since having been thrown into the cage. To Lucario it was not an entirely new sensation, having initially regarded Zoroark with gratefulness and even admiration when she had saved him from the hell both of them were about to enter once more. The thought of turning out like the Dragonair made him toss out all inhibitions as he jabbed the Pokéball against Zoroark's stomach, a little too eagerly as she coughed in surprise.

The heavy exhale hung in midair as her body developed a red hue, beginning to shine brightly as it exploded into a beam of red light and disappeared inside the Pokéball. Lucario swallowed hard as he looked down at the tiny ball, wondering if Zoroark could still see or hear him somehow. He moved it to an empty spot between two bars, carefully as to not give her motion sickness, and pointed it to the ground just outside the cage. He did not exactly know what lay beyond the cloth, but knew sending her out there unprepared was not a good idea.

Fiddling about with the hull while trying to find a way to get the Pokéball to spit out Zoroark again, he found what seemed to be a small indent on the underside. Pressing against it, the lower half of the Pokéball suddenly shot open. The Pokéball leaped out of Lucario's flimsy grip as red light shoot out. It went past the bars and struck one of the makeshift walls around them, beginning to materialize Zoroark once more.

However, as more of her being came into existence, their already unstable prison proved itself not willing to accommodate. She had just reached full form as the cloth she was up against ripped from its foundation. Still glowing faintly red, the figure of Zoroark was immediately sucked outside, disappearing for Lucario's view.

"NO!" Lucario yelled as he reached out and banged his face against the iron bars. The cloth that had obscured their vision all this time now flailed wildly in the wind, and if the clouds outside were anything to go by, he knew without a doubt that he was being transported by flight.

"Zoroark!" Lucario shouted, wondering what to do. Zoroark had no way of flying as far as he knew, but the dark-type did have many other tricks up her sleeves. For all he knew, she could have an ability that lets her soar, or a parachute hidden somewhere inside her long red hair.

Suddenly, the memory hit him. Zoroark had said something about parachuting while he was busy explaining his idea. Lucario smiled a bit, and could not help but chuckle at the thought of her having realized they were in midair long before he did.

His smile faded, becoming aware that Zoroark was now heading towards the ground and was no longer in any position to rescue him. For some reason, it did not feel as bad as he had feared. She had saved him before, and now he had repaid the favor. Picking up the Pokéball and putting his muscles to use, the top and bottom half came apart fairly easily. Inside the Pokéball was wide array of technology, hidden by the simplistic red and white colors shown on the outside. Sighing in relief, he let the empty lids fall down beside him as he was finally able to lie down and stretch out a little more.

Lucario hoped Zoroark would not delay in mounting a rescue operation, and began mentally preparing himself for his reunion with Team Rocket and whatever they would try to do with him. His body sore from Raikou and mind exhausted from the very long and eventful day, he closed his eyes with the intent of taking a short nap. Little did he know, he would not be waking up for a very long time.


	66. Rocket Boss Giovanni

Lucario continued sleeping, the events of the previous day crawling through his head like frenzied insects, subjecting him to a very peculiar dream. He dreamed he was eating rice and curry off a black, furry pelt. A grain fell into a particularly thick bush of hair, but when he reached in for it his hand sunk into something and he was immediately struck by powerful static electricity. It was painless, but crippled his entire body as an angry roar sounded above him. There he saw a giant Connor, the bodybuilder's mouth open wide and giving off a guttural scream. In his hands he dangled a lifeless Mew back and forth by her tail, just out of reach from Zerobi who was jumping up and down to try and catch her.

"A dangerous one, is she not…?" the black pelt suddenly whispered with a voice that sounded a lot like Zoroark's, "I would not leave Mew in the care of that murderous psychopath…"

Lucario did not understand what the pelt was talking about, looking at the giant Connor taunting Zerobi more and more. Suddenly, Connor fell quiet. Zerobi had brought out her claws and cut into his kneecaps. A river of blood flowed from the wound and engulfed Zerobi, as she suddenly leaped up towards Mew and swished her claws past the small legendary, cutting her tail in half and sending her crashing down.

"NO!" Lucario shouted, and the vivid scene was no more. He sat up, his world transformed from a nightmarish realm into a tiny, dark room. It was completely empty room, and looked a bit like the inside of a closet. However, what caught Lucario's attention was not what he could see, but rather what he could hear.

Music.

The sound was slightly dampened and coming from the wall in front of him, but he could still make out what it was. It was a classical piece he faintly recognized, an orchestra playing and occasionally leaving room for a solo piano to show off. From the powerful, speedy sound of it he assumed the piece to still be in allegro, which meant this particular song had not been playing for long.

The more he listened, the more he realized just how poorly the wall in front of him was blocking the sound. While he had been anything but successful in the past when it came to breaking out of cages, he decided to at least give it a try. Pushing against the wall, he was quite surprised to find it easily giving way, almost like a door. The music struck a crescendo as light flooded his vision, and he could finally see where he was.

It was a grand hall, nearly as large the cavern Lucario had met the legendaries in. It had a regal air to it, luxurious pillars stretching up from the carpeted floor to the adorned ceiling. Several chandeliers hung above him, each one lit by hand with their tiny fires playing around and causing the entire room to flicker. Across the walls were paintings of landscapes humans and Pokémon, but most were unintelligible to the point where Lucario could no longer tell what they were supposed to display.

In the middle of the room stood a very long table, obviously designed for a dining hall. A multitude of chairs surrounded the giant table, but they were all unoccupied aside from one. Sitting by the far end of the table, as far away from Lucario as one could get, there was a man.

Although his skin was fairly pale, the man looked anything but unhealthy. He seemed to be around 30 years of age and had a strong air of importance about him, which Lucario assumed was because he was sitting at the end of the giant table like a king. The man wore a red tie and an orange suit, golden buttons shimmering like silver or crystal. Sitting straight with a curious smile on his face, he stared at Lucario. His eyes were red like lava, sharp as knives and for some reason appeared to be even more dangerous than both. In front of him was a glass filled with a red liquid, and a freshly uncorked bottle of wine stood next to it.

"Welcome to my humble mansion," the man suddenly said with a dry and deep voice, gesturing with his hand towards the empty chair, "Have a seat, Ethan."

Whatever Lucario had expected the human to say, it had not been that. His interest in the room and its glamorous decorations instantly disappeared, his attention focused entirely on the strange man.

"You… You know?" Lucario asked with his expression caught between bewilderment and worry, "How is that possible!?"

"Oh, I know you better than your own mother, Ethan…" the man explained as a hint of disgust crossed his face, "… Although considering the woman in question, I suppose that isn't saying much."

"You…" Lucario whispered quietly, very surprised to hear what sounded like an answer, "You understood me? You understand Pokémon speech?"

"Not at all," the man replied confidently before placing his arms on the table in a calm manner, "I am simply familiar enough with you to know exactly what you are going to say and do."

"… Oh yeah?" Lucario muttered defiantly, not at all pleased with the man's sense of superiority, "Well… Lovely barnacles grow upon the moon where only carrots may fly! How's that!?"

"I assume you are spouting gibberish as to throw me off?" the man asked with a slight shrug, once more beckoning Lucario to sit, "Do take a seat, so we may continue with the next phase of our conversation."

"Yeah… 'Conversation'…" Lucario repeated sarcastically. He forgot all about sitting down as a million thoughts raced through his mind at once, the idea that this man knew about his true nature all the way down to his shaky and rather private relationship with his mother overshadowing most. Apart from Mew and Zerobi, no one should know about his previous life as Ethan. Even he did not know until Mew told him.

"Perhaps a refresher would be in order?" the man said as he noticed Lucario's confused stare. He got to his feet, standing tall by the end of the table to let Lucario get a better look at him.

"I am the current leader of Team Rocket, Giovanni…" the man spoke with a powerful voice as he held up an open palm, "… But I believe you would remember me better by the name of Silver!"

"… Silver…?" Lucario repeated quietly. While the names 'Team Rocket' and 'Giovanni' were fresher in mind, neither had the same impact upon him as 'Silver'. He knew he had heard it somewhere before, so long ago it had to have been in another life. Even so, for some reason he felt his temper grow short, like he suddenly wanted to punch the smug bastard in the face.

"… We have been rivals since childhood, Ethan," Silver said with a look of burning passion on his face as he lifted his arms slightly, "Under the blazing hot sun, we fought. Within the coldest winter night, we fought. Beyond the realms of time and space itself, we fought."

The words struck a strange chord within Lucario. That a champion like he had been had many rivals was a given, but he had always assumed them to be Brendan, Red or other famous Pokémon trainers. He had never heard of anyone called Silver before, yet so far the strange man had proven to know him much better than anyone else.

"Hmpf. Feign ignorance as much as you please, I can recognize you all too well…" Silver said as he sat down and began musing to himself, "But I must wonder over your appearance… Were you so enamored with Pokémon that you ended up becoming one?"

They regarded each other for a moment, both silent. As far as Lucario could tell, Silver was not carrying any Pokéballs, and did not see any obvious containment space for them on his tightly pressed suit. This served to make him even more curious, wondering if perhaps his old rival had long since run out of hostile intentions.

"Go ahead. Sit," Silver said, this time with a more demanding tone to his voice, "I prepared this meal for your sake. You did not eat during the trip here, so you must be very hungry."

Lucario was. Little did Silver know that he had not eaten much before the trip either, or at any other point in his life except for the rice and curry the big flower Pokémon had served. He suddenly noticed a plate of widely colored plants and a spoon by the chair at his side of the table, the edible sprouts giving off steam and a very pleasant odor. He could tell from sight and smell alone that the food was about five stars above simple homely cookery, like something he excepted to see at a fancy restaurant right before a bill he would never be able to afford. Aware that he could just beat up Silver and split should anything bad happen, Lucario decided to indulge himself for a moment and finally sat down.

"You may eat," Silver said, the stern tone in his voice still quite apparent. While the food did look quite appetizing, Lucario knew better than to carelessly dig into a meal a man calling himself his rival had prepared. Carefully poking the sides of it with a fork, he tried to determine whether or not the food was poisoned, wondering if his inherent immunity was strong enough to save him.

"Come now, I would not greet your return after more than a decade with such childish tricks," Silver suddenly exclaimed, making Lucario wonder if he had accidentally spoken his thoughts out loud, "Besides, as a Lucario you would be immune to all forms of poison, no?"

However, Silver's words only served to increase Lucario's worry. He felt that everything was planned out too well, and began to wonder if Silver really was as vulnerable as he had first thought. The growling of his belly argued that he should not pass up a chance for actual food for anything, especially not needless paranoia. Rationalizing that he could use the strength only gained from a full stomach to fight off what was to come next, he dipped the spoon into his colorful meal and stuffed some of the plants in his mouth.

"Only the rarest… Only the finest…" Silver explained as he leaned back, picking up his glass of wine and swishing it around a bit, "I eat like this whenever I please. Plates lined with dining so exquisite, the peasants of the world would all die of starvation after taking just a whiff of this and realizing just how filthy their own food is!"

As much as Lucario wanted to disagree, there was no denying the eruption of taste coming from his tongue. In a world where berries were like ash and simple curry with rice was a gift from the gods, the food currently making its way down his throat was like ingesting the pure essence of life. The sheer nutrition his senses picked up was enough to make his deprived muscles revitalize in an instant. Lucario stopped breathing for a moment in utter shock at what he was experiencing, forcing himself back to consciousness as to not lower his guard before his rival.

"Heard my boy was the one to capture you the last time," Silver said before tipping his glass back and swiftly drinking up the content, turning quiet and leaving Lucario wondering what he meant.

"That was… Your son?" Lucario asked while thinking back. In between the agonizing pain inflicted by the tiny creature and the Zubat he had had such a nice chat with, he only faintly remembered that the hair of the arrogant boy that day had indeed been colored red.

"I can only assume what happened," Silver said as he set down the now empty glass, "But you of all people should know better than to underestimate a fledgling trainer… Especially one with the title of 'Silver'!"

"… You know, for a mortal enemy, you are quite courteous," Lucario said while prying his eyes away from his delectable meal and towards Silver, growing tired of their one-sided conversation, "Almost a shame that I have to beat you up and escape after this dinner."

"Oh, but of course. Our destiny as rivals has always been clear, Ethan," Silver responded with a sinister smile and longing gaze, "Ever since the day we first met… Do you remember? It was behind Professor Elm's laboratory…"

To his own surprise, Lucario did remember. While the details were still quite foggy, he recalled Elm and his lab quite well. They were just about the only interesting things in his hometown of New Bark, both quite mysterious and important. He would spend hours on end sitting outside by the back of the lab, dreaming of being allowed to come inside. While he was certain he had entered more than once, whatever was inside must have had a lot to do with Pokémon as he could not remember a single detail that lay beyond those doors.

What he did remember was the one day when he was not the only one out there. Another kid around his own age had come, and was trying to sneak a peek inside. He did not remember exactly why, but the two of them had ended up fighting over something.

"The day I took Cyndaquil was the most exhilarating day of my life," Silver whispered, leaning back and letting his eyes wander to one of the paintings depicting a small mammal on fire, "I had always attributed that feeling of triumph to Pokémon, and that is why I chose to walk down the path of a trainer."

Lucario suddenly came to, realizing that the plate in front of him was empty. The food had been so tasty, he had actually left his being to relive his youth once more. Taking yet another gander at Silver, he realized the man before him looked an awful lot like that kid, both giving off the same annoying sense of self-worth. The man's dry voice and rapidly changing expression was enough to bring him back to full awareness.

"However, unlike you, training Pokémon never was my passion in life…" Silver continued as his eyes turned dark, the smile across his face broadening and becoming wry, "… It was stealing."

Silver picked up the glass of wine again and drank a bit, relishing in the taste and memories for a moment before continuing.

"Liberating such a powerful tool from that foolish Professor Elm who did not even attempt to make use of it…" Silver started before he trailer off, closing his eyes and shaking his head solemnly, "… I was quite smart, even as a child. With it I defeated gym leader after gym leader, simply because I could…"

"… Gym leader…?" Lucario repeated, wondering what on earth Silver was prattling on about. He felt like he had heard the term before, and his thoughts suddenly turned to Zerobi and Mew, remembering that he would have to escape soon so he could start searching for them.

Suddenly, Silver leaned forward, putting his elbows against the table as he stared. His intense lava-colored gaze bore deep into Lucario, who felt like his very self was being examined.

"I hope you hugged that Chica of your very tightly, Ethan," Silver said with a sinister yet strangely joyful expression, "It could very easily have been her I stole that day. Which path in life do you think she would have taken, then? Would she still have become a goody two-shoes like yourself… Or perhaps a hardened criminal like me?"

Shrugging instinctively, Lucario definitively knew he had heard the name Chica before. He did not think too hard about it, as the latter part of Silver's speech is what caught his attention the most.

"Criminal? You pride yourself with that title?" Lucario huffed with a disappointed sneer, "You need to steal from others because you can't handle things on your own? Yeah, that's really impressive."

"… Going by that look on your face, I assume that you have misunderstood," Silver replied as his voice turned a bit sharper, "Not a criminal in the common sense of the word, no… Far beyond that."

"What, a… A lawbreaker?" Lucario exclaimed with confusion, recognizing that he was not exactly much of a law-abiding citizen himself, if beating several police officers unconscious counts as anything.

"The code of the Giovanni…" Silver said solemnly before lifting up the bottle of wine next to him, "Prey upon those weak of mind, and manipulate them into doing your bidding. That way, you can bend the smart to your will through the sheer force of numbers alone."

Pouring the rest of the wine into his glass, Silver suddenly started snickering to himself. It was a very low-key, content laughter.

"Power, skill, intelligence…" Silver muttered as he looked Lucario dead in the eye while holding up his glass, "Everything is meaningless before a man who wields other men."

Unlike with Zoroark's explanations earlier, Lucario had trouble following Silver's logic. To him, the biggest regret he felt was when thinking of all the others that had worked hard and paid dearly to help him. What was the point of personal improvement if he ended up relying on others, anyway? What was the point of struggling if he could not change things for the better? What was the point of living?

"I have thousands under my command, and in case you have yet to notice, everyone bows to me… Unwittingly or not," Silver continued as he drank from his glass and smiled, "Even Red, the eternal champion of Pokémon is now my lapdog… Sure, in the past you defeated him in combat, but what did that get you? He captured you on my behalf, and now you are also under my control."

While he could not deny that Red had captured him, Lucario disagreed with the last part. He was unshackled, so technically he could be at Silver's throat in three seconds, making sure it never uttered another sound again. He still could not help but wonder why Silver seemed so comfortable, sitting unarmed in the same room as a wild Pokémon desperate to escape.

Silver suddenly began to snicker, wagging a finger as if he had read Lucario's mind once more. The man quickly calmed himself down and gave off a sigh.

"You are in my extravagant mansion… Eating my luxurious food…" Silver whispered quietly, "All because I made your greatest opponent follow my will… The will of the Giovanni, the most powerful man on earth."

Taking another sip of wine, he suddenly slammed the glass down on the table.

"Although we are rivals… And even though you may have bested me over and over again within the realms of Pokémon…" Silver admitted reluctantly before looking up and gazing at Lucario with a triumphant stare, "… In the game of life, the winner is me."

The words hung in the air for a moment, and at that time Lucario knew exactly why he had been brought here. Silver was showing off, proving that he was better off than some mangy Pokémon with neither food to eat nor a roof to sleep under. He could still not remember much of their alleged rivalry, but felt himself starting to hate Silver all over again, wanting to see how much of a winner the man would look like without any teeth left in his skull.

"… But that would be too much of an anti-climactic finish to a rivalry such as ours, no?" Silver said with an amused tone as he leaned forward, "Fear not. I think we both know how this would always end."

As if on cue, Silver suddenly rose from his seat. Adjusting his tie while trying to hide his excitement, he waved his hand towards Lucario.

"Eat your fill. After this dinner, we shall duel…" Silver said as his expression contorted into one of pure malevolence, "… And then, you shall die."


	67. Selfish Gunslinger Silver

The music all around them slowly faded to nothingness. Lucario expected another generic classical piece to follow, but was met with only silence. Silence, and the thoughts of an offer he had definitively not expected.

"… A duel?" Lucario repeated as a sneer crossed his face, eyeing his rival carefully, "Fighting against some monster you trained is not what I'd refer to as a 'duel'!"

"Of course not," Silver replied before straightening his composure and gesturing for Lucario to stand up, "That is why we will be fighting the old fashioned way… Man to man."

Lucario's mouth opened, but quickly closed again. Silver still referring to him as a man was strange enough, but had his former rival gone so mad with power that he actually thought he could win in a brawl with a Pokémon?

"Pokémon is a game for children," Silver explained, noticing Lucario's addled reaction, "Do you honestly believe a man in my position has time for that? I stopped training Pokémon ages ago."

A moment passed as Silver waited for Lucario to do something. Even though he was still confused, Lucario decided to get up from his chair and walk away from the table. He hoped things would be easy for once, envisioning his rival whistling and summoning one or all of the legendary dogs to his side.

"Tell me… Do you know why was I given the position of Giovanni?" Silver asked, turning his face away slightly as his sinister grin grew wider, "My father was the previous Giovanni, true… But one is not given a prestigious title such as this through heritage alone."

Shrugging, Lucario thought back to what Zoroark had told him. Apparently she had not been right on the money with her assessment, something he would enjoy rubbing in her face later.

"I was given it out of fear," Silver said as he held up a hand with the palm wide open, "I do not require Pokémon to fight or kill. I destroy everything with my bare hands alone."

Lucario examined Silver with skeptic eyes. Fine clothing aside, the man had very little going for him, and in the muscle department he was actually rather lanky. Worrying that he might be carrying a knife or something, Lucario realized that he had spent the past month with someone who had six of those for hands, and she had been the _least_ dangerous of his encounters.

"Fisticuffs? You against me?" Lucario asked while crossing his arms, starting to feel uncomfortable about the concept of beating up a weakling, "Are you serious?"

"… Well, perhaps not BARE hands…" Silver corrected himself, "Technology is the weapon of us humans, after all."

Lucario flinched as Silver reached into his inner pocket, thinking he was about to drag out a Pokéball. To his relief it was something completely different, something he had never seen before.

"Tell me… Do you know what this is?" Silver asked as he held up the object in his hand, which Lucario immediately deemed to be strangest contraption he had ever witnessed. It looked like a long, hollow pipe attached to a handle, vaguely shaped like a boomerang. The pipe section gleamed in silvery metal, while the handle was pitch black and seemed to have a leathery texture. Connecting the two sections was an elongated button, looking like some sort of trigger. As odd as it was, he could not help but feel that he had seen it somewhere before, thinking it must have something to do with Pokémon.

"It is a weapon of obscurity, something I liberated from one of my less fortunate targets and greatly improved upon," Silver explained while idly stroking the side of the object, "A cylindrical block, equipped with chambers for carrying projectiles… A barrel for accuracy, as to where the projectile will strike… And a hammer, striking the projectile with unimaginable force, strong enough to pierce even the toughest hides."

Lucario paid notice to every word, yet was unable to attribute any of it to the tiny little thing in Silver's hand. However, the whole thing still made him uneasy, since Silver would not be asking for a duel in the first place if he was simply faking its fighting capabilities.

"I suppose… If you have a major degree in engineering or happen to be as savvy with technology as the old Team Rocket executives, you might remember this being called a revolver," Silver muttered before picking off a strand of red hair that had gotten stuck inside the barrel, "Single-action, to be precise and thorough… And believe me, it is. I know. I built it."

"You… You seriously expect to fight me with that tiny little thing?" Lucario asked, the reality of the situation crawling up on him as his chin dropped further with each syllable, "I… I've fought monsters. Legendary monsters. Two seconds into this 'duel' and I will punch your head clean off!"

"I do believe there was a fragrance of concern in your voice, there…" Silver muttered while wagging a finger almost sheepishly, "Worry not. Choose whatever attack you may find suitable to finish me off."

Suddenly, the very same finger moved down to the trigger-like section of the revolver. There was a metallic clicking noise as Silver took a tight grip around the handle and pointed the muzzle directly towards Lucario.

"I do suggest, however…" Silver said confidently, "… That you make it extremely fast."

Conflicting emotions coursed through Lucario. As much as he wanted to sock it to Silver for threatening him with death, a punch with full force might actually kill the frail man. Much like the hunter he had faced, the idea of killing another human did not sit too well with him, and he had only done so back then in order to protect Zerobi. Even so, he had not forgotten how underestimating the hunter had led to him nearly losing everything as a result. The more he considered it, he realized he would rather end up killing a guy who was more or less asking for it than put himself at risk again.

"Go ahead… Attack…" Silver whispered quietly, his finger tapping the trigger impatiently. Deciding to go all out right from the start, Lucario breathed in as he charged the human with great speed.

An explosive bang sounded, so loud that Lucario immediately lost his breath and his sensitive ears began ringing. A force comparable to one of the Umbreon's tackles struck him in his right shoulder, making him involuntarily twist his torso as he took a step back. A very cold breeze passed through his shoulder, exactly like the time Suicune had pierced the exact same spot with an icicle. Then, the pain finally struck.

"G… GAAAHH!" Lucario howled as he clutched his right shoulder, now sporting a small hole of severed muscle tissue and damaged nerves. He looked at Silver with hate and fury, his confident rival opposing his expression with satisfaction and triumph. For an instant he felt his gag reflex kick in as the pain made him sick to his stomach, but the sensation disappeared as something else took its place. The picture book. The loud bang. The hole. It all pointed towards another memory that had nearly been forgotten, yet a memory that was not related to Pokémon at all.

"That's no… Revolver…!" Lucario growled as he felt warm blood trickle through his fingers, contrasting the chilled and aching insides of his shoulder, "… That's… A gun…!"

"Semantics, I assume?" Silver responded happily while waving the weapon around, his wrists still shaking a bit from the powerful recoil, "This is a revolver. I know. I built-"

**"YOU SHOT ME!"**Lucario burst out angrily, adrenaline pumping through him like never before. The pain was crippling, but it also served to fuel his rage. It was not as severe as what he had withstood against the Garchomp's fiery jaws, Raikou's thunder or even himself when failing to use the aura correctly, but still enough to make him swear thousands of curses upon the smug human and his little gun. The morality of punching Silver's head off no longer seemed important as Lucario lounged forward, roaring and running with all his might.

Silver pulled the trigger once more, realizing the danger and aiming at Lucario's head for a quick kill. However, as the revolver shook with the force of a hundred stampeding Tauros and the loud bang sounded again, Lucario's head immediately jerked downwards as a reflex, both his ears twitching violently. The bullet pierced through his left ear, only serving to make Lucario's constant roar even deeper. Understanding that his opponent's sensitive hearing would make the head a difficult target, Silver grit his teeth and aimed downwards, letting his finger squeeze the trigger. This shot hit Lucario squarely in his left kneecap, making his leg to limp as he began to fall. However, using the retained momentum and incomparable spite, he pushed himself up again with his right leg and flew towards Silver, who had no time to brace himself for impact.

Heavy as a rock, Lucario fell over Silver, easily bringing the human with him down to the floor. Noticing an explosive pain in his left ear and not able to make his left leg stop shaking, Lucario knew he would not be getting up any time soon. Taking the opportunity he had created, he grabbed a hold of the stunned Silver's hand and wrest the gun away from him. Throwing the revolver against the wall and then pulling back his left arm, he punched Silver right in the jaw.

"AH!" Silver exclaimed in pain as he flailed about, trying to get the violent Pokémon off him, "Stop!"

"Ooh, what's the matter?" Lucario said with a mocking tone, feeling like he wasn't able to put any real weight behind his blow due to his crippled shoulder and leg, "Big baby didn't expect to get hit? What's wrong, you gonna cry?

"You… Insolent…!" Silver grunted as he reached up and threw an uppercut against Lucario's chin, rattling his already shaken brain with even more pain. Lucario responded with an elbow to Silver's chest, making his rival lose his breath before kicking Lucario in the stomach, almost making him barf.

In an instant, all pretense of finesse was gone. Wrestling with each other on the ground, they were biting and scratching, punching and wailing, tussling and struggling. To a regular onlooker it would appear as a man being mauled by a wild Pokémon, but to them they were as children again, like two boys fighting over who was going to get to use the cool toy next. Memories of similar fights with Silver from his past flashed in and out of Lucario's head, yet he barely even noticed them in his flustered rage.

"Your mother is a whore!" Silver screamed, taking a punch to the gut before lashing out and headbutting Lucario's nose.

"GAH! Your dad's an asshole!" Lucario snarled as he reared back from the blow, spitting a wad of blood in Silver's face.

"ARGH! At least I know who he is!" Silver yelled while wiping the slimy blood away from his eyes, "My father is better than yours!"

"Go ahead then, call for him!" Lucario shouted and started laughing a bit, "His rigid old ass would probably put up a better fight than you!"

He immediately stopped laughing as Silver mounted a mighty kick against his lame leg. The sudden spike in pain caused Lucario to howl and stagger, as Silver sat up and jammed his fingers deep into Lucario's shoulder wound. Screaming in pain, Lucario fell back as Silver rolled away towards where the revolver had been thrown.

Lucario fell on his back and was just about to get up when he noticed just how badly his leg had been damaged. He grunted in agony as the pain he had been able to ignore all this time came back in full force, amplified tenfold by Silver's last assault. His rage was quickly seeping out of him, replaced by a strange coldness emanating from his gunshot wounds. He noticed the heat all over him dissipating and suddenly felt feverish and weak, like he was going to suddenly puke his guts out before passing out.

Before he knew it, a hot and unyielding metallic object pressed up between his eyes. Looking up, he saw Silver glaring at him with pure rage.

"Wretched cur, know your place!" Silver bellowed, a trickle of blood running down the side of his snarling mouth, "I will flay you and use your hide as a carpet! That way, you shall lick my soles forever!"

Inhaling sharply, Lucario knew there was no hope for him to simply lie down and give up this time. Even so, he could do nothing but stare at Silver as the muzzle of the revolver pushed harder against him. His rival's hateful face suddenly gave off a delighted expression, and without another moment's hesitation, he pulled the trigger.


	68. Supportive Flora Celebi

A quiet, metallic click sounded through the great hall. Lucario wondered if his ears and eyes had gone the same route as the rest of his body, everything seemingly frozen and surprisingly silent. Another click was heard as Silver pulled the trigger once more, harder this time. He growled as he pulled the trigger again and again, leaning his head forward to examine what was happening with the revolver. With each click, his ferocious expression began to dampen. Exhaustion finally setting in, he understood that the battle had been too rough on both him and his delicate piece of equipment.

"Why'd you have to slam it against the wall like that…?" Silver muttered before pulling the muzzle back from between Lucario's eyes, "See? You broke it. You will come to regret that as you slowly bleed out on my floor."

Sighing deeply, Silver sat down next to Lucario. The Pokémon before him lay battered and struggling to breathe, not even making the attempt to lash out anymore. Pride swelled in his chest. Ethan had thought himself safe from his grasp by transforming into a Pokémon, but he had seen through his disguise and finally won.

"How does it feel to finally be the one in the line of fire?" Silver asked with a subdued snicker, "We fought, Pokémon to Pokémon… But all I really wanted was to get you. To see you squirm. To see you in agony. To see you die."

Lucario wished he could give a response, but was currently using all of his strength to keep himself conscious. Looking down on his shoulder and leg, he could not believe how such tiny wounds could cause so much pain. From what he had thought earlier, guns would be useless against Pokémon, their hides too strong to penetrate. Thinking back to what Silver had said, he wondered if revolvers really were that different from guns.

"I no longer know what you are thinking, Ethan," Silver muttered as he crouched over Lucario, taunting him to try and attack, "I have never seen you in such a pitiful state before. Hmpf… I was rather looking forward to hearing your last words. Would you curse me? Would you swear revenge? Would you, I don't know, beat me up and hand me over to the authorities?"

Lucario had no such inhibitions any longer. He wanted to kill him, and would have done so already if he could still fight. He thought about using the Aura Sphere, and Silver's fine suit and torso ending up sharing a big hole. However, Silver sat to his right, and he lacked the power to turn around and shoot it from his left arm. Leading the unbelievably painful aura through what was now an open wound in his right shoulder did not seems like a good idea, lest he wanted to intentionally pass out due to intolerable suffering.

A few more minutes passed before Silver finally stood up.

"… Your death bores me," he grumbled while crossing his arms, "This duel is over. I shall go get this cylinder moving again, and then give a proper end to this rivalry once and for all."

He turned and walked towards a door to the side, Lucario just barely noticing what was happening.

"By all means, feel free to expire in the meantime," Silver said as he walked, a hidden smile crossing his face, "I might have to question the value of this encounter should you end up costing me any more bullets!"

The footsteps disappearing in the distance, Lucario now knew that he was alone. He did not mind it, hoping his rival would take his sweet time so he could recover, play dead and then leap into action once more. However, unlike with any normal wound or screwed up attempt at using the aura, he did not seem to be recovering all too quickly. In fact, the pain was getting stronger by the minute, the cool air already working on infecting his gunshot wounds with all manner of nasty diseases. Alone he lay, quietly realizing that there really was no way of him getting out of this alive.

A long time passed, Lucario going in and out of consciousness and feverish delusion. Somewhere in the distance he heard a gunshot go off, telling him that Silver would be returning quite soon. From feeling like he was going to barf to feeling like he was going to die, the glamorous chandelier above him grew hazy and spun around against the dark ceiling's backdrop. It was then he noticed that something familiar was in the air. For some reason, everything did not seem so bad anymore. He assumed he was feeling the last high before death, the pain faded off as he felt strangely content inside.

Suddenly, a face came into view. Someone was looking down at him. Vision blurry and mind scrambled, Lucario tried to figure out who it was. It was not Silver or Red, the head was too inhuman. It was not Zoroark or Zerobi, the head had no hair. It was not Mew, although the similarities were uncanny. It was the last person he had expected to see at that time.

"Lucario!" Celebi asked with a loud, determined voice and a stern expression Lucario had never seen on her before, "Where is Zerobi?"

"… Zero… Bi…?" Lucario wheezed, realizing he was barely even able to talk anymore, "… With Mew… N-Not here…"

"Not here?" Celebi repeated with her large emerald eyes gleaming upon her shaded yet still hardened face, drifting away from his head for a moment before immediately snapping back in shock, "… You are bleeding! Oh my, are you… Dying!?"

"… Kind… Of…" Lucario muttered and wondered if this was all just a dream. Celebi's expression softened and turned into one of worry as she flew down Lucario's body a bit to examine the wounded leg. Failing to lift his torso and instead deciding to look off to the side, Lucario saw the last person he wanted to see standing by the doorway.

"C-Celebi…!" Lucario stammered as he panicked, but lacked the strength to put any emphasis behind his words, "B-Behind… You…"

"Try not to speak; it is just a human without Pokéballs…" Celebi said confidently after a quick glance, her attention solely focused upon the inexplicable hole in Lucario's leg, "… B-But… What manner of wound is this? What could possibly have-"

A loud bang interrupted her. Faster than an instant, Celebi's barrier was in full force, surrounding every inch of her body while ready to deflect anything.

As the bang trailed off, a nearly soundless squelch whispered through the room. Celebi twitched, the quiet noise frightening her even more than the loud explosion earlier. She could feel that her barrier had been punctuated by something extremely small, so fast she had not even been able to see it. Looking down to see if it had left any trace at all, she noticed a patch of crimson red expanding over her stomach, like a rose opening itself in the sunlight.

"Dange… Rous…" Lucario wheezed, but he already knew it was too late. Celebi remained soaring but completely froze up, not moving and not even breathing. The unfamiliar sensation of pain wracked her body, leaving her confused and disoriented. Her blood dripped down and landed on the bottom of her bubble-like barrier, forming a tiny puddle of red hanging in midair.

"Too little, too late, Celebi… I have no interest in you anymore," Silver said bitter as he suddenly started laughing, "Hahaha! Both of you can go to hell together, Ethan!"

Silver began to circle them as he examined the still legendary from every angle. Lucario's consciousness had nearly faded to nothing, but he was still aware enough to realize that Celebi's life was ebbing away with every passing second. Shaking with unbridled wrath, he felt his facial features tighten in fury. Teeth gritting so hard his jaws were beginning to tire, he squeezed every last ounce of strength from his weary muscles. Thanks to the pleasant feelings Celebi's aura was giving him, he was able to ignore the pain caused by his own aura carelessly moving through his left arm. The mitochondria were just barely under his control, as if they all have developed a will of their own. Millions of tiny organism, rushing through his arm towards certain demise, all willing to give their lives for one single cause: Killing Silver.

"Lead… The… Way…!" Lucario growled as he opened up his palm and pointed it towards the tall, blurry figure to his left, letting Aura Sphere fly out of him with a pained shout. Silver choked on his laughter as the blue ball of fire flew past him, not even a full decimeter away from his right arm. It crashed into the wall and exploded, Silver finally realizing what had happened as the startling sound threw him off his feet.

"When… When did you learn to…" Silver stammered, beads of sweat forming all over his body. Clutching his right arm, he realized the sphere had been just close enough to give him a taste of the blue fire, the crippling pain coursing through him and almost making him drop the revolver. Internally he planned on shooting with only one hand, but something stopped him dead in his tracks. The gaze Lucario was giving was not one he had ever seen before. It was of murderous, feral rage, every trace of the Ethan he knew long gone from his face.

"… Shit!" Silver shouted as he ran for the door. He now knew that the Aura Sphere had not been meant to disarm him or simply incapacitate him, but rather to outright kill him. He swallowed loudly, realizing that it had almost worked. In a million years, he could never have predicted that the goody two-shoes Ethan would ever actually want to kill someone. Wondering what had changed his rival, and even if he actually had been eating dinner with a mindless beast all this time, Silver quickly disappeared beyond the doorway.

Lucario fell limp, now so out of things that he was not even sure if he had missed. All he knew was that it did not matter anymore. His final Aura Sphere had drained every last resemblance of effort left in him as the room began swirling around. He felt his senses weaken as his body started shutting down. Biting down on his lower lip to the point where blood was coming out, he fought with all his might to stay awake, well aware the only thing awaiting him at the end of this naptime was death.

Suddenly, there was a quiet clinging noise on the ground next to him. Looking to the side, he saw a very small metallic item, something that was even smaller than a button and a coin. To his utter surprise, the object suddenly lifted off the ground and actually fell upwards. There, a hazy green figure took hold of it, and reached out towards him as well.

"You can sleep now," Celebi said quietly, a patch of red on her torso visible even to Lucario's blurred eyesight, "I will handle the rest."

"S… Sleep…?" Lucario grunted weakly while involuntarily shivering, "D… Die…!?"

"No. You will be alright," Celebi explained as she placed her hand over where Lucario was biting down, "But if this operation is to be half as painful for you as it was for me… I highly suggest you sleep through it."

Lucario felt his jaws relax at Celebi's gentle touch, his teeth withdrawing from his bloodied lips. With no more immediate stimuli for his brain to register, he felt it finally give in. In the back of his mind he felt a twinge of his earlier mistrust of Celebi, but gave up when he realized there was absolutely nothing he could do about it. He faintly recognized his body soaring out the window before finally fainting.

When he woke up, he was outside. It was night, yet his vision had returned to the point where he could easily see Celebi sitting to the side and watching over him. She smiled as he looked at her, trying to get up as an unfamiliar ache lingered in his shoulder.

"Urgh…" Lucario groaned groggily, "Feels like… My shoulder has a stomachache…"

"Could have been worse," Celebi pointed out with a voice that sounded more relieved than concerned, "Those metallic objects simply passed through you. I was forced to extract mine!"

"That 'metallic object' is called a 'bullet'…" Lucario mumbled as he looked down at his leg, seeing a new scar where there had been a hole not long ago, "… And you should know to keep a barrier up at all times, especially when I'm lying half dead on the floor!"

"… But I did," Celebi replied while slowly shaking her head, "I can stop a punch or a kick with ease, but that… 'Bullet'… It was ten times as fast, a hundred times smaller and a thousand times less predictable!"

Trying to move his leg, Lucario realized something felt a bit off. While he could use it unlike right after getting shot, it was not quite the same as it had been before. It felt similar to when Celebi had patched up his throat, a strange sensation of unfamiliarity that had yet to leave him.

"If these 'bullets' had struck our heads and penetrated our skulls…" Celebi said while closing her eyes and lowering her head, "… Not even I would have been able to do anything. We would most certainly have…"

Celebi said nothing after that, but Lucario could tell that she was even more shaken than he was. He remembered that she had been captured last year, and getting close to dying so soon after was probably not something a legendary like her was used to. He was actually rather amazed that she had managed to remain calm enough to extract a bullet from herself, wondering just how much experience she had with handling pain.

"Lucario…" Celebi asked quietly as she suddenly turned her head up and stared him, "Why did that man call you Ethan?"

"Huh? Ah, I thought Mew had told you," Lucario exclaimed, trying to recall just how much Celebi knew. From what he remembered, telling her that he was human was the reason he was able to find Mew in the first place, so he assumed there was but one detail left to fill her in on.

"That's the human I used to be before turning into a Pokémon," Lucario explained with pride while pointing his thumb at his chest, "That's right! I'm the greatest trainer of all time, Ethan!"

"Wh-What!?" Celebi exclaimed almost immediately, "But… Are… You must be joking!"

Lucario looked at her curiously, Celebi clearly surprised and trying to make sense out of what she had just heard.

"But that time in Ilex Forest, when we…" Celebi asked, before stopping herself and thinking a little longer, "… You… You don't remember, do you…?"

"Nothing about Pokémon like you, I'm afraid," Lucario replied, now his turn to be surprised, "What? Did we meet, or something?"

"Well… Not exactly…" Celebi whispered while wondering if their peculiar encounter would actually qualify as a meeting. The fact that Lucario was once the famous trainer Ethan did not bother her, but the idea that Ethan had lost his memory and become a Pokémon was an entirely different story. During her battle with Pikablu, to prove her selflessness she had told him about a human she helped out, which he claimed was not worth of mention. Apparently he had been right, seeing how not even the human remembered it happening.

"It was a few years ago… Nothing important…" Celebi said with a low sigh, realizing her good deed had gone completely unnoticed and beginning to revaluing her past. Lucario had no idea why she suddenly became quiet, trying to think of a way to break the awkward silence and stop Celebi from letting her thoughts drift away any further.

"By the way, thanks for healing me," Lucario said, taking special care not to use the word 'helping' as he felt that he had handled Silver on his own, "Wouldn't have minded you coming a few minutes sooner, but… Why are you here? How did you find me?"

"… Your pants still have my aura in them. I was able to sense them all the way from Viridian Forest…" Celebi explained as suddenly remembered why she had come in the first place. Between finding Lucario dying, Zerobi lost, getting shot and realizing the Ethan she had met was no more, she had somehow forgotten.

"Truth is, I came to speak with my sister," Celebi said while increasing her mental fortitude for what was to come, "… How is she…?"

"Hopefully doing better than we are," Lucario mumbled while wondering if Zerobi had even made it out of No Man's Land successfully, "What? Is something wrong?"

"Probably not…" Celebi whispered with a slightly disgusted expression, akin to if she had just bit down on something sour, "Most likely just Pikablu trying to rile me up over nothing. He is rather good at that…"

"Uh… Yeah…" Lucario muttered, vividly remembering the yellow rat's flurry of curse words back when they thought Celebi had been brainwashed, "Come on, try to pick up Mew's aura and I'll explain what happened to us."

Celebi nodded as the two of them began moving. She could feel that Mew was fairly close, so there was no need for her to hide under a cloak for now. Not only that, but Lucario seemed to have a bit of trouble walking on his currently healing leg, so she figured the added weight of her body would not be appreciated. Floating next to Lucario, she listened to him explaining what had happened and kept quiet, not willing to burden him with what she herself had heard before coming here. She had no arguments over moving at Lucario's slow pace, constantly fretting over what they would find when they finally reached Zerobi.


	69. Unforgiven Killer Zerobi

Despite relishing in the newly discovered feelings of a long sleep and a big healthy meal, Lucario was exhausted. He had traveled with a hurt body before, but normally his legs would have escaped grave damage in what he assumed was a simple stroke of luck. Such was not the case with the gunshot wound currently adorning the spot right above his kneecap, which even after Celebi's efficient healing required some time on its own to be fully restored. If not for the fact that Mew's aura grew clearer with each mile he forced himself through, he would be taking breaks far more frequently. However, even with a clear goal in mind, he was not sure of how long he could keep up with the eager Celebi, who seemed to be speeding up ever so slightly when he wasn't looking.

Lucario gasped hard, drawing in the humid air around him. A dense fog had fallen, turning the once colorful plains into a grey, dull and ominous landscape. Celebi seemed unusually pleased with it, claiming that it would make it more difficult for her to be seen by anyone, all while giving the plant life enough moisture to last them until the end of the season. Not certain of the extent of her powers, Lucario guessed that she was the one responsible for the mist and was simply boasting about her creation.

Suddenly, an imposing figure appeared in the fog. Thinking that Lugia, Rayquaza or someone of equal stature had come to ruin his day once more, Lucario eventually realized that he was looking at a simple bluff, a large rock clashing very poorly with the otherwise unremarkable fields. Even in his clouded vision, he felt like it reminded him of somewhere he had been before, not sure of exactly when. What grabbed his attention the most was the rock shelter, hidden in the mist.

"Haah… That cave seems like… A good resting place…" Lucario panted, looking back at Celebi. Unlike Mew who was positively glowing against nearly every backdrop, she had blended in perfectly with the haze and grass, appearing to be a hovering plant rather than a legendary Pokémon. However, by now he had become rather good at recognizing her, and had no problem picking up the annoyed expression she took on at his request.

"Again!?" Celebi burst out with stress apparent both in her voice and across her features, "This is the fourth time! Nightfall is still hours away, and we are nowhere near sis and Mew!"

"Excuse ME for only wandering a few miles after getting shot in the leg!" Lucario snapped back while pointing his finger accusingly, "In fact, you're the one who told me I needed rest!"

"Indeed - Which is why I once again urge you to stay behind!" Celebi pleaded and put her hands together, "Please, it is of vital importance that I speak with sis as quickly as possible!"

"Same as with Mew and I, then," Lucario insisted stubbornly, "Do you know how far I went just to talk to her? Plus, I'm not letting you hog any of the glory for defeating Giovanni."

"Who?" Celebi asked as she calmed down, trying to remember how she had been coerced into moving at such a slow pace in the first place.

"Precisely," Lucario replied with a quick nod, "And if anyone asks, you ONLY healed me afterwards and played no part in fighting him!"

"… What difference does that make?" Celebi asked curiously. She often had trouble understanding Lucario's way of thinking, and found it ironic that she was the one asking the amnesiac all the questions.

"Let's just say, my track record's not looking too good right now," Lucario mumbled as he closed his eyes and scratched the side of his head in annoyance, "I keep getting my hide pulled out of the fire by someone… Or something. I mean, I'm grateful… It beats dying… But this victory's mine. I rightfully earned it!"

"I see…" Celebi sighed, realizing that the Gallade was not the only one she knew who had a prominent ego, "… The sad truth is, I doubt anyone will be impressed with your feats of defeating a human who was not even using any Pokémon."

Lucario shrugged as he lowered his head, silently walking towards the cave with a gaunt expression. Celebi suddenly felt ashamed. Just because personal glory was not important to her, did it give her the right to belittle those who sought it? What she cared about might not interest him at all, but that still did not make it worthless in her eyes.

"But still… You protected me," Celebi said confidently as she slowly followed him, "That must count for something, no?"

"Hmpf…" Lucario huffed as he walked into the cave, trying to convince himself that his efforts had not been in vain. Relieved to see that the cave was empty, he was about to lie down and immediately go to sleep when he suddenly noticed a subtle smell in the air. It was something familiar, something like putting on an old jacket that had not been washed for decades.

"… You!?" a voice suddenly sounded above. Looking up in surprise, he saw a black figure let go of the ceiling as it gracefully landed right in front of him. Some of the mist had seeped into the dark insides of the cave, but Lucario had no problem recognizing the fiery red top of the creature, reflecting slightly upon the dull silver of its sharp claws.

"Lucario! You're alright!" Zerobi shouted happily, "Man, I had you taken for dead after I saw Raikou running by!"

"Really?" Lucario responded cooly, a big smile creeping up on his face, "Why're you here, then? Mounting a rescue operation, or were you just planning on retrieving my body?"

She moved to hug him, before suddenly hesitating and stopping herself.

"You…" Zerobi said as her eyes drifted upwards and her expression darkened, "… Have a hole in your ear?"

Instinctively grabbing his ears, Lucario suddenly realized the hole left from one of Silver's bullets was still there. He had not been feeling any pain from it, and thus had completely neglected to check up on it.

"C-Celebi…?" Lucario stuttered with a scared tone to his voice as he turned around, "I-It'll grow back, right…?"

"Of course it will!" Celebi assured him, the small legendary coming up from behind and into Zerobi's vision. At the sight of her smiling sister, all of her mental preparations broke as she found herself completely speechless.

"… Sis!" Zerobi exclaimed while taking a step forward, "You're here, too?"

"Yeah, she's the one who saved…" Lucario started, cutting himself off as he crossed his arms, "… I mean, she ran into me while I was busy beating up an old rival."

"Nice," Zerobi said with a nod, still looking at Celebi, "How'd you know he had been captured?"

"I… I did not," Celebi forced a response out of herself, "I simply followed his aura to find… You."

"Well, looks like it worked… Somehow!" Zerobi exclaimed cheerfully, turning to the side and beckoning them to follow, "Come on, let's go deeper inside, wouldn't do to have someone come in and crash the party!"

"Wait… Where's Mew?" Lucario asked as he looked around, a hint of disappointment crossing his face.

"Training," Zerobi responded with a smile, overjoyed to finally have company other than the pink legendary, "She's started to regain her powers, and is practicing flying and all that. She said she'd be back by night."

The three of them went deeper inside, Zerobi's smile never fading. She had expected to go through hell to get Lucario back, but had instead found both him and her sister alright. As bad as things had seemed after No Man's Land, she finally felt that things were turning alright once more.

They sat down, Lucario telling Zerobi about what had happened. Celebi remained completely silent and did not seem to be listening, presumably thinking about something else since he had already told her everything. He decided to leave out the parts regarding Zoroark's true gender, not because it was secret but mostly because he did not want to admit to groping someone next to two women fully capable of making mincemeat out of him.

"… And then, I suggested we rest here in this cave…" Lucario explained as he exhaled, "… Well, you know the rest. What happened to you two after you got out of No Man's Land?"

"Well, uh…" Zerobi mumbled as she fidgeted a bit, "We couldn't actually leave the forest right away."

"Huh?" Lucario exclaimed, not even having thought of the possibility until now, "After all I went thought to stay behind and let you escape!?"

"I thought you said you just weren't fast enough to outrun Zoroark," Zerobi responded while shrugging, "Anyway, moving around in the open with a seemingly dead legendary's not as subtle as you'd think… I need less reasons for the police to hunt me, not more!"

"Personally, I'd take the police over Raikou any day of the week…" Lucario muttered, twitching at the mere thought of electricity while wishing all his enemies were as weak as the four Mienfoo he trashed.

"Great minds think alike," Zerobi snickered, "I, uh, froze together a bunch of leaves and branches to cover her up, and told Pokémon passing by not to disturb my baby."

"Hahaha!" Lucario started laughing, Celebi suddenly snapping out of her trance and giving him a startled look, "No way! That actually worked!?"

"Almost," Zerobi answered with a confident smile, "Covering up her enormous tail was impossible, so one guy I ran into got curious as to how I was able to carrying around a Ditto like this."

"A Ditto?" Lucario repeated, surprised to hear there was another Pokémon with a tail like Mew's, "What happened?"

"Heheh…" Zerobi snickered as she thought back, "Let's just say, right now his headache's probably worse than mine."

"Argh, I'd kill for a nothing but a headache right about now…" Lucario muttered as the pain in his shoulder flared up once more, "You should've seen it! I was bleeding from my shoulder, which I couldn't move… And my leg, which I couldn't stand on! I swear, the blood was flowing out of me like a river! A miracle I didn't faint immediately!"

"Nah, you can actually lose tons of blood and still keep going for a while," Zerobi explained, trying to dismiss the thought of Lucario nearly dying again. She had promised herself to try and not worry so much about things any longer, and simply enjoy life for once.

"… Man, how do you know all this stuff?" Lucario asked, Zerobi clamming up as she realized she had accidentally drawn experience from her sordid past. She could not help but notice that Celebi was staring at her very intently, and she tried to think of a way to shift the subject.

"Well, uh…" Zerobi mumbled, "I went to school and got an education, you know. Battle Training… Type Recognition…"

"… Evolution's Gate…?" Celebi whispered quietly, her eyes slowly turning towards Zerobi.

A waft rushed through the small cavern as Zerobi inhaled, the frightening words ringing in her ears. She could not help but stare, completely frozen in shock. Celebi forced herself to look back, even though she was witnessing the absolutely last thing she wanted to see at that moment. She silently begged Zerobi, pleaded with her to look confused or shake her head in denial… To do anything but stare at her with quiet, horrified understanding.


	70. Helpless: Epilogue of Episode X

Zerobi and Celebi stared at each other, both their worst fears becoming realized in the same instant. Even so, neither of them could bring themselves to grasp the gravity of the situation. Many times Zerobi had tried to envision the day when her lies would be unraveled, each time coming to the same inevitable conclusion. She knew there was no way she could ever justify her actions, and that the life she had tried so hard to reclaim was finally coming to an end.

"So… It is true…" Celebi whispered slowly, cursing herself for ever having doubted Pikablu and her own fears. She felt like such a fool, having thought there had been a misunderstanding, unable to comprehend that one of her own flesh and blood could be so evil. She stared down at the ground, and Zerobi followed her gaze with longing.

"Sis…" Zerobi whispered, getting to her feet. Instantly, Celebi snapped her head up and flew back.

"… No!" Celebi snarled angrily, stems fluttering wildly on her head in a display of rage she rarely showed, "You are not my sister! No sister of mine could ever do such things!"

Zerobi flinched and trembled slightly. She had never heard Celebi using such a harsh tone before, and her demeanor was completely different from the nurturing nature she had come to know so well. Her sister's hateful eyes were sucking all the air out of her lungs and she felt like she could pass out at any moment.

A twinge of guilt struck Celebi, her instincts kicking in as she saw how much Zerobi was hurting. It was overshadowed by the unimaginable pain that the past year had been but an illusion, a lie brought about by her own selfish wish for a sibling. She had worked so hard to be nice to someone who would did not think twice about gutting everyone she knew and loved. Putting a hand to her chest, she felt like her heart was being cut through with sharp razors.

"… All my life… I searched for you… Dreamed of you…" Celebi whispered slowly as to get control of her shallow breathing, "… I was prepared to forgive anything… But this…? How can I…?"

"Hey, now!" Lucario interjected as he suddenly stood up, reminding the two sisters that they were not alone, "What's going on!? I thought it was a joke, or something!"

"You…" Celebi said accusingly as she turned her head towards Lucario, suddenly remembering who had brought Zerobi to her in the first place, "Did you know about this?"

"Know about what?" Lucario replied hastily. The aura of happiness normally exuding from Celebi was all but gone, crushed by the heavy atmosphere. He looked at Zerobi, a panicked expression across her face warning him from making further inquisitions.

"All that death… All that blood…" Celebi croaked breathlessly, bracing herself for his answer as she was not certain she could take being betrayed by both him and her sister all in one night. Lucario stared at her with confusion, suddenly recalling the time Zerobi had nearly killed him and that they had hidden the reason behind it.

"Oh…" Lucario muttered, "Well, yeah. Look, we were going to tell you, but it didn't seem like the right time back then. But it's OK! She said she was sorry, and I already forgave her."

"SORRY!?" Celebi suddenly burst out, her great emerald eyes flaring dangerously as she flew up to his face, "You think… 'Sorry' is enough to compensate for what she's done!?"

Lucario recoiled back as Celebi felt her insides boil in frustration, remembering the vivid details that Pikablu had told her about the bloodbath beyond the walls of the Cerulean Cave. She had refused to believe every single one of them at first, but the longer Zerobi's silence and otherwise unwarranted shock went on, the more she began to accept the truth.

"She's a remorseless murderer! She's killed nearly fifty Pokémon! She…" Celebi shouted as she gasped, finally believing the horrific deeds her sister had done, "… She killed children! Tortured them! Cut them into pieces!"

"It… It was long ago…" Zerobi whispered in what even she knew was a feeble attempt to defend herself. Looking down, she already knew there was no hope for things to go back to what they were. Never again would she experience the way life was meant to be.

"Have the people whose lives you stole recovered!?" Celebi clamored with disgust, the words out of Zerobi's mouth suddenly revolting and appalling in her ears, "And… Long ago!? You slit Lucario's throat just a few months back! He would have died if not for me!"

"Uh…" Lucario stammered, raising a finger yet being unable to disagree. He wanted to support Zerobi who seemed to be on the verge of crying, but had no idea what to say or do. They were all quiet for a few moments, Zerobi staring into the ground and wishing she could just run away and disappear forever.

"Long ago, I accidentally became responsible for the death of someone, and had to pay dearly for it…" Celebi said, staring intently at Zerobi while feeling like she could explode from all the loathing gradually building up, "… But you… Here you are… Laughing and smiling, eating and sleeping while safe from harm under my care…"

Conflict raged within Celebi, the small legendary torn on what to do. The only thing clear was that she never wanted to see her wicked sister again, already feeling herself become completely engulfed in hatred. Letting Zerobi run seemed like the obvious choice, but as murderous and dangerous as her sister was, she thought she might come to regret it. Picturing the terrified faces of the children as they were kidnapped and murdered for Zerobi's own selfish wishes, she could not bear the thought of such an evil monster escaping unpunished.

"What have I done…? What possessed me when I put all my trust in you…?" Celebi whispered, putting her face in her hands as unimaginable grief washed over her, "The way you would lie awake at night, watching me… You were just waiting for the right time to betray me, and… A-And…"

Zerobi grit her teeth and looked up as Celebi suddenly stopped talking. The green sprout's mouth was open, but no words were leaving them. Her breathing came in harder, and she seemed like she was experiencing horrors from beyond this world. Slow as a glacier, Celebi's head began turning towards her. Her expression was not one of care, but one of complete and utter despair.

"Y-You… You were thinking of killing me, too…?" Celebi asked with a shaky voice, tears visible in the corner of her eyes. She looked at Zerobi with pleading eyes, requesting a sliver of mercy from the being she had once referred to as family. However, Zerobi already knew everything was over and could not comply, quietly turning her head away in shame.

In that instant, Celebi felt her mind crack, her last defenses finally breaking down as she started crying. Her only sister, the one person she had decided to trust fully was an unrepentant killer. All the years she had spent searching, all the effort she had put in, it had all been for nothing.

"H-Hey…" Lucario exclaimed as he reached a hand towards Celebi, but he was completely ignored as her furious eyes fastened upon Zerobi.

"Who… What are you!?" Celebi yelled, tears streaming down her face, "Why did you pretend to be my sister!?"

"… What're you talking about…?" Zerobi muttered as a twitch of annoyance run through her features, "Of course I'm your sister…"

"No!" Celebi insisted while shaking her head in protest, "A monster like you cannot possibly be my sister!"

"I SAID, OF COURSE I'M YOUR SISTER!" Zerobi suddenly burst out with all her might, standing up and throwing her hands to the side, "THAT'S WHY MY ENTIRE LIFE'S FUCKED UP IN THE FIRST PLACE!"

Celebi choked in surprise, instantly becoming quiet as Lucario inhaled sharply. Zerobi looked at the two of them, the pent up frustration of having been judged for so long coming out all at once.

"You think… You think I WANTED any of this…!?" Zerobi snarled, clutching her hands so hard she was certain her claws would break at any moment, "I was just a normal kid growing up and having fun when suddenly all this abnormal bullshit kicked in and completely ruined my life!"

She thought back to her days at school, how much fun she would have hanging out with Eve and reading occult magazines. Just a few years later, and she remembered working hard every day to drag people into the back of the cavern to kill them, all while keeping up a painful charade of being normal to everyone else.

"I… I couldn't control it. How could I? I didn't even know what the hell it was since no one was there to explain…" Zerobi stuttered as she stared feverishly at her claws, before turning her vision up and placing it firmly on Celebi, "… Where the hell were YOU!? Without any warning or support I had to deal with an unexplainable disease on my own, and you BLAME me for failing!?"

Once more she was there. Overpowered by a feral Kadabra, deep inside a cave where no one would ever find or help her. Refusing to submit and attempting one last gambit to save herself from rape and death. The unbelievable sensation as her hated claws pierced the hated flesh of the hated Pokémon, every moment like a million lifetimes of pleasure.

But then, she was another place. Reading the same magazines over and over, deep inside a cave where no one would ever find or help her. Refusing to submit and secluded from the world to save herself from prison and execution. The endless wait as her hated claws demanded to once more pierce the innocent flesh of her beloved friends, every moment like a million lifetimes of regret.

"And… And… Remorseless!?" Zerobi growled as she pointed at Celebi, who seemed to be completely paralyzed in shock at this point, "I was brutalized to death TWICE and spent the last seven years isolated from society, hiding myself and selflessly helping random people and Pokémon in the hopes of one day being able to cope with a mistake that wasn't even my fault to begin with! It… IT WAS YOUR FAULT!"

Zerobi knew she was not in control of herself. She knew she would never be. A sample of a random Garchomp's blood was all it took for her to instantly murder the only person who had cared for her in seven years. It was only a matter of time before she would finish the job, and end the lives of everyone she knew. A defeated sigh escaped her lips as she closed her eyes, knowing what had to be done.

"You told me yourself… You greedily sucked up all our mother's powers and left me with nothing remaining…" Zerobi muttered bitterly while giving off a shrug, "You lived your life among the legendries with untold supernatural abilities, while I was tossed to the common folk and forced to deal with this curse…"

Zerobi took a step towards Celebi, the small legendary now shaking in fear of what was to come.

"… And finally you look me up, and what did I get for staying alive all this time?" Zerobi spat as she looked Celebi deep in the eye, "… A piece of shit sister who can't even accept me for what I am… What she made me…"

Celebi could not respond, her mind panicking. In her large emerald eyes, Zerobi could see the reflection of herself. She looked vicious and angry, spewing out hate at someone who had once cared for her so much. She felt like her heart was about to stop when she realized that she had blamed Celebi, when it was she who had committed atrocities and lied about it. It was her fault. It was always her fault.

"… I…" Zerobi exclaimed as she came down from her adrenaline boost, mouth agape as she stared at her terrified sister. Her insides aching in sadness, she immediately took a step back and turned away.

"… D-Didn't want it to end…" she whispered breathlessly as she felt a lump form in her throat, "… Not like this…"

She wanted to say goodbye, but could not bring herself to it. It was not the real her they had come to accept and befriend, but rather a role she had played. A regular Weavile girl with a background marred by bad grades and unfulfilled romances instead of megalomania and gruesome murders. To say farewell would have no meaning, because this was their first and last meeting.

Without another word, she ran out of the cave. Lucario gasped as he stood up, throwing a glance at Celebi while trying to decide on what to do. The small legendary sat still and stared at where Zerobi had disappeared, her anguished expression remaining unchanged. Without really thinking, he also began to run, moving out of the cave.

The mist was heavy in the air, giving a white sheen to the deep, dark night. Lucario could barely see anything, and not being able to sense Zerobi's aura he began to panic.

"Wait, don't go!" Lucario shouted, but stopped himself when he saw a figure standing right in front of him. Turning around, Zerobi faced him with a nasty glare.

"What?" she asked bluntly, already past the breaking point of how much abuse she could withstand. She hoped that by intimidating Lucario, she would at long last be left alone.

"If you're thinking about killing yourself again-" Lucario said as he put his hand on her shoulder. She quickly shrugged it off with her arm, and he protected his throat in reflex.

"Shut up!" Zerobi hissed as she took a step back, the violent expression fading from her face, "I'm going home."

"… What?" Lucario asked, carefully lowering his hands.

"I'm going home to my cave where I can lie around and read magazines all day," Zerobi said with a bitter sigh before looking up at the sky, "… I knew there was nothing for me out here. I knew no one would ever accept me, or what I've done."

"Oh, would you two stop overreacting already!?" Lucario shouted while slapping his forehead, "You barely even nicked my throat! I forgave you, what else could possibly matter!?"

"… You… Stupid…" Zerobi growled menacingly as the realization hit her, "You thought we were talking about that!?"

"Of course! What else could you have been talking about!?" Lucario yelled, only now realizing that things might be worse than he thought.

"You infuriating fool!" Zerobi screamed in disbelief, beside herself with pent up aggression, "How can someone as naïve as you even exist!?"

Staring at Lucario's confused expression, she wondered just how deep in denial he was. It's not every day your friend turns out to be a serial killer. Forcing herself to calm down, she knew he would come to understand the truth eventually, from Celebi or just about anyone else she's known. She was already past the point of no return, why put in the effort of lying?

"The real me…" Zerobi whispered as she involuntarily shivered and crossed her arms, placing her claws on her shoulders, "… Worse than you could ever imagine…"

A pang of regret hit her as she turned her sight away from Lucario's eyes, knowing what she was about to say would separate them forever. She pushed away all her wishes, hopes and dreams for what could have been between them and took a deep breath in preparation for what was to come.

"Seven… No, eight years ago… With these claws, I wrought hell upon earth!" Zerobi said loudly as she held her claws in front of her. Lucario stared down at them, the memory of his own blood adorning them suddenly clearer than ever.

"… And I loved it! I lured children into my cave where I slowly cut them to pieces!" Zerobi shouted, a ruthless expression across her face, "Fifty? Easily more than fifty! They begged for their pathetic little lives while I relished in pleasure, bathing in their blood and torturing them to death!"

Suddenly, Lucario's facial features tightened, and as did his left fist. He began to grit his teeth as Zerobi smiled sinisterly, feeling strangely relieved at finally admitting her crimes while not caring about the consequences.

"You should've trusted me a little longer; I would've shown you firsthand what I'm talking about!" Zerobi continued as she began walking towards him with clawed fingers clacking together in a menacing display, "All this time, I've thought about killing you in your sleep so I could rummage around in a pool of your blood! All this time, I've wanted to hear you cry in pain as I dismember and eviscerate you! All this time, I-"

Shaking with rage and disgust, Lucario let his left fist fly out, punching Zerobi right across the face. He barely even noticed his knuckles cutting open on one of her fangs, the dark-type flying back from the force of the attack. Zerobi fell hard on the ground, dazed but all too aware of what had happened. As much as her head hurt, it felt more like the blow had been directed to her heart, threatening to shatter into a thousand pieces. Her mind sunk into depths she didn't even know existed, and only then did she realize that everything she had come to enjoy in life was truly over.

"… You want to kill me?" Zerobi spat as she turned her head down, "It won't help. Go ahead, fucking kill me."

"C… Come on, snap out of it already…" Lucario said shakily, breathing hard to try and get himself under control, "… You're going hysterical, lying your head off…"

"Lying…!?" Zerobi repeated as her irritation returned in full force, leaning forward on her trembling elbows, "It's the only truth I've ever told, you goddamn idiot! I'm a heartless killer; everything else has been a lie!"

"Don't flatter yourself," Lucario replied quickly, making an effort to keep his voice calmer than he himself was, "I haven't seen you kill a damn thing since I met you. On the contrary, you bitch and moan at the idea of harming anyone!"

Zerobi looked at him with anger and betrayal, suddenly realizing that their roles had been reversed somehow. Lucario was the one who punched her, he should not be the one acting calm and defending her. As the adrenaline and fury seeped out of her, all that remained was a mixture of sorrow and regret. Looking up at Lucario's solemn face, she wished for nothing more but to go back to the way things were.

"… You lied when you said that you've wanted me dead all this time…" Lucario explained as he examined his left fist, a small trickle of blood running down his wrist, "Because if that were true, I would not be standing here now."

"… You're… You're wrong, damn it…" Zerobi said, her voice starting to crack up against her will, "I've… I've thought about it…"

"Thinking about it and doing it are two very different things…" Lucario muttered while looking at Zerobi with a sadden expression, "Hell, if I acted on everything that entered my head… You probably wouldn't be here, either."

"No… Lucario, you don't… You don't understand…" Zerobi stammered, unable to comprehend why he was acting this way. Even her best friend Eve had shown no hesitation in letting her die, and so she had always expected to be beaten or even killed should the truth of what she had done come out. Instead, Lucario was just standing there, calmly talking to her. The seemingly impossible situation got to her more than anything else, her eyes tearing up and her breathing becoming labored.

"Y-You're putting your faith in p-pure evil…" Zerobi stuttered, feeling her insides twist and turn at the thought of what she had done, "I k-killed ch-children… The cute, the friendly, the innocent, it didn't matter… I killed them all…"

"Well… Eight years ago," Lucario said with a shrug, "Why should I give a shit if you're not planning on doing it again? You've spent every day since then being good… What more could anyone ask for?"

Lying on the ground and shaking, Zerobi stared at him with utter confusion and despair. For a moment, her eyes fluttered across the blood dripping from Lucario's fist, an action that did not pass his notice. Sighing to himself, he knew there was only one way he could be certain that he was doing the right thing.

"But… Yeah, you're right," Lucario muttered while scratching the side of his head, "If we're going to do this, it'd all be for nothing if you decide to kill me in my sleep a year or two down the road."

Turning around, he presented his back to Zerobi, crossing his arms in determination.

"Might as well kill me now, if that's your plan," he said before exhaling, "Go ahead."

Zerobi looked up, then slowly stood up. Reminding herself of just how badly everything had gone down, she realized that everything really was over, no matter how things seemed. Eventually Lucario would come to his senses and abandon her. Celebi's state of shock would not last forever, and she foresaw the day when the legendary would be forced to pass down judgment for her own sanity's sake. Now, she was finally given the opportunity she had dreamed of for so long, and would never get it again. It was penultimate dream she had longed for, but it was better than nothing but an empty existence of shame and regret. Reading herself, she lounged forward.

In the very last second Lucario turned around, but it was already too late. Zerobi dove into him, her lethal claws plunging forward in a hook-like motion, the feel of Lucario's warm flesh grazing their edges. The point of no return had already been crossed, but she knew this would seal the passage back forever. She kept telling herself that this is what she had always longed for, dreamed of as she fully abandoned all restrains and gave in to her greatest desire.

"Why… Why are you like this…!?" Zerobi sobbed as she shoved her face into Lucario's chest and started crying, "I… I don't… Deserve this…"

Lucario stood frozen, unable to react in shock. For a moment he had thought he was going to die, but such was not the case as he could feel the sharp claws hanging idly by his side, lightly gripping at him. Looking down, he saw Zerobi's head nestled within his bushy chest hair, hiding her face in shame as she could not stop the tears from coming. Lucario sighed out in relief, and then put his right arm around her.

"Hey, hey… You don't get to break us up on your own," he said quietly, his throat suddenly feeling dried up and sore, "That's my decision too, and I've got reasons to be with you."

Zerobi tried to stifle her weeping, but to no avail. She was letting it all out, and Lucario knew the time was right for him to lighten his own load.

"… The first Pokémon I ever met…" Lucario muttered while thinking back to his days with Ivy, "She looked after me, even took care of me. I was disoriented and uninformed, but she supported me as best she could. I… Really felt like I could trust her."

Zerobi looked up at him, her normally proud expression devastated with reddened eyes and sorrow. She seemed to be listening closely as Lucario felt his face heat up for some reason, clearing his throat.

"But when push came to shove… All that was for nothing, and she tried to kill me…" Lucario explained bitterly as he shook his head, "Everything we had experienced in the past… It didn't matter, because in the end she had not come to rely on me as much as I had come to rely on her. I was just a nuisance for her to get rid of."

He looked up at the sky, still obscured by a thick fog. It reminded him of the snowstorm that had raged the day he first met Zerobi. She had been so mysterious back then, swooping in to break him out of an icy death at the hands of Suicune and Brendan, only wanting to find out what was happening before accidentally becoming a target herself. Her motivation and goal in life had never been quite clear to Lucario, at least not until now. Leaning against him in tears and helplessness, he felt he finally knew all there was to know about her, and was glad that he had not made the wrong choice.

"When… After we woke up from nearly getting killed by those legendary dogs and you were still there, I felt so relieved…" Lucario whispered before stopping himself for a moment, "… I mean, no, I was hurt and it sucked… But just the thought that I'd finally found someone who would stay, even after something like that…"

"Moron…" Zerobi croaked, having stopped crying but still visibly shaking, "That was… My home… Where else… Would I go…?"

"… Well, since then you and I have been in more life-or-death situations than I could count up, and you've come through each time," Lucario said as he pat her on the head a few times in quick succession, "You are the only one I can trust. Eight years ago? Probably not. Now? Definitively."

A long period of silence followed, neither of them knowing what to say. As much as Lucario wanted to be with Zerobi, he had a feeling things would never be the same after this, especially not considering Celebi's reaction. Zerobi did not mind the silence, getting a chance to snuggle up against Lucario's chest which now seemed warmer and more inventing than ever before. She could not believe that she had almost made this moment not happen, her sordid past tempting and corrupting her even to this day. At that time, she reinforced her promise that no matter how bad things went, she would never, ever give in and indulge in the sweet pleasures of blood again.

"Why…?" a soft voice sounded, breaking the two of them out of the moment as Zerobi backed off from Lucario. Looking towards the cave's entrance, they saw Celebi floating in midair. She was breathing unsteadily, and there were marks of red underneath her eyes, clashing poorly against the natural green and brilliant emerald.

"Why did you have to endure all this on your own…?" Celebi asked with a pleading voice as she looked at Zerobi, "Why could I not have been given even a fraction of your curse, to help alleviate your suffering…?"

Lucario and Zerobi stared at her, and she felt the urge to cry creeping back into her. Forcing it down, she shook her head and moved forward slightly.

"I-I never knew what you had to go through…" Celebi stammered before bowing her head in shame, "… Sis."

"N-Never told you…" Zerobi replied shakily as she nodded, "… Sis."

The three of them looked at each for a moment, unsure on what to do. A strong wind set the mist into motion, the three figures within finally converging and becoming one.


	71. Immortal God Arceus

What a strange place.

How long has it been? Weeks? Months? Maybe… Maybe even years?

No… Much longer than that. It's been a lifetime. My entire life has been a road leading up to this.

It is warm, but I'm not melting. The air is stale, but I can still breathe. The center of the Earth is surprisingly gentle… Or perhaps something within this tower is intentionally keeping me alive? If so, what is to become of me once I leave? Ah, here's the next one…

**What lies at the end of time?**

"There is no end of time," I answer, "Time and space bend into themselves."

It's moving aside! Hah, got it on the first try! Take that, teacher! Fail me in physics, will you…

Physics… I miss those. I wonder, could a place like this even be theorized? Who would have thought this indescribable, physically impossible violation of the senses has lying beneath the mantle of the Earth all this time? Where's all the magma?

Another Riddle. This place has more riddles than Rock Way had rocks. Damn, I hope that's not the riddle, "How many rocks does Rock Way have?" I might have to turn back…  
><strong><br>Which is the shortest Pokémon?**

"Joltik," I say as clearly as possible. No sense in angering some ancient god by not speaking up, eh?

No response. Oh great, it's going be another one of those…

"Azurill! Budew! Shaymin… The Land forme, you know?" I list up from memory, the sturdy glyph remaining as immobile as ever.

"Natu! Diglett! Cingli…" I keep going, but trail off as the passage in front of me suddenly cracks open.

… Diglett? Really? Huh. At any rate, these riddles are in dire need of being updated. After what I've been through to get here, it would really suck to get stuck on a technicality.

Ahh… How much longer can I continue?

There's no day… There's no night…

Haven't eaten in forever…

Really shouldn't be anything but whitened bones by now…

Something's keeping me going, for sure…

Come on… Be done, already…

Hmm…

This glyph… It looks strange. It looks really shiny and pristine, not ragged and broken like those old ones. And beyond it… What on earth is that? Is this… Am I actually getting close to the end?

**Who are you?**

"A man," I answer quickly, hoping with all my might that the glyph would disappear. It did not.

"Human," I continue, "A sentient being. Possessor of the consciousness."

Nothing's happening? Damn it, of course they'd save the hardest riddle for last. Oh, don't worry, I've got plenty of time… I just hope there isn't a limit for how many tries I get, like those damn Stadium preliminaries.

"A part of life?" I ramble on, the definitions of humanity all creeping into my skull, "Anti-Pokémon? I think, therefore I am? A miserable little pile of secrets?"

Nothing's working. Stupid… Who am I? How the hell would you know!? You didn't even keep yourself updated on which the shortest Pokémon is! It's obvious who I am, but even if I said it you wouldn't… Wait… Maybe…

"… Ethan?" I state my own name, and much to my surprise, the glyph disappears and a passage is shown.

* * *

><p>Ethan looked warily at the new path. Whatever it was, it was nothing like anything he had ever seen before, constantly reshaping itself into incomprehensible visions through impossible motions. While he knew he had only gotten this far by being overly reckless, he thought it to be a poor idea to end his journey by being overly stupid. He reached out to try and touch it, noticing just how hairy his arm had gotten over the years.<p>

His body seemed to be the only thing consistent in this abnormal world. Examining himself, he realized that he had barely lost a pound since entering, feeling a little let down considering all the strenuous work he had gone through. It was almost as if the past years had never happened, but the tatters and rags that were once his favorite set of clothes were a proper reflection of what had passed. He hoped a regal appearance was not a requirement where he was going.

It took him a moment to realize that he was now surrounded by the strangeness he had seen behind the glyph. He had not come to the passage quickly enough, so the passage had come to him. Ethan muttered, having hoped to take some manner of break before coming face to face with his target.

Suddenly, everything was starting to move. Hundreds of glyphs swirled past him as he sped through space and time. The feeling of a million particles poking him all over made Ethan shudder, and the vivid scenery which he could still not make sense out of made his heart palpitate.

At the end of it all, he could see a white creature. Everything began to slow down as the large being remained still, the world nudging the two of them closer to one another. It made no attempt to introduce itself, but Ethan knew without a doubt who it was.

"Arceus…" Ethan whispered to himself with both amazement and relief, slowly pointing his Pokédex forward. The high-technological encyclopedia bleeped once as it came to life, letting its metallic voice ring throughout the shapeless void.

According to the legends of Sinnoh, this Pokémon emerged from an egg and shaped all there is in this world.

"Heheh," Ethan snickered to himself, "How trivial. I suppose no mere description could match one such as yourself."

Ethan had seen very, very many peculiar works of nature in his time as a Pokémon trainer, but none had been quite as alien as Arceus. It stood on four legs and had a head at the end of a long neck, but every bit was as foreign as they possibly could be. Its legs were like spears that ended on feet as small as buttons, and Ethan knew they would be incapable of keeping balance in a world where physics prevailed. The head was long and slender, even more so than the neck it sat perched upon. If the back part was simply a nice hairdo or perhaps served as containment for its brains, Ethan did not know.

What caught his attention the most was a large star-shaped insignia attached to Arceus' stomach. It twisted itself to the side, and when it did all the white fur on the creature rustled and reformed itself into hard steel plating. Ethan barely had time to admire the now fully mechanical being before the star turned again, and the steel melted into glistening sweat, dripping off every edge and smelling like a gentle sea breeze.

**"Ethan of man,"** Arceus suddenly spoke, **"Know that I am no god of yours."**

The voice was unlike anything Ethan had ever heard before. It was a mighty roar and a quiet whisper, invoking a sensation similar to that of when one hears a familiar piece of music played out of tune. It was a chirp from a Chikorita, a mutter from a Mismagius and a grunt from a Geodude all at the same time. Even so, there was not a trace of unease within Ethan, for he knew he had finally found who he had been looking for so long.

"You are Arceus," Ethan said and placed the Pokédex back at his ragged belt, refraining from rudely pointing too long at the mightiest Pokémon of all time, "You are what you are. Titles don't interest me."

**"Alone, you have sought me,"** Arceus continued speaking, eyes unmoving as they suddenly shifted color from green and yellow to red and blue, **"Alone, you have found me. Your desires are unclear."**

"I have no intention of capturing you, or revealing your existence to the world…" Ethan responded, having spent quite a lot of time rehearsing what he was about to say, "I only ask for your assistance in a small matter of mine… Something only you can do."

Arceus stared at Ethan for a moment, its greenish body now sprouting plants and mushrooms all over. It was not the kind of stare that examined his appearance, but rather pierced right through him to determine what he was thinking and feeling.

**"You are wise and have persevered,"** Arceus responded in an almost sad tone, **"I shall heed your request."**

Ethan smiled as he took a deep breath.

"Everything I know about Pokémon…" he spoke clearly, "… Make me forget it. Make it go away."

As difficult as it was to tell which manner of expression Arceus was wearing, Ethan had a feeling that his request surprised the ancient being.

**"Why?"**the old god asked, although there was not even a hint of curiosity present in the many voices it spoke.

"B-Because… Reasons," Ethan stammered, taken aback by the response, "You would care to hear the plight of a simple human? Can't you just make it happen?"

**"No,"** Arceus said bluntly as his body shifted to a deep tone of black, the star around its stomach transforming into a complete void of light, **"Prove that your wish is pure."**

Ethan marveled at the Pokémon's display, realizing that Arceus was shifting between types at a whim. The idea that such ability would be far too overpowered for competitive battling crept into his mind before he cleared his throat and began to explain himself.

"In the beginning, Pokémon was but a fun game…" Ethan whispered while thinking back to his younger days, "I remember being so happy after receiving my first Pokémon… Defeating my first trainer… Winning my first badge."

His battle against Falkner was a memory that would never fade. It had been ferocious, no Pokémon to his name but a single Geodude and Chikorita. He had been forced to make do with what he had, and hung on by the skin of his teeth thanks to his own ingenuity and new discoveries about Pokémon. Comparing his humble beginnings to times not quite as distant, he found himself in possession of hundreds of Pokémon, all perfectly suited to combat any situation. The difficulty that had originally spurred him on had disappeared, and so had the excitement.

"I constantly fought stronger and stronger trainers in order to get a challenge…" Ethan continued as he wiped away a bit of sweat forming on his forehead, "But now, I've reached the peak. I'm the champion of the world. Now there is nothing left for me when it comes to Pokémon!"

Arceus remained silent, and Ethan wondered if the god even knew what he was talking about.

"Sure, I could go to a new region, find some new Pokémon, collect eight badges and beat the local Elite Four…" Ethan muttered before shaking his head and raising his voice, "… But I've done it all before! Several times! It will never be as exciting as the first time, so why bother!?"

He could not believe that this is where he had ended up. How could he have predicted that years after getting stomped by Whitney's Miltank, taking on Team Rocket with the help of Lance and facing the mighty Lugia in combat, he'd be wishing none of it had ever happened.

"What, this gym leader focuses on Electric Pokémon that are immune to ground-types?" Ethan grunted with an annoyed shrug, "Big whoop, I've already figured out 36 different counters, half of which I can pull off with Pokémon located right outside their doorstep. The Elite Four aren't challenging me anymore, I'm challenging them! Obsessing over a hobby like this… Is this the way life's meant to be? There must be more to it than this! How can I even dream of fulfillment when a single life is not nearly enough!?"

Ethan felt himself start to shake, finally being able to reveal what he had kept hidden to himself all this time. The pressure in the room seemed to be increasing, Ethan wondering if it was Arceus' doing or just his own waning strength. The god seemed unmoved as usual, but continued listening nonetheless.

"I've had enough of winning… I see no point in losing…" Ethan growled as he clenched his fists, "How long has it been since I felt defeat? How long has it been since I felt achievement…!? It's just an empty void now, one that has grown too big to contain and consumes my being! My head's so full of strategies, evolutions, movesets and type matchups, I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!"

As if on cue, Ethan felt the weight of his long travels hit him as his legs gave way, making him fall down to his knees. A sudden pang of sadness hit him, washing away his rage with regret.

"In the end, after all I did… I'm still nothing," Ethan wheezed as he lowered his head, "My Pokémon are stronger than me. My Pokémon are smarter than me. I'm just a simple brat with powerful friends…"

Keeping his head low in despair, a sudden smile cracked open on his face.

"… Hah… 'Friends'…" he muttered ironically, "I captured them and forced them to do my bidding in order to further my own ambitions. No matter how I look at it, my existence can only be holding them back from true greatness… Greatness I hoped to achieve one day, but never will…"

As much as he loathed frailness of his human body, he could not help but realize that the journey he had gone through would have killed him three times over if not for the sudden revitalization when entering the tower. He suddenly began to fret over his fate were he to ever leave it, but decided to keep pressing.

"Erase my mind," Ethan repeated while keeping his head low in a display of respect, "Cleanse it of everything involving Pokémon… I beg of you."

**"I understand,"**Arceus finally said, a ripple causing its body to wave as if it were as hollow as the wind. At long last, it moved. It stepped towards Ethan with its long legs and on its impossibly small feet. Ethan stood up quickly, taken aback by the legendary's sudden decision.

"Wait, before that… While I'm here…" Ethan suddenly said as a thought hit him, "Could you… Make death an optional thing? Just for me?"  
><strong><br>"No,"**Arceus replied, moving closer.

"R… Rid the world of disease?" Ethan stammered, taking in the imposing figure before him.

**"No,"**Arceus repeated, moving closer still.

"There's, uh… No one higher up I can talk to about this, no?" Ethan whispered as Arceus was now directly in front of him, so close he could touch it. Not that he wanted to, seeing how the ancient being's body was now bubbling like lava and emanating enough heat to scald his face off. Hoping Arceus knew what it was doing, Ethan closed his eyes to shut out the final shred out doubt creeping into his mind.

In an instant, Ethan was overcome by the strongest feeling of déjà vu in his life.

* * *

><p>There he was, a little boy at the beginning of it all. A warm world full of smell and sensation. After much waiting and pleading, Ethan had finally been let in beyond the walls of Professor Elm's laboratory. Before his juvenile eyes stood a wide stretch of grass, trees and Pokémon beyond his wildest imagination.<p>

"Amazing, is it not?" the young professor Elm boasted with a bright smile, "Not as big as Oak's, but size is not all that matters! This compressed environment allows me to study every step of Pokémon's evolution, which I use when continuing my work regarding…"

Ethan could not hear what the professor was saying, his heart pumping so hard he felt like he was going to faint from the pressure. A group of smaller Pokémon had spotted them and headed their way, Ethan trying vainly to take it all in as they stood and looked at him with curiosity.

"Come now, don't be scared!" Professor Elm while noticing the boy's nervousness, "They can tell if you're scared!"

Ethan knew, but could not help it. He had waited so long to get in there, and now part of him wanted to turn tail and run as far away as possible. His mind racing with conflicting wishes, something suddenly zoomed past his vision with blinding speed and grazed the top of his head, making him fall back in surprise.

Looking ahead, Ethan saw a slender, striped and fuzzy Pokémon running around in a circle. On its head was a very familiar black and yellow cap.

"Furret, no!" Elm chided, "That is not how we treat our guests!"

"Hey, that's mine!" Ethan yelled as he got to his feet, running towards the Furret who easily slipped out of the way. The other Pokémon were making mocking noises, obviously laughing at his plight.

"My mom gave me that, give it back!" Ethan pleaded as the Furret wiggled its butt at him and swiftly ran off, followed by the other Pokémon. He could not bother to give chase, feeling very weak in the knees. He had waited so long to be able to interact with Pokémon, and then they had turned out to be just as bad as the bullies he was trying to get away from. He sat down on the grass in defeat as Elm stood and scratched his head, not sure on what to do.

Suddenly, something bumped against Ethan's arm. Looking to his side he saw a Pokémon staring at his jacket, a Pokémon so small that he had missed seeing it up until now. Its green body blending well against the grass beneath, he would probably still not have been able to see it if not for the large leaf sitting on its head.

"Ah, a Chikorita! Perfect timing!" Professor Elm chimed with relief and gratefulness, "See? Pokémon are great, aren't they? You should definitively try to learn more about them, and one day you'll be a professor like me, both distinguished and a contributor within the…"

Ethan was not listening, focusing entirely upon the Chikorita next to him. He reached out and stroked its head which had a softly furry texture to it, feeling like pussy willow. Noticing his touch, the Chikorita looked up and stared at him with its glossy eyes, both tinted red.

"H-Hello," Ethan stammered, meeting the Pokémon's gaze. The Chikorita quickly leaped back and continued looking at him with wide eyes. He was not certain, but he got the distinct feeling that he had frightened it somehow.

"Oh, right, this one was born just recently!" Elm explained as he observed the Pokémon's behavior, "She's probably as curious about you as you are about her! Imagine that, Pokémon wanting to find out more about humans. Makes me wonder if there are Pokémon professor out there that are actually Pokémon… Hmm, I suppose they would call them human professors? Perhaps we could research…"

Once more Ethan zoned out as the Chikorita approached him carefully, the leaf on her head moving in the wind. He kept himself calm this time and held out his hand in a gentle gesture.

"Here," he said, suddenly noticing that he was smiling.

"Chiko?" the Pokémon chimed, looking at his arm.

"She… Cow?" he tried to emulate her, remaining as still as possible. The small Pokémon made no effort of moving closer, warily observing his arm as if it were to extend further and lash out at her. Ethan wanted to pet her again, but didn't know what to do.

"It's OK!" he said reassuringly, "I'm a grass-type, too!"

Leaning back, Ethan lay down flat on the grassy ground, stretching out his arms.

"She-Cow! She-Cow!" he called out, hoping he was making himself out to be a grass-type more than he thought, "I love grass!"

"It's pronounced Chi-Ko-Ri…" Elm started, but suddenly stopped himself. As unusual as that was, Ethan thought to look up to see why, when he suddenly felt a light weight tap down on his right leg. The tapping continued all the way up his body until he was staring at the Chikorita standing on his chest.

"Chiko?" she asked, obviously wondering what on earth he was doing.

"Chica!" Ethan tried to repeat, the small Pokémon stumbling as his chest moved and she lost balance.

"Ch-Ch-Chiko!" she stammered while trying to regain her footing.

"Ch-Ch-Chica!" he continued, causing even less stability as the Chikorita fell off him. Ethan quickly sat up to see that she had not been hurt. She had fallen on her back and seemed confused, looking up at him. A mischievous smile slowly cracked open the Pokémon's face as she wiggled to the side, before jumping up and tackling Ethan in the chest. He lost his breath as he was knocked onto his back again, the Chikorita eagerly jumping up and down on him.

"Again!?" Ethan gasped in surprise, gaining confidence in a second, "You're on! Ch-Ch-Chica!"

"Ch-Ch-Chiko!" she stuttered as she tried keeping her balance more steady this time. In just a few moments she had fallen off, both of them laughing wildly.

"Alright, you're getting good!" Ethan said as the Chikorita climbed on top of him once more, "Oh yeah, I gotta get my cap back! Can you help?"

There was no response. The warm world of smell and sensation began to disappear as thousands of future memories piled up on one another. Years of Ethan's life flashed by in a second, each event causing Chica's happy laughter to trail off. Then, everything stopped.

* * *

><p>There he was, a grown man at the end of it all. Having just ditched the crowning ceremony that would have pronounced him the greatest Pokémon trainer of all time, he found that his victory over Brendan and Red was the last thing on his mind. Since the beginning of the day, he had been busy releasing every Pokémon to his name. Watching his once vast empire crumble was nothing compared to the pain of saying farewell to all his friends. Many had been reluctant, and so he had begged… Lied… Even used force to make them to go out on their own. He had long been preparing himself for this day, and even though the bulk of it was gone, the most difficult part still remained.<p>

"Only you left…" Ethan whispered, tossing away the deactivated Pokéball. The sun was setting in the distance, Ethan sitting on a rock out in the wilderness. Next to him stood his longtime companion and lifetime friend Chica, now a Meganium with a worried expression belying her great strength. She was not so small anymore, rather quite a bit bigger than he was. He remembered all too well how she had once been barely a quarter of his size as a kid, walking around on his stomach or lying in his lap and dozing off.

"So… You can go now," Ethan muttered, having no idea on how to say what had to be said, "Settle down… Raise a family… All that."

Unsurprisingly, Chica looked at him as if he was insane, vehemently shaking her head in disagreement. She had also known this day was coming for a while, and was not about to give up so easily.

"Please, Chica… Try to understand…" Ethan whispered and sighed, "I've matured. I used to be so naïve, travelling the world, fighting and capturing anyone I could find without a second thought…"

Chica shook her head again and said something in return. Having spent so many years with her let him understand the gist of it.

"You're right, I never did want to catch 'em all…" Ethan said while thinking of his past reasoning, "I always told you about unwritten rules… That some Pokémon were better off left alone…"

Shame ran through Ethan, thinking about what he had done. Standing up, he turned his back to his old companion, not sure he could continue talking if her were to see her saddened face for one more second.

"But… I was wrong!" Ethan said loudly while clenching his fists, "They were ALL better off left alone! I shouldn't have captured ANYONE!"

An unmistakable gasp from behind told him this is not what Chica had expected. He had told everyone else lies before releasing them, keeping them in the dark as to not hurt their feeling. But Chica, his oldest and most loyal friend deserved to know the truth.

"I wanted more Pokémon, more victories, more badges, more money, more adventure, more recognition…" Ethan counted up wearily, "I dragged you all around with me and had the audacity to think… To think I was doing you a favor…"

His voice broke up with the last sentence, making him realize that he was on the verge of tears. His heart pounded quite hard, and he wondered why it was so painful to openly admit something he had been thinking for so long.

"Even you… My best friend…" Ethan continued, making an effort to keep his voice steady, "You were given to me! You had to be with me whether you wanted to or not, to do my bidding until the end of times! Of course you would… Try not to hate me…"

This time, Chica protested. He could tell her voice was growing hoarse as she pleaded and begged with him, the words lost to him but their meaning all too clear. He was able to pick up one thing she said - That he that he was the best thing to ever happen in her life.

"That's… That's because I owned your life…" Ethan said with a bit of struggle, "I'm everything there is to it… And what your life could've been… I stole that away from you!"

Forgetting himself, he did the mistake of turning around. Instantly he turned back, the vision of Chica's devastated and crying face burned into his retinas. His confidence wavered as he thought of how much pain he was causing his oldest friend. Through the blistering peaks of Mt. Silver, they had stuck together. Within the murky darkness of Rock Way, they had stuck together. In unfamiliar territories with enemies on every side, they had stuck together.

This time, Ethan could not stop his tears. He knew all of that had been a result of his ambitions, his journey. Had he even once followed her? Gone somewhere she wanted to go? Endured hardships for her sake?

"I-I forced you to follow me around wherever I went…" he stammered weakly with regret, "If… If only I had asked… Where you wanted to be…"

Everything around him felt cold and dirty. Crying like a fool, he started shaking. Shaking in fear of leaving everything behind. Shaking in disgust at himself for how he had treated his so-called friends. Shaking in rage at fate for placing him in this cruel position.

Two vines wrapped around him as Chica came up from behind and leaned against him. She felt warm, and quickly Ethan's shaking subsided.

_"… It would not have made a difference…"_ Chica whispered, her words as clear as the moon reflecting in her tears, _"I… Have always been where I wanted to be…" _

Ethan turned to face her, a forced smile reaching between her wet cheeks. He wished to make out every detail of what he was seeing, but the memory was coming to an end and the world around him was losing focus. Returning to the shapeless void, Chica's final words echoed through his head…

_"With you"_


	72. Immortal God Arceus (Part 2)

Relishing in the nostalgic sensation the flashback had brought, Ethan once more found himself staring into a shapeless void, the Arceus visible in the corner of his eyes. There was a strange familiarity to it all, as if he had been touched by ancient being many lifetimes ago. Before long he came back to his senses, testing out his memory while looking up at the old legendary.

"I…" Ethan whispered, the mental image of Chica still burning in his mind, "… Still remember…"

**"The seed is planted. When you next sleep, it will sprout and the memories that haunt you will be gone,"** Arceus responded, now covered in sickly purple flesh that gave off an odor of rotting corpses. Before Ethan had time to complain, the star turned once more as Arceus floated back, its body cold and brittle like an icicle.

**"You may leave now,"** it continued, Ethan having trouble telling if the unusual voice sounded pleading or demanding.

"Wait! Since I'm here…" Ethan exclaimed while holding up a hand, deciding to push his luck a little further, "Would you indulge me with the secrets of the universe… Perhaps what the meaning of life is?"  
><strong><br>"That is not for me to say,"** Arceus replied immediately, **"I am not your god."**

"So you keep saying…" Ethan mumbled, his head hurting a little but his curiosity far from sated, "If you don't mind, then… What are you, Arceus?"

This time, Arceus' expression seemed to change a bit. Its eyes narrowed slightly as it moved its head closer towards Ethan, as if inspecting him.

"I won't remember what you said, if that's what you're worried about," Ethan hastily added. He wondered what the problem was, thinking it was a reasonable question that would help give him closure to his long journey as a Pokémon master.

**"Truth…"** Arceus said in a lower tone than before while staring at Ethan, **"Knowing it changes nothing… Pursuing it causes misery… Yet everyone always demands it…"**

A twinge of worry struck Ethan as he wondered why Arceus did not wish to reveal something of that nature. Maybe he was being tricked? Maybe he would not lose his memories after all? The legendary moved its head back, staring down at him as its eyes returned to their original shape.

**"My kind is not of this world,"** Arceus began to explain, **"In our world there were no animals or humans, only Pokémon. We Arceus were a species that evolved beyond the rest. Constantly growing stronger with each generation, we were even able to achieve immortality."**

A shadow fell over the ancient being's face, and Ethan thought it had switched types once more. However, the star remained still.

**"Having conquered death, we became so numerous and powerful that our planet's resources were simply not enough to support us all,"** Arceus continued as its eyes drifted beyond Ethan towards a far-off distance, **"We did not realize this until our world was but a dead husk, and the other Pokémon we had grown alongside were doomed."**

"So… What?" Ethan asked while scratching his head, the insides of which suddenly started to itch very badly, "You came here from space? Man, how many years did that take?"

Arceus continued staring into the distance.

**"Too many,"** Arceus answered bluntly, **"After destroying our home, we scattered throughout the universe in pairs, searching for new planets to occupy. Thinking we were alone in the universe, we had hoped to find a budding world… One we could use our powers to make sustainable… But when we at long last found Earth, it was already habituated."**

After what seemed like an eternity, Arceus' gaze turned back towards Ethan, less inquisitive than before.

**"Not by Pokémon. I am referring to your ancestors, human,"** Arceus continued, **"In the oceans they crawled and floated, completely unaware of their tiny insignificance in the world. Seeking only survival, they selfishly preyed upon each other for food, facing strangers and brethren alike with fear and wrath."**

Ethan suddenly felt guilty, like he was on trial and answering for the actions of a few trilobites and dinosaurs billions of years ago. He wondered if Arceus really saw no difference between him and them, fairly certain that had he been an ichthyostega he would have stuck around to listen to Arceus' tale. To his relief, the pain and itching in his head began to subside.

**"We decided to change things,"** Arceus said, **"We infused our powers into a chosen species of plants, letting them suck up enough nutrition from the sun and soil to be able to sustain the ecosystem… An alternative to devouring each other. They are what you now refer to as berries."  
><strong>  
>"Hate those things," Ethan blurted out, refraining from sticking out his tongue in fear of divine retribution.<p>

**"As expected. My kind lost our need for food many eons ago, and with it our sense of taste,"** Arceus replied and moved its head to the side, **"Unsurprisingly, our gift was mostly ignored in favor of the endless genocide your kind raged. We gave up on this primitive and brutal world, secluding ourselves."**

"And… I assume…" Ethan whispered as everything he had always wondered about was finally beginning to make sense, "… Made more Pokémon?"

**"No,"** Arceus answered immediately, swiftly crushing Ethan's expectations, **"The introduction of Pokémon into this world came from the berries. The creatures that evolved a taste for berries and regularly ate them received a sliver of our power. This power built up after countless generations and they began to liken us more and more, until their biological structure completely resembled that of Pokémon."**

"So that's why they look like animals…" Ethan muttered while scratching his head again, "I always thought it was due to how good they were at adapting, survival of the fittest and all that…"

**"Such was true for your ancestors… Those that loathed berries…"** Arceus said, and without missing a beat lifted its head higher, **"Now, you know everything. Are you prepared to return?"**

"W-Wait!" Ethan stammered in shock, still trying to work out everything he had just been told, "But… You came in pairs? Where's your partner now?"

Lowering its head again, Arceus fell quiet. Like before, it seemed to be contemplating whether it should be revealing such information.

**"I told you of how my kind was good at evolving…"** Arceus said, its peculiar voice somewhat meeker than before, **"… She has transcended into a being beyond even my comprehension. Among you humans, those who find residue of her existence refer to her as Missingno."**

Ethan had never heard the name before, wondering how it might have eluded his vast knowledge. For a moment he felt rather peeved that he was leaving the world of Pokémon behind, seeing how such a valuable creature still existed. He could have captured her somehow and brought her to Arceus, who now seemed less omnipotent and more tragic than before.

"So you're stuck here, all alone…?" Ethan whispered with a shrug, "… You know, despite your insistence, we really do think of you as a god. If you were to show yourself, we'd be flocking to praise you, and do pretty much anything you want."

**"Forgive me, but there is nothing your kind can offer me,"** Arceus responded with a slightly more amused tone to its voice. Ethan suddenly realized that after talking to the ancient Pokémon for so long, he was finally beginning to be able to pick out emotions and various nuances in the way it spoke. Whether it was him simply getting accustomed to Arceus or his experience at handling Pokémon proving itself to be useful, he was not sure.

"Surely there must be something worth seeing?" Ethan pressed on, eager to see if he could get another response to try out his newfound skill, "There are new generations of Pokémon popping up all the time. I mean, do you even know what a Chespin is?"

**"This world must not know of my existence,"** Arceus said sternly, Ethan finding both seriousness and a hint of annoyance in its voice, **"If you were to comprehend my power and wisdom, you will end up becoming like my race… And this planet will end up as mine did. Only by considering omnipotence an impossibility do you have a chance of surviving."**

"Happiness in ignorance, eh…?" Ethan muttered, suddenly thinking of his own quest to forget all about Pokémon. Giving off a small grunt, he realized he was still stuck in the same endless vortex, trying to decipher Arceus' sayings. He had already reached the end of his journey. There was nothing more for him to be found. He knew he had to let go.

"Arceus… I'm ready to go back now," Ethan said, ignoring his own curiosity and will to continue talking. Before losing his nerve and getting struck by regret, he had to return to the real world where he was but a naptime away from fulfillment. He would be able to prepare a note explaining what happened, and wake up to a fresh new start of life in a warm sleeping bag.

The ancient being did not speak a single word of confirmation as it closed its eyes, the hazy world around them beginning to move. The incomprehensible void bent into itself and imploded, creating a darkness Ethan had thought impossible until now.

**"Ethan of man… Should Missingno in all her unpredictability appear before you…"** Arceus said calmly while looking at him with surprisingly gentle eyes, **"… Do tell her that I long for the time when we shall meet again."**

"Right," Ethan nodded with a smile, "I'll tell her that you can't wait to meet me again."

The two of them stared at each other for a moment. Arceus's eyes narrowed, nervousness coursing through Ethan as the darkness grew more intense.

"N-Not too old for a joke, are you…?" he stuttered carefully, holding his hands in front of him. Arceus continued staring as Ethan's bravery ran low. Before he could apologize or say anything else, the darkness had completely engulfed him, and the old god knew that the human would very soon be finding himself on the surface of the world he had left behind so very long ago.

Looking at the spot where the human had been, Arceus made sure every last molecule of him was gone. It would never have imagined a creature as frail as a human could have made it there, through the center of the earth and past the unforgiving trials. It worried Arceus, who wondered if maybe it had been too negligent as to allow humanity continued progress.

**"The Human Species…"** Arceus spoke quietly, **"A peculiar breed. As remorselessly harsh as they are happily naive… Thinking so highly of their own lives while dismissing that of others… Focusing upon their carnal needs instead of what is truly important… Should they not be able to rise above it through self-awareness and will? Are they able, but choose not to? Already they are a threat to the world, and the end of their evolutionary line has yet to arrive. How many centuries until the Earth is not enough to fulfill their growing needs? They remind me so much of us… Would you not agree, my dear?"**

Casting a glance to its side, Arceus remembered where its partner had stood for so many billions of years. Now, the spot was empty, and Arceus was once more reminded of its lot in life. The face of the one it loved as clear as ever, Arceus laid down and finally went back to sleep.


	73. Mystic Tracker Sigilyph

Morning arrived, and the starved vegetation was at long last reinvigorated by the the light of day, the mist of the previous night having completely disappeared. Like an evil spirit exorcised, Celebi, Zerobi and Lucario all sat inside the cave where they had been fighting not long before, now chatting civilly with each other while pretending that nothing had happened. Feeling obligated to unearth something of similar nature to Zerobi's revelation, Lucario decided to retell his past in detail, how he had woken up in a grave and encountered Ivy only to end up betrayed and hunted. He felt a little uneasy talking about the small penguin and unfortunate Combusken he had come across, but decided that none of his crimes even came close to what the icy dark-type had admitted.

"That's barbaric!" Zerobi yelled accusingly as Lucario finished his story, tugging away his false sense of security.

"H-Hey! I don't want to hear that coming from you!" Lucario shouted defensively and immediately regretted having told her anything.

"… At least I never thought of grilling and eating someone!" Zerobi retorted with a disgusted tone. The two looked at each other, and despite the horrible subject of discussion they could not help but start laughing at the absurdity of it all. Celebi looked back and forth between them, suddenly not feeling quite so bad about her own mistakes in life.

"Hahaha! We're both saints, aren't we?" Zerobi laughed with irony as a sudden thought hit her, "Oh yeah, I still have to explain all this to Mew…"

They both felt silent. Zerobi exhaled quietly and looked down, idly gazing over her reflection in her claws. Warped and twisted as it was, it did not seem quite as bad as she was used to. She had never seen herself in this light as a Weavile before, thinking back to the lost innocence of her days as a Sneasel.

Celebi looked at her and tried to say something, stopping herself at the last second. A moment passed before she made another attempt.

"Sis…" Celebi said, her normally gentle and soft voice sounding hoarse and tired, "… You should not tell anyone else of your past. While the two of us have forgiven you, do not expect the same reaction from others."

"Hey, come on…" Lucario said while patting his knee, trying to keep everyone's spirits high, "Mew's anything but vindictive!"

"Mew? Yes. But everyone else…" Celebi explained slowly before lowering her head, "… I will not be there to protect you forever. For your own sake, I suggest you do not tell anyone else about this."

"Keep doing what I've been doing so far, then…" Zerobi sighed while cleaning off a speck of dirt from the tip of her claw, "Suits me. It's… Not something I enjoy talking about, anyway."

Feeling the heavy atmosphere return, Lucario could not wait to get out of the cave and finally leave all the drama behind. The fog outside had vanished, but it seemed both Zerobi and Celebi were still a bit too shaken up to want to get moving. At first he had thought it was just as well since they were still awaiting Mew's return, but something had not gone according to his expectations.

"Mew sure is taking long," Zerobi muttered, apparently thinking along the same lines, "Last time she did this, she was back in about three hours. I'm pretty sure it's been more than a day, already."

"Celebi… I'm still a little out of things," Lucario muttered with a defeated tone to his voice, "Could you… Confirm… What I'm sensing about Mew's aura?"

Celebi looked up at him, sympathy in her eyes. She had withheld talking about it for as long as possible, not wanting to burden him with too many bad news at the same time.

"I am afraid so," she said quietly, "Mew is most definitively moving away from us."

A deep frown formed upon Lucario's face. It was just like what had happened on the Seafoam Islands, and then again in No Man's Land. Not once, not twice, but three times had Mew purposely avoided him. He knew this was no longer all a coincidence. She could sense his aura after all; staying away from him would be an easy task if she wanted to. But for her to even ignore her childhood friend Celebi, just to make sure she did not have to meet him…

"I don't get it," Lucario groaned while clenching his fists in frustration, "She asked ME for help. Why's she treating me like the plague all of a sudden?"

"She… Asked for your help?" Celebi repeated, a curious expression crossing her face. Lucario and Zerobi both looked down at her.

"Mew is…" Celebi started, stopping herself when she realized they were both staring at her. She knew such hesitation was unbecoming of her, but her psyche still needed some time to recover from the earlier fight. Between that and getting shot just days earlier, she wondered if she was expecting a mental restoration that would simply never happen.

"… Mew fears dependency," Celebi said while shaking her head, making an effort of bringing back her confidence, "Neither of us grew up with parents, but she had Cresselia… And she never got over what happened."

Lucario vaguely recalled Mew mentioning Cresselia. He had stopped asking about her relatives after realizing it only brought up painful memories, because those that were not dead had abandoned her.

"She will attempt to handle the difficulties she faces alone, unless given no other alternative," Celebi continued and found it strange that she had never questioned her best friend's behavior before now, "Maybe she is avoiding you because she never really wanted your help, but cannot bring herself to say it? And… It… It seems we have company!"

Lucario wondered what Celebi had meant, but within the second he was able to sense it as well. It was the aura of two beings approaching from high above.

"Crap, forgot to suppress mine…" Lucario muttered, thinking that neither Celebi nor Zerobi were giving off an aura to trace, so those who were coming were looking for him. The sensation they gave off was unfamiliar and not too strong, but the fact that they were targeting him rarely meant something good was about to happen.

"Cloak!" Celebi exclaimed quickly as she nervously looked around the cave.

"Here!" Zerobi replied, picking up and sweeping the brown piece of clothing over herself. Celebi dove down and hid herself inside the hood, making the Weavile look like a deformed hunchback from the outside. Lucario nodded as the three of them exited the cave to meet the arriving threat. Looking up, they saw a strange silhouette coming towards them with the sun behind its back. Although the silhouette became clearer as it neared, that only served to make it less recognizable.

"… What the hell is that supposed to be!?" Lucario exclaimed in disbelief, not comprehending what he was looking at. It was painted in many wild colors and had multiple thin appendages that looked like wings, tentacles and claws all at once. Its body was completely spherical with a rather large crack in the middle, making it look like it was hiding inside of a split egg. Lucario had seen many peculiar things in his days, but none as utterly ridiculous and physics-defying as the bird now swooping down.

"I… Don't know…" Zerobi stammered in response, sounding just as surprised as Lucario, "Looks like one of my doodles from first grade."

"It is a Sigilyph!" Celebi whispered quietly from underneath the hood, her voice muffled by the cloth, "That upper eye is very effective! Do not let it get too close, or it might see me!"

"… UPPER eye!?" Lucario gasped and looked closer, trying to figure out what she was talking about. On top of the odd ball was an elongated appendage sticking out of a large tuft of white cotton. While he was busy thinking of where to start attacking, the bird slowly set down a few feet away from them, hovering slightly above the ground. Zerobi shuffled back as to hide Celebi when the tuft of white cotton detached itself from the Sigilyph's body, took on a life of its own and began to speak.

"Mr. Lucario!" it said impatiently as it moved towards them, "I bring you urgent news, as well as a request!"

"I-It talks!?" Lucario burst out with his vision hastily switching between the ball-bird and tuft of cotton, his mouth agape at the unorthodox display, "It knows my name and wants me to do something!?"

"You don't… Remember…?" the mass of cotton whispered, its voice turning gloomy in a second, "No… Of course… You were unconscious…"

"Psst…" Zerobi beckoned Lucario while trying her best to keep Celebi behind as many layers of cloth as possible, "That's a Whimsicott. He was riding that… Thing. You know these two?"

"No!" Lucario responded immediately, fairly certain that he would not be able to forget an esthetic abomination like the Sigilyph even if he wanted to. Two hands suddenly poked out of the ball of cotton, pushing the white fluff aside to reveal a small wooden figure underneath.

"Forgive my impertinent behavior, sir. I am here on Zoroark's behalf," the Whimsicott said sternly, remembering the urgency of his mission, "He is in extremely dire need of your presence. Please, follow us to our nearby hideout where we may… What was it called…? Oh, right! Establish communication!"

"… Yeah, right. Will that be before or after the trap is sprung?" Zerobi huffed suspiciously, recognizing Zoroark's name all too well, "We don't have Mew any more. Buzz off."

"No, wait," Lucario interjected while holding up a hand before crouching over to get a better look at the tiny being, resisting the urge to nuzzle up against the soft material surrounding it, "Listen… I'm glad to hear Zoroark's fine, but I've got my own things to worry about. How important is it?"

"Very," the Sigilyph stated flatly, its dull voice going unheard by everyone but Lucario and his acute sense of hearing. It sounded a little like a piece of paper fluttering in the wind, and had about half as much impact.

"Please, it is not far!" the Whimsicott insisted, unaware of what his partner had just said, "You must come with us!"

The Whimsicott's large, pleading eyes had little effect on Lucario, but he was curious as to what Zoroark wanted. Considering that they had come to an agreement the last time, he was fairly certain it would not be a trap, and he knew she had far more important things to worry about than him. Also, he figured it would be a lot more interesting than to go chasing Mew again, who he was starting to get quite annoyed with.

"All right," Lucario said with a nod as the Whimsicott's face lit up in relief, "Go on ahead, I can sense your aura. I'll catch up with you."

"Lucario… You want us to RETURN to the hideout of the guy who we're running from?" Zerobi asked while looking at Lucario like he was insane, panicked movement visible around the shoulders of her cloak, "My BACK is KILLING ME, if you know what I mean."

"Relax," Lucario replied calmly with a shrug, "I'll go in alone. I've got some loose ends to tie up with Zoroark, it shouldn't take too long."

"Meeting Zoroark?" the Sigilyph asked as the Whimsicott mounted it, the words going unheard once more by anyone but Lucario, "You lucky. I love. Zoroark is masculine, handsome man."

"That's…" Lucario mumbled before a sinister smile crept across his face, "… Yeah, HE's really MASCULINE! What a handsome MAN that Zoroark is!"

"You, uh…" Zerobi mumbled warily with a troubled expression, "… Notice those kinds of things about other guys?"

"Other GUYS, yes," Lucario snickered, quickly realizing he was taking the joke too far, "I mean, no! Not like that! Shut up!"

Zerobi and the Whimsicott stared at him for a moment, not saying a word. The Sigilyph took off as quietly as it had landed, heading in the direction of their next destination. The two of them followed as Lucario continued defending himself and his failed attempt at comedy; Celebi wondering when would be a good time for her to pop out and object to their current course of action.


	74. Lethal Virus Pokérus

"Mr. Lucario! Zoroark is waiting for you in there!" the Whimsicott said while pointing ahead. Lucario felt extremely underwhelmed by the sight, a completely square house made out of dull, grey concrete. The revolutionaries' underground base had also been rather shabby, but compared to the extravagance of No Man's Land he felt like he was being led into an outhouse.

"Or rather, he is not in there… But he is definitively waiting for you!" the Whimsicott continued, making Lucario and Zerobi look at him funny.

"What do you mean, he's not in there?" Lucario asked worriedly, "I'll feel really, really stupid if this turns out to be a trap after all."

"It is not!" the Whimsicott assured him, "Upon entering, someone like you should have no problem understanding what I mean."

"Good luck… You'll need it," Zerobi snickered balefully, almost hoping it would turn out to be a trap so she could not only be proven right but also get an excuse to wreck Zoroark. She remembered that his lackey had struck her head pretty hard back in No Man's Land, but with the legendary Celebi clutching onto her back she felt a whole lot safer than usual. Lucario stared helplessly at the house as he swallowed hard, entering the square building alone while wondering what the Whimsicott had meant by 'someone like him'.

Inside was nothing but a staircase which led down, making Lucario realize that the revolutionaries really liked underground bases for some reason. He descended the stairs and was glad to see that the walls and ground were still made out of concrete, instead of mud and dirt like earlier. There was a strange glow coming from below, and as he finally reached the bottom he saw Zoroark.

Their encounter was not what Lucario had expected it to be, and suddenly he understood the Whimsicott's cluelessness. Zoroark was not actually there, but rather on a large screen at the end of the room. Lucario recognized it as a videophone, one so big it made her almost twice the size he was. From what he could tell, she had taken no obvious damage after her fall. It occurred to him that she appeared male once more, and he realized she might simply be hiding her wounds with more illusions.

Zoroark was clearly unaware of his presence, leaning up against a metallic wall while reading a newspaper with a bored expression. Her massive red hair hung limply beside her, and she let the claws on her left hand idly run through it. Lucario had never seen her as casual as this before. He was more used to seeing her fighting, commanding and generally being on edge, wondering if she was expecting anyone to be able to see her in this state.

Awareness must have struck her at that very moment, Zoroark letting her eyes glance away from the paper and suddenly fasten upon him.

"H… Have I established verbal communication with Lucario?" Zoroark said, turning towards him while sounding unsure of herself.

"Yeah," Lucario replied while waving his arm around, "Or as we say where I'm from, 'Hello'."

"… Indeed…" Zoroark whispered, her usual display of confidence returning as put down the paper, moved away from the wall and stared at Lucario through the monitor with an assertive gaze.

"Hello, Lucario," Zoroark said as a sinister smile crossed her face, "Or should I say… Hello, Ethan?"

Lucario quickly dropped his arm, breathing in sharply in surprise.

"You… You believe me!?" he gasped, scrambling his memories to figure out what he had and hadn't told her regarding his past.

"I believe… Something," Zoroark said while looking a bit uncertain, "The way you talk and act… How move in combat, not completely aware of the limitations in your own bodily structure… As impossible as it seems, you really were human, weren't you?"

"Yeah, but… How the hell did you figure out which human I used to be?" Lucario asked, surprised since not even he had done that on his own. Mew was the one who had to tell him, and for a moment's hesitation he wondered if the small legendary had something to do with this.

"That Mankey you encountered when entering No Man's Land might have seemed a bit unreliable…" Zoroark admitted before tapping the side of her head, "… But his memory is extraordinary, hence why I gave him that job in the first place."

Thinking back, Lucario remembered giving his real name to a tree-climbing fuzzball before entering No Man's Land, Zerobi getting mad at him for some reason. It was not until now that he realized he had nearly given her actual name as well, and considering her past that might very well have ended up in tragedy.

"Of course, we are both friendly friends now, Ethan…" Zoroark whispered as a threatening expression fell upon her face, "… But should you for whatever reason feel like revealing my secret to anyone, know that I could just as easily reveal yours."

"That'd be great, actually," Lucario replied, having no qualms whatsoever with more Pokémon knowing he was once Ethan. Zoroark was taken aback by this, suddenly becoming worried as she tried to think of something else to dissuade him from revealing her powers of illusion and true gender.

"Don't worry, I won't spoil the surprise for your fangirls," Lucario said, the Sigilyph popping into his mind for a second and making him snicker, "Now that we've got the blackmailing out of the way, how are you doing?"

"… Rather well, considering…" Zoroark muttered while trying to bring herself back together, knowing there were actually more important things to discuss than her private secrets, "… Wish I could say the same for the current state of affairs. Have you found Mew yet? Where is she?"

"Can't say," Lucario responded with an irritated shrug, there mere mention of Mew starting to annoy him.

"Can't…" Zoroark repeated quietly, "… Or won't?"

"You need a Q-tip!?" Lucario shouted angrily, fed up with still being treated like an enemy after having trusted her enough to even come in the first place, "She's fine, but she left before I could reunite with her. I don't know where she is. Stop not trusting me."

Zoroark's face scrounged up for a moment, and he could hear her cursing under her breath.

"Of course I trust you! It's not that at all…" Zoroark said as gently as she could muster before turning towards the screen with a very stern look on her face, "Listen, do you have any idea as to where she might be? It is very, very, VERY important that I get into contact with one of the legendaries as soon as possible."

"Oh, is that all you want?" Lucario replied nonchalantly, still feeling a bit ticked off, "No problem, I'll just ask one of the other legendaries I know. I've got Celebi with me, will she do?"

A moment of silence passed as Zoroark stood frozen, staring at him with an expression of surprise and disbelief.

"Why you?" Zoroark asked bluntly before snapping out of it, "I mean, yes. Let me talk to her!"

"Well… She's pretty damn shy, and you don't have the best track record when it comes to dealing with legendaries," Lucario huffed as he calmed down, "I'll ask her, but you might want to tell me what it's all about first."

"Fair enough," Zoroark sighed, wondering just how badly Lucario would react to the news. After explaining the situation to the Whimsicott, he had flown into a panic and immediately called for the Sigilyph who was their best tracker when it came to tracing aura, setting out to find Lucario. Zoroark hoped Lucario did not know that the Sigilyph also happened to be the best anti-fighting type they had, and would have made sure to bring him here whether he wanted to or not. She felt relieved that he had been reasonable enough to come along without a fuss, and relied on the fact that his reason would stay with him for just a little bit longer.

"We managed to trace the location of the laboratory shown in the Tape," Zoroark said, the frightful and depraved imagery within still filling her with disgust, "It was not filmed in Celadon City where we found it, but elsewhere. A bit curious as to why anyone in their right state of mind would ever do something like that, I had a scouting party sent to investigate. The results were… No good."

"No good?" Lucario repeated. He had yet to see the Tape, but knew that the contents were enough to anger those who had seen it to the point where they went ballistic and threw every human out of Celadon City.

"Do you know what a virus is, Lucario?" Zoroark asked bluntly.

"… Is it the technical term for people asking obvious questions?" Lucario answered with a question, smiling at the thought of someone not knowing what a virus is.

"This is no laughing matter!" Zoroark suddenly burst out with a stern voice, "If you did know what a virus is, you would not be wearing that casual grin right now!"

"No, like…" Lucario stammered, his face falling as flat together with his joke, "I mean… Of course I'm familiar with the term!"

"You will soon be familiar with the actual thing!" Zoroark continued as she realized she was losing her calmness, "Those insipid Rockets… They have…"

Zoroark breathed in deeply. She could not afford to let go of her temper or make too light of things. With or without her own display of emotions, Lucario would come to realize the gravity of the situation soon enough.

"They have isolated the structure of the Pokérus virus," Zoroark explained calmly, each syllable dripping with venom, "Usually harmless and actually quite beneficial, it only attaches itself to a group of cells that are unique to Pokémon. However, as of the latest reports I have received… They are restructuring it into something lethal."

"How… Infectious is it?" Lucario asked quietly, a chill running up his spine.

"We won't know until they deploy it," Zoroark said with a shrug, "But depending on how they choose to spread it, and how long it takes to create a vaccine… It could go anywhere from a few localized deaths to wiping out all Pokémon on the planet."

"… That's insane!" Lucario shouted in disbelief, "I refuse to believe anyone's THAT bloodthirsty!"

"Actually, you've already met him," Zoroark muttered while looking down on her claws for a moment, "The head developer is the scientist we ran into back in Saffron City. The one I put to sleep and probably should've killed when I had the chance to…"

"No kidding!" Lucario yelled while slapping his forehead, still trying to comprehend what was going on, "You've doomed us all!"

"Do not presume your hands are clean in all of this!" Zoroark shouted in response, "I know for a fact that the information they gained from experimenting on your immunity to Pokéballs helped their progress quite a bit!"

Lucario froze up, wanting to respond but coming up short of breath. Zoroark looked at him and cursed herself for once more losing control. She herself had just barely gotten over her initial reaction to the whole thing, but knew she had to be strong and take charge if the oncoming calamity was to be averted.

"Forgive me. This is not the time for pointing fingers," Zoroark mumbled shamefully as she lowered her head, "Rather, I suggest we gather as many powerful Pokémon as possible and go trash their place before the virus is completed."

Scratching the side of his head, Lucario suddenly felt very uncomfortable. Part of him refused to believe that this was really happening, but the other part remembered all too well what he had witnessed in the lab back in Saffron City. The cruel, unseen experiments upon the Dragonair and cocooned insect. If their lives had been worth less than dirt to the scientists, who was to say the lives of every other Pokémon meant anything more?

"But… To kill off all Pokémon…." Lucario stammered in disbelief, "Won't it screw up the ecosystem…? Destroy the planet…?"

"Who knows?" Zoroark replied while shaking her head, "I'd say that whatever happens after we're all dead is not really of much concern… Not to us, anyway."

"Can't wait," Lucario muttered sarcastically, "By the way, how long do we have?"

"Depends. I don't think even they know when the virus will be completed," Zoroark responded with a sigh, "Do not worry, I have them under the watch of a very reliable spy who will inform us before it is finished."

"Us? Are you sure you want to be telling more people about this?" Lucario asked carefully, "Won't it, you know, cause widespread panic?"

"Oh, that would be wonderful," Zoroark scoffed to herself, "Alas, I fear that would not be the case. If you really were human, you probably understand the differences of our mentality. Humans are weak and frightened that just about anything might kill them, and take precautions accordingly… But would a proud Aggron understand that an organism too small to see could potentially kill him and everyone he knows?"

The mental image of Ivy flashed through Lucario's mind, knowing firsthand how unreasonable Pokémon can be. Then again, he also remembered how she was ready to kill him based on some old legend that his survival would bring calamity.

A very painful thought clutched his mind as he remembered what Zoroark had said, how the scientist's experiments upon him had helped develop the lethal virus. In a way, his survival really had set the world down the path of destruction. He immediately shrugged the thought off, knowing it was nothing but silly superstition, but the damage upon his psyche had already been done.

"So, now you know why I need to speak with a legendary," Zoroark said, apparently tired of waiting for a response, "This is something that concerns us all. Risks are something we cannot afford to take… Even if I fail, they must be prepared to prevent this."

"I get it, I get it…" Lucario exclaimed while rubbing his aching forehead, "I'll go talk to Celebi and tell her to come down here."

"Good," Zoroark answered while noticing his discomfort, "And Lucario… It was nice talking to you again."

"Yeah…" Lucario muttered, wishing he could say the same thing. His mood seemed to have fallen down in the dumps, but Zoroark was still amazed that he had taken the news of their impending doom so well. As he turned around to leave, she wondered if maybe he was getting a little too accustomed to life-threatening situations for his own good.

"Wait…" Zoroark suddenly said, noticing something she had not seen until now, "… Why do you have a hole in your ear?"

"Long story," Lucario said with a wave of his hand, his stomach churning strangely. He felt he needed some time alone to digest what he had just learned, and could not wait to return to the surface.

"Oh, and regarding Entei-" Zoroark started, but was quickly interrupted.

"What? Who?" Lucario said as he turned around with an irritated expression, "I thought we were in a hurry. Can I go now?"

"… Fine," Zoroark replied with inhibition. She had hoped to talk to Lucario as Ethan the trainer for a while, but could tell he was in no condition for a casual chat. She had to carefully prepare herself in order to present the news to the legendary Celebi, knowing the fate of all Pokémon might depend on the outcome.

Lucario left the building in a slump. Mind racing with thoughts of the future instead of past, he managed to convince Celebi to go talk to Zoroark. She stayed hidden however, as Zerobi carried her under the cloak when they went inside. The Whimsicott and Sigilyph seemed to have left, probably on their way to rally more troops. Finding himself on his own, Lucario lay down on the grass and exhaled deeply.

Alone with his thoughts, he thought about the many humans he used to know. Although most of his memories of them were but a blur, there were bits and pieces of recognition here and there. The cheerful Lyra, who had let him borrow her plastic shovel in kindergarten. Professor Elm, whose line of work he had forgotten but still had quite a bit of respect for. His own mother, who despite her many shortcomings had given him life and spurred him on like no other.

As time passed, he was beginning to notice a lot of things he had never thought much about before. The insanity of Brendan. The indifference of Red. The naivety of Blue. As severe as their flaws were, and despite the chaos and destruction wrought on by Deoxys, Lucario could not imagine any of them wanted Pokémon completely eradicated from the world. Silver had said that they were all under his control, and his old rival did seem uninterested in Pokémon and spiteful enough to actually want something like that. Even so, Lucario could not imagine the mindset of someone who truly wished to bring about an end to all Pokémon life. Was it because he himself was a Pokémon? Would he be as blind and uncaring had he still been human?

When they returned, Celebi was no longer hiding under the cloak. She floated like a dead fish in midair, a blank expression on her face. Zerobi looked slightly less stunned, and seemed to be carrying some flat and resilient material between her claws.

"How'd it go?" Lucario asked, already aware of the answer.

"Not bad," Zerobi replied casually, "Should've seen his face when Celebi said I was her sister!"

"I agree. Things most likely not as bad as they seem," Celebi said, her ghastly expression betraying her words, "But… Just in case… I suggest we take immediate action."

"So… Back to the Seafoam Islands?" Lucario muttered reluctantly, not too keen on seeing either Lugia or Mesprit again.

"That will take too long," Celebi said while shaking her head, replacing her defeated expression with that of determination, "No, I… I will head towards Zoroark and Mew at full speed, and assist them to the extent of my abilities."

"Mew?" Lucario repeated with confusion.

"Oh, right," Zerobi chimed in as she held up the tough paper in her hands, "We've got a map here of where we need to go. Sis says she can sense that Mew is heading right in that direction!"

Lucario quickly stood up grabbed the map, but did not really look at it. Ideas swirled around his head as a sliver of hope filled his chest.

"You think… Maybe she found out about this on her own?" Lucario asked, well aware of Mew's fantastic skill at gathering information thanks to her transformation ability, "She didn't come to see us because she was in a hurry?"

"I believe so," Celebi responded as a smile crept up on her face for the first time in what seemed like ages, "Mew is very resourceful!"

"… Hah!" Lucario exclaimed, returning her smile with one of his own, "And so are we! Zoroark needed powerful fighters, right? Come on, let's go and crack some eggheads!"

Although relieved to see both of them happy again, Zerobi sighed as she knew it was her role to bring them back to earth.

"Uh, Lucario?" Zerobi said while looking towards her sister for affirmation, "We can't fly. Celebi is much faster on her own, so we'd just be dead weight."

"No, no! You two are great!" Celebi protested before looking off to the side and lowering her voice slightly, "But… Yes… Considering the urgency of the situation…"

Huffing with annoyance, Lucario swiftly grabbed the map out of Zerobi's claws and began to examine it, determined not to let his chance for redemption and finally being able to confront Mew slip away.

"It's not too far," Lucario said confidently as he examined the map, glad to see he would not be crossing another continent on foot this time, "And I walk pretty fast, I'll be there in a week or two!"

"But Lucario, you are still traced by the legendary dogs, no?" Celebi pointed out with a concerned experssion, realizing Lucario had a shift in priorities since their first meeting, "Traveling alone is dangerous! I urged Zoroark to send out for Pikablu and the others, so I think we can handle things on our own. You will be much safer if you go back to the Seafoam Islands or No Man's Land, I doubt that anyone would object to-"

"Yeah, no," Lucario interrupted, getting tired of Celebi's long-winded speech, "I've told both Mew and Zoroark I'd help them, might as well at least try to keep promise. Zerobi, you coming?"

"… Well, it's located north, and I could use a break from all this heat…" Zerobi mumbled to herself when she was struck by a sudden thought. Rather, a perfect opportunity.

"You too? But why would you…" Celebi asked, but quieted down as Zerobi approached her. Leaning in to whisper something, Lucario was annoyed that even his own ultra-sensitive hearing was not enough to pick up more than a murmur from between the two sisters. Gradually, Celebi's expression of concern began to dissipate, being replaced by one of indescribable joy and exaltation.

"Oh! Yes! Of course!" Celebi exclaimed loudly while looking as if she had just been pumped full of morphine, "I will go on ahead, and you two can, well, go together!"

"… Huh?" Lucario exclaimed, bewildered by the small legendary's sudden change of attitude. Even Zerobi was surprised at the strong reaction, but glad to see her sister back to her normally cheerful state. Lucario was taken aback as the small legendary suddenly flew up to him and put her hands together, gazing at him with a strangely longing stare.

Celebi's spirits soared at the recent news, lifting her out of the depth of despair brought about by her recent misfortunes. Finally able to overcome her sorrows and put the past behind her, she recognized the feeling quite well from when she had befriended Pikablu. Between him, Zerobi and Lucario, she wondered if maybe she had a knack for attracting troublesome people.

"Listen… Things have been rather trying lately…" Celebi admitted as she calmed down, moving back to get a better look at both Lucario and Zerobi, "But know that no matter what is at stake, you two will always come first for me. If I sense a powerful enemy approach you, I will immediately turn and come back to help."

Lucario wanted to respond but was overwhelmed by something in the air, a strangely warm feeling emanating through his body. At that moment, Lucario realized that the pleasant radiance that had once surrounded Celebi had finally come back, not having noticed it was gone among all the turmoil they had gone through. It reminded him of their initial meeting, the moment of respite during battle against Lucas.

"You too, sis," Zerobi said with a display of confidence on her face, "Don't worry about getting captured again. If you do, we'll gather up a bunch of roughnecks and free you again."

"Yeah!" Lucario said in agreement, holding his fist in front of him, "Hell, that goes for both of you… Anyone tries to mess with you, they've got to explain themselves to the fist."

Zerobi looked at him for a moment before smiling and holding up her clenched claw right next to his hand.

"Damn straight," Zerobi repeated, looking towards Celebi expectantly.

"Damn… Straight…" Celebi whispered, the first word finding it difficult to leave her tongue. The small legendary carefully hovered over to them and reached out with a deceptively lengthy arm. They held their position for a while; a powerful feeling surged through them as they saw their hands up against one another like this.

Celebi felt blessed to finally be treated normally, despite being a legendary and having been so naive and distant in the past. She wanted to protect these two, save them from harm and watch them grow old together. No matter what happened in her own life, she felt it would be fine as long as she had friends and family to see it through with her.

Zerobi was glad to finally have those she could rely on, scarcely believing someone in this world had decided to stick by her despite knowing what she had done. She strengthened her resolve to never fall back to her old ways, not willing to betray the rare trust she had been given. Her spirit filled with hope, she felt it was time to take the next step and see just how far up the ladder to heaven goes.

Lucario thought the whole thing felt a little off, looking at a paw, claws and tiny three-pronged fingers next to one another. It was then he suddenly became aware that these were Pokémon he was standing next to. For so long Pokémon had been a strange and foreign concept to him, unnatural and confusing in every manner, yet here he was with two of them that he felt like he knew so well. The dark, slender and elegant creature with knives for hands, and the flying flower bud that beamed happiness… They were no longer a mystery. They were his friends.

"Good luck," Lucario said, pulling his hand back and nodding.

"Be safe," Celebi whispered and lifted higher, getting ready to take off.

"See you when we get there!" Zerobi exclaimed gleefully while raising her arm to wave goodbye. The two sisters shared an unspoken vow between each other as Celebi ascended straight up, soaring high into the sky. When she had reached what she considered to be a safe distance away from the ground to avoid being spotted, she began heading towards the new destination. Her presence faded into the horizon as Lucario and Zerobi began marching towards cold northern lands, hoping to hinder a catastrophe unlike anything ever seen before.


	75. Romance: Epilogue of Episode XI

As the first chilly wind passed the two wanderers by, Lucario shivered while Zerobi sighed out in relief. Being on the wrong side of the equator for so long had made her forget how nice it was to finally be entering a colder climate. It felt very refreshing, like she had been given a full night's sleep after months of being kept awake.

"You know… I was all fired up back then…" Lucario muttered as he clutched the side of his arms, not appreciating the prospects of traveling north as much as his companion, "… But now I'm just hungry and tired…"

"I wonder why?" Zerobi asked snarkily, "Maybe it's because you never eat and sleep on the ground?"

Lucario grumbled, lamenting the fact that they had once more lost their backpack containing sleeping bags, this time in No Man's Land. Every night he had been imagining some smelly beast nuzzling up inside the comfy folds while he was forced to use rocks for a pillow and morning dew for sheets. As for food, fleeting dreams of simple rice and the magnificent meal Silver had supplied haunted his every moment. Had they not been in such a hurry, he would have gone off to look a way to rectify both errors.

Zerobi saw his predicament. Although his suffering was nothing new to her, she knew this was a chance to prove her worth.

"Hey, Lucario!" she said cheerfully as she reached into her hair and pulled out a tiny satchel, "I've got a present for you!"

"… Huh?" Lucario exclaimed, surprised by the abruptness as well as the fact that everyone but him seemed to be storing things in their hair. He scratched the top of his head, sad to find that he would have difficulty keeping anything but dandruff in there.

"Well… It's from both me and sis…" Zerobi admitted quietly, "She grew it, and I… Uh… Requested it."

Before Lucario had time to ponder her statement and take away all her credibility, Zerobi opened the satchel with a light flick of one of her claws. She moved up to Lucario who held his hands out expectantly, seeing something thin and green dwindle out of the small bag and into his palms.

"These leaves are edible!" Zerobi chimed confidently, "In fact, from what I've read, they're the kind humans love to eat all the time!"

"E-Edible?" Lucario stammered and sniffed the quite odorless contents of his hands, "Like… Spices?"

"Come on, give it a shot!" Zerobi continued, silently praying and hoping her sister knew as much about farming as she had let on.

"I'm not so sure…" Lucario muttered, vividly remembering the so-called 'meal' Mew had prepared for him once, "… Ahh. Worth a shot. Anything's better than berries."

Bending his head down, Lucario took one of the leaves into his mouth and started chewing. Slowly but surely, a blank expression began to form on his face.

"Mint," Lucario said flatly as his expression turned into a sneer.

"Is it tasty?" Zerobi asked hopefully.

"No… I mean, yes… I mean…" Lucario stuttered at a loss for words at the vaguely familiar taste on his tongue, "It's minty, I'll give you that. Not exactly what I'd consider a satisfying taste or a filling meal."

"Oh…" Zerobi said disappointedly, regretting not having opted for learning how to cook at some point during her many years of free time, "… Well, I thought maybe you can use them to kill the taste of the berries?"

Lucario's expression suddenly lit up, looking around until he spotted a grove a little further ahead. He ran ahead, Zerobi following while wondering if he had sensed an enemy or something. Within the grove she found him hunched next to a berry tree, padding the insides of his mouth with the mint before taking a bite out of a Grepa Berry. He cringed at first, but the worry on his face soon melted away as he started chewing.

"Oh, hey…" Lucario whispered hopefully as he reluctantly swallowed down the bite, "Yeah, you're right… It does taste less wretched like this…"

Berry after berry he ate, making sure not to damage or accidentally swallow the mint. Zerobi stared at him, making him realize he had his mouth rudely open for display like he was paying an inordinate visit to the dentist. Even so, he couldn't help but notice she was smiling for some reason, thinking she was probably glad to not be kept awake by his growling stomach any more.

"Haahhh…" Lucario sighed as he leaned up against a tree and slowly sunk down, his mouth a bit sore but his stomach full. Worry struck as he spat out the mint, seeing that his saliva had already done quite a number on the small leaves, bringing ruination while draining nearly all taste out of them.

"I brought more," Zerobi quickly added, disgusted to see Lucario trying to wipe off as much drool as possible from his tiny saviors. Lucario's ears perked up as he stared at her, before throwing the leaves away with a silent nod of gratitude. He yawned as he leaned back further.

"Feeling a bit tired…" Lucario whispered, his back and neck rather stiff and uncomfortable against the hard bark.

"Digestion and sleep runs on the same nervous system," Zerobi said clearly while moving closer, "Here, you can lie on my lap, if you want."

Playing it cool while Lucario's eyes squinted, she sat down next to him and leaned up against the same tree.

"… I did go to school, remember?" Zerobi said casually as she feigned ignorance.

"No, like… The other thing you said," Lucario clarified, his aching back chafing painfully as he subtly shuffled away from her.

"What? You've got to rest if you want to keep going," Zerobi stated as reasonably as possible, having learned a few tricks from talking to Zoroark earlier and observing his behavior, "We're friends, we help each other out. Nothing wrong with that, right?"

Opening his mouth in protest, Lucario slowly closed it again as he could not think of a good response. It felt wrong somehow, but considering how many times they had hugged up against one another, he knew this really should not be any different. Zerobi smiled and patted her lap, realizing that her claws were all but inviting and quickly moved them aside.

Remembering how nice it had been to sleep next to Celebi, Lucario decided to give it a shot as he laid down, placing his head on Zerobi's legs. They were soft but had certain firmness to them, and the fine hair pleasantly tickled the back of his head. In contrast, the hair on his head was rough and coarse, and his ears seemed to drop slightly in relaxation, Zerobi rejecting the urge to poke them just to see what would happen. She hardly believed how easy it had been to convince him, wishing she had attempted something like it earlier.

As the minutes passed, the stress accumulated from the past few hectic days seemed to melt away. It was is if they had been surrounded by a cloud of tension ever since running into the armored human, and only now was it being carried away by the cold wind brushing past their bodies. Lucario felt warm when next to Zerobi, and she for once did not mind the heat at all. They were both enjoying the moment to the fullest, neither eager to continue their journey away from peace and towards future strife.

"Hey… You've been awfully nice to me lately…" Lucario mumbled while rubbing his eyes, feeling like he had just been moments away from falling asleep.

"Oh really?" Zerobi scoffed and snickered to herself, wishing she had something besides freakishly large and sharp hands to affectingly comb through his hair with, "You think putting your faith in me when no one else would might've had something to do with that?"

"Well… Might as well have, we've been together an awful lot…" Lucario said with a display of calmness rarely shown, "Who knows? Maybe we're fated to be stuck doing things together forever?"

"That would be really unexpected…" Zerobi admitted somberly in disregard to her own feelings, "I always figured our friendship was only temporary… That you'd abandon me once the truth about my past came out…"

"… Hmm… I guess I had about the same idea…" Lucario replied after thinking to himself for a few moments, "I was so sure that I was going to become human again and leave all this behind… Getting to know a bunch of people would just make it harder to go…"

A sudden thought hit Zerobi, diverting her attention from the nice situation at hand.

"Lucario…" she whispered, "What do you think would've happened between us had you still been human when we first met?"

"Hahaha…" Lucario chuckled quietly to himself while thinking back, "I guess I'd capture you and drag you around with me?"

"Hehehe…" Zerobi snickered in return, "Not much of a difference, then?"

"Hey, you're the one who dragged me around!" Lucario insisted while breaking his calm, "Going off to rescue Celebi and all that!"

He tried to sit up, but his head fell back into place soon enough, feeling like a heavy rock lying in the soft sand at the bottom of a cold but gentle sea. Everything felt so peaceful for some reason, and Lucario could not bother to muster up even a sliver of effort. He looked up at Zerobi, her smiling face clashing against the green crown of the tree above, and suddenly Lucario started to feel bad.

"… Just so you know…" Lucario mumbled while looking off to the side in embarrassment, "… I never helped you because I felt indebted."

"Indebted?" Zerobi replied with confusion. Whatever she had been expecting him to be thinking about, it had not been that.

"Yeah. You know, because you saved me from Brendan and Suicune," Lucario continued as he faced her once more, "I… Don't really care about stuff like that. The reason I helped you is because… Well, I like you."

The words hung in the air for a moment, leaving Zerobi relieved yet somewhat unfulfilled. All the relief in the world could not quell the lingering and powerful emotions she had developed for Lucario over the past year. She could hardly believe how much he had changed her life, and how big a part of it he had become. Having come through countless times and staying loyal even in the darkest times had transformed the handsome yet brutish fighting-type into something of an icon for the relation-starved Weavile. Her initial curiosity had turned into interest. Appreciation became admiration. Care had become… Something more.

Against Zerobi's own wishes, her heart was beginning to pound harder, ruining their serene moment together. Relaxing with Lucario in her lap was such a nice feeling, but served to cloud her mind with a deep longing for more. Why could she not be satisfied with this? Why strive for something so obviously out of reach? She had kept her feelings hidden, well aware of the potential rejection and the consequences it would bring. They could pretend it never happened, but it would just be an act they both could see through with ease. He would distance himself from her, and she would find herself all alone once more. It was a risk that had once seemed unthinkable, but as her desire and frustration grew she found herself contemplating it more and more often.

She had tried her best to make him notice her in a different light, but was not able to read his reactions very well. His surprising complexity and unpredictable nature was one of the things that had drawn her curious mind towards him, and her repeated failure in predicting his actions always left her eager for more. Afraid and unable to directly confront him, she had even gone as far as to ask Celebi to probe him for answers. As she thought about it, she remembered that it was not the only thing she had asked Celebi for regarding Lucario. The reason she and him were here alone at this very moment was because of a promise she had made to her sister, something that had been so easy to promise yet so impossible to go through with.

Why was she hesitating? The moment was perfect in every single way. She knew she would never get a chance like this again, and could not spend the rest of her life agonizing over what could have happened and what could have been had she only been a little bit braver. If she had the inner strength to admit and even accept what had happened in Cerulean City so many years ago, something like this should be no problem at all. It was now or never, and never was something she simply could not tolerate. She had to know.

"Lucario… There's something I have to tell you," Zerobi whispered slowly and worked on removing her unfittingly troubled expression, "Something that's been on my mind for a long time."

"It's… Not as bad as your last revelation, right?" Lucario asked cautiously, enjoy the peacefulness far too much to give it up.

"No, no," Zerobi replied while smiling. The smile faded as she looked down at Lucario, looking back at her with a curious expression. The fierce beast-like features she had seen so many times in battle were all but gone, leaving his face in a gentle and relaxed state. His normally sharp eyes seemed to have softened, and reminded her of when he had supported her after the battle against Lucas. She shook the memory from her head as she focused on the task at hand.

"Lucario, I…" Zerobi said, letting her voice trail off as she gave pause, hesitating as she fully enjoyed their final quiet, untarnished moment together. She inhaled deeply tried once more.

"I think…" Zerobi continued as she swallowed, looking him deep in the eye, "… I think I… Love you…"

Lucario stared at her, raising an eyebrow.

"… You, uh…" Lucario responded his face caught between a laugh and panic, "You're kidding, right?"

"Eh?" Zerobi exclaimed in surprise, amazed that she had actually made her confession and immediately wishing she could take it back.

"You can NOT be… Are you serious!?" Lucario burst out as he immediately sat up and started shaking his head, "No! Impossible! How in the…"

He looked at Zerobi who was reaching out for him, and in a panic stumbled back away from her large claws. Seeing her face droop in sadness, he quickly rectified himself and moved closer, crouching down on one knee.

"… You've seen me beaten within an inch of my life like a goddamn wimp!" Lucario explained while trying to make sense out of things, "I haven't even tried to be charming… Hell, I've been a complete ass! This makes no sense, how the hell could you possibly fall for me!?"

"No, you've… You've been nice!" Zerobi responded with shock, "You believed in me-"

"That's because we're friends!" Lucario shouted in exasperation, "I didn't think you'd see it like THAT! I…"

Lucario forced himself to calm down as he stood up, turning away. Zerobi felt speechless as she also stood up, a solid grip tightening around her heart.

"I already told you, it can never happen…" Lucario whispered as he clutched his fists, "I'm human, I could never be together with someone like you… You know, a Pokémon…"

"But… You aren't human anymore!" Zerobi argued as she took a step forward, refusing to give up on something so important without a fight, "You're a Pokémon, now and forever! And you're already together with me, right at this moment! Why's that, if it's so impossible!?"

"W-We're friends!" Lucario gasped as he turned around and faced her, "There's no problem with that, so don't go complicating things!"

"We're still friends!" Zerobi said before shaking her head in an attempt to clear her mind, "I just wanted you to know that I… I really, really like you!"

"… Well, of course! I like you too!" Lucario shouted back, not knowing what to say anymore, "But… Love? It… It seems wrong…"

Zerobi gave off a hurt expression and fell quiet, which did little to calm Lucario's nerves. To him, this had all come out of the blue, and he was far too surprised to think rationally. Finding a short pause in their talks, he decided to think things over before saying something he would come to regret.

Unlike what he had initially thought, he found himself to be not entirely opposed to the idea. After all, Zerobi was a great friend. Her air of mystique was rather alluring, and her snarky quips always brought a smile to his face. Never crossing him and never pissing him off without reason, she really was someone he could see himself spending time with years from now.

And although he had never thought much of it before, he could not deny that there was a certain beauty to her. Her sleek frame and noticeable curves was something he assumed would drive normal Pokémon wild in a heartbeat, not to mention the fact that she was able to retain both class and cleanliness in a world of dirty beasts. The grace and elegance he had assumed to just be a show the first time they met had turned out to be part of her nature, permeating her very being. Moving like a mysterious dancer, her jet black form radiated charm with every motion.

It was something he could learn to enjoy… But would it be something he could learn to love? He felt so confused. Usually he would back up his determination with endless confidence, but as his confidence slipped away he found himself dazzled and unable to make up his mind.

"… And here I thought you were like me…" Zerobi whispered as she looked down on the ground, wondering maybe it was time for her to give up, "Ready to step into the unknown…"

"… Huh…?" Lucario mumbled as he snapped out of his own thoughts, wondering what she meant.

"I've never loved anyone before, either…" Zerobi admitted, "But I want to know what it's like… If you don't like it, we can always go back to how things were…"

Realizing the meaning of her own words, she suddenly took a step towards Lucario. If this was as close as she was getting to true romance, then she at least wished to take back a souvenir, a memory to make the whole thing worthwhile. Lucario instinctively took a step back, but Zerobi had already taken three steps closer.

"Just… Please…" she whispered quietly, "Let's give it a try… I want to know…"

She approached until she was right in front of him, Lucario able to see his own reflection in the yellow gemstone her forehead bore. Although the turn of the situation was abrupt, he was well aware of what was about to happen and found himself stuck to the ground, unable to run away. His stern ration and tempting curiosity fought hard as he could not decide whether to reject or embrace it.

"Kn… Know, not… Y'know…" Lucario stuttered as he swallowed hard, moving his head back as far as possible in a futile attempt to gain more time. Zerobi's belated breath felt both moist and chilly against his chin.

"Come on, I know you… You're not so innocent…" Zerobi whispered seductively as she leaned in further, "… And neither am I…"

With her last words, she moved her head forward as they finally locked lips. Lucario felt the underside of his nose graze by her hair as he stared up into the sky in shock, completely frozen. The moment lasted for nearly three seconds before the two of them split off, jerking away from one another in disgust. Zerobi clutched her throat and coughed wildly as Lucario fell to his knees with a ghastly expression.

"Awawawa! It burns!" Zerobi yelled with her tongue outstretched, rubbing away layer after layer of strong minty taste with her claws, "H-How do you stuff yourself with something like that!?"

"Tastes… Like licking the front lawn…" Lucario wheezed dryly, the accumulated taste of several berries sucking every last bit of life out of him. Zerobi inhaled deeply several times as the horrible assault upon her taste buds settled, and shut her eyes in frustration. This was not at all how she had imagined her first kiss to be like.

"Damn it! You're right…" Zerobi groaned as the realization finally hit her, "It can never happen… You and I, we're too different… We're not meant to be…"

Slowly coming returning to the world of the living, Lucario looked at her with a dazed expression. His heart was racing, but not from fear like he had expected. It was from excitement, the situation feeling so weird and unfamiliar it was like a new experience altogether.

"… That taste's going to haunt my nightmares…" Lucario muttered, "But… I guess… If you're OK with it… I'm open to trying new things."

Zerobi's head suddenly perked up as she looked at him, some kind of determination lighting up in her eyes. Digging through her hair and drawing out another satchel, she cut it open and let the minty leaves fall into her open palm. Clenching every muscle in her body and closing her eyes, she suddenly lifted her hand and thrust every last leaf into her mouth, cringing as fierce gustation wracked her once more while struggling not to spit out the evil herbs.

"Uh… Those are hard to come by…" Lucario pointed out as he saw his precious supply of flavor enhancers disappear inside the mouth of someone else.

"Not as hard as this…" Zerobi muttered as she stood up and approached Lucario. Mustering up courage while making sure he would not escape, she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him with all her might. Lucario felt his uvula twitch wildly in fear as he expected to find the taste of loathed berries on the other side, but was instead met by a minty, fresh aroma. There was also something else, something he had not noticed before. Whatever was happening, he wanted more of it. A wild sensation at the back of his mind suddenly activated as his feet fastened upon the ground, he opened his mouth further and embraced Zerobi. Before he knew it, he was kissing her back. Unspoken thoughts and sensations swirled between them as they continued to kiss, the world around them disappearing as they shared the moment in rapture.


	76. Abandoned Pokémon Stadium

Snow dwindled down and joined the mass of white covering the ground as Lucario and Zerobi trudged their way through the plains. Small gusts of wind occasionally slapped the many snowflakes awake and made them go airborne once more, making it difficult for the two to see where they were heading. Even so, with the combined forces of Zerobi's map reading, Lucario's skills at detection and the subtle cluster of familiar auras that lay ahead, they knew that by the end of the day they would find themselves at their appointed destination. Lucario could sense that Celebi was there, but was still not able to detect Mew, hoping that the green fairy was doing all she could to keep her from running away again. After all he had gone through following her, he hoped his reward would turn out to be something better than excuses.

The landscape was dull and generic, a normally grassy plain with one or two knolls and a few rock formations here and there. The cold had bothered Lucario at first, but slowly and surely he had gotten used to it until it was no longer an issue. Bored out of his skull, he found his gaze straying and fantasizing about anything his eyes could catch. One formation of rocks looked a little like a ghastly apparition, covered in snowy white. One of the knolls had unnatural bumps all over it, making him snicker as he imagined someone resting after having gotten the tar beaten out of them. Three large rocks stood upright, leaning against one another. Inconspicuous in every manner, yet still there was something drawing his gaze. Lucario stopped as he stared at them, completely forgetting about his little game as far more urgent thoughts clouded his mind.

"Something there?" Zerobi asked, lowering the map while wondering why they were stopping.

"That… Rock formation…" Lucario mumbled while squinting his eyes, "… It looks familiar."

"If we were going in circles, our footsteps would-" Zerobi started, but was interrupted as Lucario held up a hand.

"No, like… I think I've been here before," he whispered before crossing his arms, "Déjà vu?"

"… Well, we do know you lived a life before this one…" Zerobi mused with a grin, "Still, we've been to an awful lot of places. Why the hell are those boring rocks the first thing to jumpstart your memory?"

"Something important happened here…?" Lucario muttered in an attempt to clarify whatever he was feeling. It felt nostalgic, but not in any way he had come to know. Seeing how every last bit of his memory regarding Pokémon had been wiped out, this must have been a place he visited on his own. But going by how he was unable to fully recall the event, maybe there was a bit of Pokémon involved in it, after all…?

Shaking his head, he leaped up on top of the rocks. Although he nearly slipped on the soft snow, it did not distract him as another pressing urge struck him. For some reason, he felt like turning his head to the left. There, in the far distance among all the snow, there was a hazy sight he had failed to spot until now.

"There's something over there," Lucario said and turned back, almost falling off the rocks in shock as Zerobi was standing beside him, having jumped up there without him noticing.

"Building. Pretty damn big, too," Zerobi said while holding one of her claws up to reflect the sun away from her eyes, able to see through the smoke-like snow without any problems whatsoever, "Out here in the middle of nowhere… What could it be?"

"Hmm… I don't sense anyone inside…" Lucario muttered as he closed his eyes, eager to find out what exactly was making him feel this way, "… It's not along the way, but it's still pretty close. Want to go check it out?"

"Yeah, sure," Zerobi replied with a shrug, a tingling sensation activating in the back of her mind as she stared at the building, "You know… Now that you say it, there IS something familiar about this place…"

In a few minutes, they had reached the front of the building. What had been nothing but a large dark blotch to Lucario was now starting to clear up, taking the form of a massive dome-like structure with a roof. It looked like a circle being pressed down from above, too wide to be referred to as a globe. It reminded him of the lower segment of a snowman. On top of the main building was a yellow lid over the whole thing which seemed to be removable, and going by the immense size of the whole thing he was certain that it was being controlled by some manner of machinery.

As magnificent as the sight was, the building was clearly in disrepair. Colors faded, sides scratched and rust apparent everywhere. In front of them was the main entrance, an enormous hole which narrowed into a simple passage next to a booth. The strange building baffled Zerobi, while Lucario only felt his nostalgia grow with each second. Looking up, Zerobi noticed the letters "S" and "D" above the entrance, next to a few other letters too damaged to properly make out.

"Sign's completely wasted," Zerobi sighed while shaking her head, "Wish I knew what it said."

Lucario turn his gaze upwards as he stared at the letters. Despite the chilling cold all around, he felt himself begin to heat up. He suddenly realized that it made sense because all the snow had been melted away. It was right in the middle of a hot summer's day, after all. He relished in the warm, familiar sensation while wondering what Zerobi had meant. The sign was in perfect condition.

"It says 'Stadium'…" Lucario muttered, his mind clouding up with foreign thoughts.

"… Stadium? You mean… Pokémon Stadium?" Zerobi replied while crossing her arms and thinking back, "I've read about that! It's where they held that big tournament to decide which trainer was the best. Man, it looks… Run down. Not nearly as extravagant as the pictures made it seem…"

Lucario wanted to respond, but could no longer hear his companion. The only thing coming out of her mouth sounded like the wheezing grunts of a wild animal trying to make itself understood. He tried to say something and gasped, because his own voice sounded the same. He found himself slipping further and further away from the cold wasteland of the present to a time, place and body long gone. Eleven years into the past on a warm summer's day, with no Mews or viruses on his mind, something of equal urgency tugged at him as he took his first steps into Pokémon Stadium…

… The newly built "final frontier" for Pokémon trainers. Or so they'd have you believe, anyway. I'm a revered trainer who's a heartbeat away from being champion of the world… And here I am, using the main entrance like everyone else. Great achievement, huh? Hmm, this place sure is crowded, so many people coming to watch the show… Better keep the cap pulled down, if these people were to recognize me and gang up… I'd never get through! I'd miss my match!

Still can't get over how fancy this place is. All these shops and lobbies, not to mention that gigantic colosseum… Why's it so ridiculously big, anyway? Were they expecting us to pit a Steelix against a Wailord every battle? I hope they're planning to keep using it after this tournament; it'd be such a waste to see this place fall into ruin… Then again, what other use could they make of an arena like this? I've yet to meet the Pokémon trainer who prefers to fight indoors.

"Hello there!" a strong voice sounds over the public address system, "People in the crowds and people watching from home, welcome to Pokémon Stadium!"

"What about the finalists?" I ask, wondering why I was feeling left out despite being the main attraction.

"What a show we've got for you tonight!" the voice blared once more, "Sorry folks, but you won't be glued to the screen hoping to catch a glimpse of that one kid from home… We've only got four contestants left! The absolute bona fide cream of the crop of trainers! Any one of them could lay waste to this entire facility, and we'd be powerless to stop them!"

Man, keep it down. Don't want to give Brendan any unnecessary ideas, do you? If I have the throw the match because he goes ballistic, I'm putting the blame on you.

"A short introduction of who we'll be seeing tonight," the voice on the PA chimes with enthusiasm, "… Although I'm sure you've heard of them, unless you've never even heard of Pokémon before! And if you haven't, BOY do we have a show for you tonight!"

… You mean, there really are people in the world that haven't heard of Pokémon before? Interesting. Maybe… A place for me to live after this is all over…?

"As our first contestant, we've got the crowd favorite and undisputed master from Pallet Town, Red!" the PA continues, and I can imagine Blue cringing at the last statement, "Destroying gyms and beating the Elite Four before he was even a teenager, his feats took the world by storm and inspired millions of kids to follow in his footsteps! These very same kids have now been thrown out of the tournament, foolish enough to have challenged and tried to surpass the old master who's been plowing through trainer after trainer with absolutely no effort, reaching the semi-finals! Boasting the unofficial title of 'Greatest Trainer Ever', tonight he's aiming to make it official! I don't know about you, folks, but I know where my bets are placed!"

I scoff to myself at the lackluster introduction. The PA makes Red sound like a guy who's been on top simply because he was first. If only the PA had faced him in battle like me… No mere words could ever describe the unimaginable hopelessness of fighting the god-like Pokémon trainer Red. To be honest, I'm not looking forward to it. Wish it could be avoided, but… It's something which has to be done…

"… And after Blue, we've got a fresh new face from another part of the world, ready to wreak some havoc!" the guy in the PA says, suddenly snapping me out of my train of thoughts, "Ethan, the boy of gold! While you all slept comfortably in your homes, Ethan grew up in Newbark Town where Pokémon from the forest ran rampant! Become one with nature, he has learned the ways of Pokémon like no other!"

What!? That's not even remotely-

"At age 10 he set away from home with nary a companion but his trusted starter Chikorita!" the voice continues with sympathy, trying to invoke as much emotion into the listener as possible, "At age 15 he had already conquered his home of Johto, and immediately set off to Kanto where he defeated the Elite Four at age 18. He'll be facing even tougher challenges tonight, but there's just no stopping this guy! How far will his journey take him!?"

… My journey has taken me far enough. All that's left for me-

"… And there he is!" a shrill yet soothing and very familiar voice chimes, "Hey! Ethan! Over here!"

I turn around, and there she is. That brown, well-groomed hair serving as a backdrop for sweet, caramel eyes. Milky white skin making her already white cap pale in comparison. A fancy get-up very much unlike her usual attire with a new somewhat expensive-looking bag at her hip, probably filled to the brim with cosmetics, healing items and polished Pokéballs.

"Hey, Lyra!" I answer cheerfully as my gaze slowly drift downwards across her body, "You don't look a day over… Thirty."

"… Still the same immature jerk!?" Lyra shouts as she thrust her hand into her backpack, probably clutching the mace or worse, "You don't seem a day over five!"

"H-Hey…" I stammer while backing off slowly, all too familiar with the impossibility of acting cool after getting a dose of pepper-spray to the face, "I'm just teasing! You look great."

She sighs out in relief as she relaxes, her smile still absent as she puts her hands on her hips and look at me with a frown. What did I do now…?

"… What exactly did you tell them about our hometown?" Lyra asks sternly, although I can tell she's not really angry but just concerned, "Pokémon running rampant? The old lady down the block would've FLIPPED had she seen something as small as a Magikarp splash up on land…"

"I haven't talked to anyone, I just got here. They just made things up…" I respond while trying to remember the last time I talked to Lyra, suddenly realizing that I probably should have expected a trainer like her to be here, "Man, I should've known you showed up! I would've come to see your match!"

"MatchES, mind you!" Lyra corrects, her smile returning for a second before fading off, "I made it to the third round, but…"

I feel a pang of sympathy run through me, but also something else. Was it… Jealousy? There she was, about to watch the final battles before moving on with her life, leaving everything about Pokémon behind. I wish I could do the same. I'm not that lucky.

"Sorry to hear," I lie as I try to change the subject, "It would be a lot nicer to be facing someone I know in the finals."

"… What about your rival? Silver?" Lyra asks while tilting her head to the side, probably trying to remember what the red-haired boy looked like, "Haven't seen him around…"

"First of all, Silver was never my rival…" I correct her while shrugging, "He was just an asshole. A strong, persistent asshole."

"If he was either, then he should be here now," Lyra says with a nod. She has a point, I guess. Silver's not really a guy I worry about anymore, especially not since Giovanni's passing. I'm a million times the trainer he ever was. What's he going to do, undress me in public again?

"Honestly, I haven't heard from him since his father's burial…" I explain and think back to the heights of our rivalry, where he would seemingly track my every move in Johto, "Perhaps he came in disguise and got wiped out earlier in the tournament? Sounds like something he'd do!"

"… Makes sense… Hundreds of great trainers have already been defeated," Lyra whispers while looking down on the ground with a defeated expression, "Us normal trainers? We didn't stand a chance. Only the best of the best will survive to the end…"

"… Lyra…" I say to myself, wanting to comfort her when I suddenly feel someone rudely tapping shoulder from behind, his impatience swiftly rubbing off on me as I spin around, "… Hey, kind of busy h-"

There was Red, the cause of my former dreams and current nightmares. His beard was gone and he looked 20 years younger for some reason, probably dolled up to match the whole "child prodigy" thing the crowd remembers him by. I unintentionally flinched, not having stood so close to him before, vividly remembering the unmitigated beatdown I received atop Mt. Silver.

Not only that, but on his shoulder sat his ever loyal and trustworthy Pikachu. The rat's cheerful smile and cuddly exterior belied his ridiculous powers, something which most of us top-tier trainers has experienced firsthand. Everyone's heard of Red and his Pikachu and think to pack a solid Ground-type to counter the threat, only to get crushed by Red's Blastoise or Venusaur. Seemingly a typical bait-and-switch strategy, but the truth is that not preparing at least one or two Pokémon dedicated to handling Pikachu will come to bite you in the end as the unstoppable mouse decimates what's left of your team.

"Oh! I'll, uh… Catch up with you two later!" Lyra quickly speaks before disappearing in similar haste. She never did like the spotlight and big-shots I always attract. Watching her leave, I can't help but wish I could have been able to attract something else…

"Uh… Hello, Red," I say slowly, turning my head to the side a little and feeling a bit stupid, "Hello… Pikachu."

"Pika!" the yellow rodent replies. Always freaked me out how I was kind of able to tell what he meant. Now that I look at him a little closer, I see that his fur's pretty ragged behind a veil of neat grooming and meticulous combing. The color of his electric pouches seems a bit off, too. No Pokémon lives forever, and going by how old Red is… Is he fit to fight in such an exerting tournament?

"… Should rivals really be seeing each other like this?" I mutter while scratching the back of my head, having hoped to make a big thing out of meeting Red in the arena.

"Don't belittle yourself," Red says sternly, but there is a clear tone of respect in his voice, "I have had more rivals than strands of hair on my head… You are a worthy opponent, and no less."

"Me and Blue both, huh?" I chuckle, remembering what the P.A. had said, "You'd better not lose to him before our battle! You're the 'undisputed master from Pallet Town', right?"

"… It won't be that easy…" Red whispers to himself before looking me straight in the face, "But I cannot let him win, because I have every intention of fighting you in the finals. That is why I'm here."

"Me?" I ask with surprise, "Why?"

"You… Are unfinished business. The only unfinished business I have left," Red mutters with a piercing gaze, "I've been busy for too long. Win or lose… After this, I will retire from the world of Pokémon trainers."

"Yeah," I reply quickly, "Me too."

"… What!? Why!?" Red suddenly bursts out, obviously surprised by my claim. I feel a bit odd at sharing my thoughts, seeing how Red's the first person to hear the news.

"Hmm…" I muse to myself before speaking out loud, "Defeat me, and I'll tell you!"

Red stands completely confused, apparently at a loss for words. Suddenly, Pikachu jumps down from his shoulder.

"Pika!" he shouts, looking up at me with the same attentive gaze as Red had given me moments ago. There was a fierce determination burning behind his eyes, and suddenly he did not look as aged anymore.

"Pi-Pikachu! Chuu, pika pika!" the electric rat yells while never breaking eyecontact, "PikaCHUUU! Pi… Pikachu!"

"… It is frightening how much of that I understood…" Red mutters to himself before bending over and holding out an arm, "Come on, Pikachu. Don't tire yourself out too soon. Follow me Ethan, the lounge for the finalists is up ahead."

Pikachu looks at me one last time before scurrying up Red's outstretched arm and sitting down on his shoulder once more. I wonder what he had been trying to tell me, but there's a nagging feeling in the back of my head that our fight's going to be a notch above the last time.

We walk through a few corridors until we reach a small room in the back. Inside is nothing but a table, a few comfy seats and the two other finalists, Blue and Brendan. Blue's wearing sharp attire while laying out a Pokémon energy card on the table in front of him, smiling brightly. Few have seen that smile and come out victorious.

Back in the day, he was second only to Red himself, and is rumored to have been even stronger at first. He's made a daring comeback in the past few years, using combinations of Pokémon that are nothing short of brilliant. From having a team all powered from a certain weather condition to making sure every Pokémon knows the move U-Turn or Volt Switch, you never really know what kind of fight you're going to get when facing Blue. The only way to beat him is to be prepared for anything. I don't expect to be fighting him, but if I do, I'm not sure that I can win.

On the other side of the table is Brendan, wearing a cape like a vampire together with a hat that makes his hair look white. I swallow hard as I watch him use a trainer card to drain Blue's newly placed energy, a move he had obviously anticipated and was abusing for his own ends. Brendan had made his trainer's journey around the same time as me, but stuck around in Hoenn instead of moving on to other areas.

I never met him, but heard that he was a great trainer and a pretty nice guy all around. Sadly, that all changed around five years ago. There was an accident which caused the death of his childhood friend and apparently put him through hell. There must be some truth behind the story, because what emerged from that hell was not a man, but a devil.

And now… He's my opponent in the semi-finals. Truth be told, I don't know much about his strategy, since he hasn't been forced to use any so far. His Pokémon are so unimaginably strong, he basically just tells them to "smash things" and everything's defeated in thirty seconds. His Blaziken in particular is like something out of a dream, which the judges apparently noticed, raising it to a tier above all other fights and placing it in the 'Uber' tier, normally reserved only for legendaries. Alas, Hh's still allowed to use it for the remainder of the tournament, which means I need to figure out a way to beat it or I'm done before even reaching the finals.

"… Nervous?" Red asks as he sits down next to Blue, casting a bored glance over the cards. Red never was a big fan of the card game, mostly because he never got any good at it. Hearing people say how they had defeated Red at Pokémon sounded so wrong.

"Nah, I'm just eager to see which strategy you've settled on," Blue snickers and picks up his deck, obviously finished with Brendan who in response leans back with a sinister smile, "Red and 'lightning-rod' Pikachu…"

"Lightningrod?" Red repeats with confusion, Pikachu's ears twitching, "I cannot say that I'm familiar with that name."

"Of course not. I just made it up!" Blue exclaims confidently, "Everyone knows you've got a Pikachu, and for an opponent to predict your team should be detrimental… But you have been using it to your advantage, haven't you? Don't think it'll work on me!"

"… Eager to lose?" Red asks with a bleak smile across his face.

"As if!" Blue yells while giving off a cocky shrug, "Don't forget that I beat the Elite Four before you did! Things have changed a lot since then, you can't just use Psychic-types like mad and think it'll work!"

"… If it did not work for Sabrina, I see no reason why I should try it…" Red sighs while leaning back in his seat like Brendan had. I look over at Brendan to see him staring at me creepily. He scoffs a quiet laughter as he turns his gaze upwards. Damn it, he's too confident… He's only here because his Pokémon are freakishly strong… I hope. If not… I'm done for.

"That day at grandpa's place… Seems pretty long ago, huh?" Blue says quietly as he leans back as well, "We've fought a lot… But it all ends here. Former differences aside, the true champion will finally be decided."

"… Yes…" Red whispers. The atmosphere between them seems to be less like that of rivals, and more like that of lifelong friends. I take a reluctant seat next to Brendan, deciding to show him that I will not be intimidated. Like me, he's not much to fear outside of Pokémon fights. The bell rings as Red and Blue get to their feet, leaving the room to prepare for the decisive battle.

A quiet snicker echoes through the room as I find myself alone with my opponent. This is what I had come here for, to try to figure out what kind of trainer he was. I smoothly shuffle myself over to the seat opposite his and our gazes meet. We stare at each other for a long time. I somehow get the feeling that he despite his confident exterior, he was trying to read me as well.

"Nervous?" Brendan asks with a growly voice, mimicking Red. Does he think he's being clever? Or… Is he just practicing for his future as the best trainer in the world?

"About as much as anyone would be, sharing a room with a lunatic like you," I say, hoping to figure out if he was easily provoked.

"Ehehehe…" Brendan chuckles to himself and puts his feet up on the table, "Don't worry, I have no time for the likes of you. You are but a stepping stone on my way to Red."

"Confident?" I ask outright, tired of being looked down on.

"Why shouldn't I be?" Brendan says while waving his hand around, "I've assembled a team above that of any other. No weaknesses. A million strengths."

Sure, your team is strong, but it does have one weakness… You, and your overconfidence. Don't think my goal's anything short of complete victory, and I'll use the extent of my abilities to reach it…!

"I know what you are thinking, Ethan…" Brendan whispers as he fastens his stare on me, "'He's going to use his Blaziken for sure!' 'I'll bring a Jellicent or Gliscor to finally put an end to her!'"

Not at all what I was thinking, but… Wait, he was expecting a Gliscor…? Oh crap, dodged a bullet with that one…

"She wasn't put into the 'Uber' tier for no reason," Brendan continues with a traducing tone to his voice, "Why not put that Meganium of yours up to the task? Starter versus starter? At least you can go out with a show for the crowd!"

Not only is he confident of his own strength, but he's convinced that I'm nothing. There's… Actually, I think I can use that. It's time to bring him back to reality… Time to bluff.

"You know what?" I say sternly as I stand up and look down on him, "Yeah… I was nervous. I don't know you that well, and so I was scared of what kind of person you were, and what tricks you might have up your sleeve."

Giving off a fake smile and laughter, I notice his disposition changing from confidence to surprise.

"But now… I realize that my fears were unfounded," I say with a calm yet highly insulting tone, "It is you who shall be my stepping stone towards Red."

As I turn around and begin to walk away, I can feel the atmosphere of the room take a turn for the worst. A presence like that of a demon is right behind me, unimaginable hatred and rage geared towards me and no one else. Although it feels like I'm about to be crushed, I try to keep my spirits up. I'm not going to be the one in the ring after all, and hopefully my Pokémon will forgive me for agitating him and probably making him a lot less merciful in battle. I need to assure myself of his actions, so that he'll aim not to beat me but to humiliate me. That will give me an opportunity which I can exploit for a slim chance at vict…

… What am I thinking? Of course I'll win. For sure. If only Brendan knew, he was talking to a man who had defeated the legendary Lugia in fair combat… But of course, my words would fall short without any proof, and the lack of proof is… The reason I'm here… In the first place…

"What lack of proof?" someone asks.

"Huh?" I exclaim in shock, finding myself at a loss for words as a very familiar yet unexpected face is staring at me.

"You spaced out for a second and said 'The lack of proof is the reason I'm here in the first place'," Zerobi continued while pointing at Lucario, nearly pricking his chest with the tip of her claws, "Were you referring to Mew again?"

"I, uh…" Lucario stuttered and found himself a little out of things, not sure of what had just happened, "… Can't remember."

"Right," Zerobi mumbled as she shook her head, walking into the old building while giving off a sigh in sympathy, "And here I tried so hard to make sure those mints weren't poisonous… Don't worry, sis can cure you… Probably."

Lucario stumbled after her, wondering what the hell was wrong with him. His head felt like it had been filled up with infinite knowledge for a second before disappearing just as quickly. For some reason, he felt convinced that there was something very, very dangerous behind his back, but the sensation stuck with him even as he turned around.

"… Lucario, are you alright?" Zerobi asked as she stopped, getting a little worried at Lucario's sudden schizophrenic behavior.

"Y… Yeah," Lucario whispered quietly as he straightened himself, "Yeah, I'm cool. Sorry, my… Aura was acting up?"

Zerobi stared at him for a few seconds before shrugging and moving on. She was just as curious as he was about this place and wanted to see what the famous arena looked like, remembering a grainy picture in one of her old magazines which had gotten berry juice spilt all over it. Although the picture was probably just a black corroded scrap of paper back in her old place now, she was about to see what it represented with her very own eyes.

The path was fairly straightforward, the ladders and passages leading off to the side barred off with gratings with spikes on top. The floor was dry and dirty, and with step they left a trail of wet snow. There was a cold draft seeping in from behind them, mingling the grey dust together with pure powder snow. Finally they came upon a massive gate, the doors to which stood wide open. Zerobi felt lucky, seeing how the doors were both nearly a meter thick and seemed to be made out of a very solid and hard material.

"Here it is!" Zerobi said happily, looking back to see Lucario coming up from behind. She felt relieved to see him looking like his old self again, poking at the side of the door with an amazed expression.

"Huh? Oh, right," he exclaimed as he quickly forgot about the well-constructed gate and followed her inside.

The arena was enormous, but the sight was not as impressive as it could have been. As damaged as the outside of Pokémon Stadium was, the inside was completely wrecked. The spectator seats were cracked and broken, showing one or two lazy attempts to put them back together by someone who apparently realized the futility of repairing so many and gave up. The arena's ground was made out of hardened dirt, poorly kept as it was showing various craters and piles over the wide space. There were two very tall podiums, one at the beginning and one at the end of the arena, as well as a third one among the spectators.

"What the…" Zerobi mumbled as she looked over the area with confusion. Lucario was busy staring up at the ceiling which seemed to be miles above, a tiny bit of light seeping in through the sides. Zerobi felt bothered, because something about the place did not match with her memory of Pokémon Stadium. Obviously everything was dirtier and far less crowded, yet still there was something else that bugged her. The atmosphere was not that of a gladiatorial colosseum, but rather a hall of some old castle. After a few moments, she realized what it was - By the edges of the ring, tall trident candles had been meticulously placed out. What was even more surprising was the fact that they were burning, and had quite a bit of wax left to spare.

"Hello there…" a sinister voice suddenly came from above, "Clothed blue jackals… And black bipedal weasels… Welcome to Pokémon Stadium!"

Lucario's head turned up, looking for the source of the voice. Zerobi followed, and thanks to her night vision she was able to spot the perpetrator at once, instantly freezing up in shock. It took Lucario a few more seconds, but finally he was able to make out a certain figure sitting casually inside the podium at the end of the arena, putting his legs up on the table in front of him.

It was a man wearing a black and red blazer which seemed unfitting for the cold temperatures. Covering his legs was a pair of unusually thin thermos pants, also red and black, and a bandana was tied around his head, matching the colors of the rest of his attire. Spiked, white hair stood triumphantly above it, and a malignant smile lay below it. A quiet chuckle echoed throughout the dome as Brendan knew that at last, Pokémon Stadium would see him get the victory he deserved.


	77. Demented Nemesis Brendan

"… Him again!?" Zerobi burst out in disbelief as she looked up at Brendan, "He really was following us!"

Lucario swallowed hard. He had just barely recovered from the unexpected blackout earlier, and did not feel ready for this at all.

"Hmpf… Could have sworn you would've gained some of that weight back…" Brendan scoffed bitterly, remembering the piece of bread he had so gracefully given the starving Lucario, "… But look at you! You're mangier than an AIDS-ridden Gardevoir! Speaking of which…"

Slapping himself right below his chest, a bright red light suddenly zoomed out of his jacket, landing next to him. The red light dampened and became pearly white, taking the form of a Pokémon. To Lucario the Pokémon looked vaguely human, but as its features became more defined he realized it was not likeness, but a vile misrepresentation. What seemed to be neatly combed hair did not flow or move in the slightest, looking more like a helmet. What seemed to be a dress crept into the creature's skin, making him realize that it was organic.

The Gardevoir raised its slender legs from the ground and crossed them, sitting hovering in midair with the dress rippling gently beneath it. Its arms were like sleeves, lifeless and drifting in whichever direction the main body decided to turn. It showed an offended expression as it gave Brendan a dirty look.

"… You owe me a fight, Lucario!" Brendan shouted as he ignored his Pokémon, "This is a colosseum! Prove your worth to earn glory and freedom! If you lose… You're mine, and I'll do whatever the hell I want with you!"

"Uh… Let's run," Lucario whispered to Zerobi, who immediately nodded. As the two of them turned around, Brendan nodded towards his Gardevoir who blinked in acknowledgement and lifted its arms. A faint pink glow suddenly surrounded the doors to the gate, before they were hastily pulled inward and slammed together, sealing the way to the exit.

"Ah!" Zerobi yelped in surprise as she ran up to the door, "It's closed! Smash through it!"

Lucario did not feel a moment's hesitation as he leaped towards it with a straight kick, the mighty gate giving off a loud bang but showing no visible signs of taking damage. Growling, he punched it a few times, the result of which was nothing but a few sore knuckles. In the meantime, Brendan laughed heartily at the useless display as he recalled the Gardevoir into the Pokéball.

"Eyahahaha! See, the thing about a Pokémon Stadium is that it has to be built so reckless beasts like you kind won't accidentally destroy it!" he cackled madly before leaning forward with a snide expression, "Go ahead, try to break it down! I'd love to see you tr-"

Brendan fell quiet as the gate suddenly burst open, the doors ripped out of their hinges and flying up in midair, blasted by powerful psychic force. However, they did not fly outward, but inward. As the loosened doors buried themselves into the arena's dusty soil, they saw a small, green figure hovering by the other side of the gate, her stem-like arms outstretched in front of her.

"Sis!" Zerobi yelled out in gratitude, smiling brightly as she felt the tension begin to melt away.

"What are you two doing here!?" Celebi shouted with a confused expression, obviously trying to take in the hectic situation as quickly as possible.

"Sidequest," Lucario summed up as he made a small leap out through the gate, "We're, uh, done now. Let's go!"

Celebi nodded as Zerobi ran past her, all three of them heading out through the gate and fleeing towards the exit. Dust whirled up around them as they sped through the hallway, seeing a light at the end of the tunnel brought about by the sun reflecting off the snow. They made it through and all the way past the toll booth before suddenly stopping. In front of them stood Brendan with a furious expression, and this time he was riding Suicune.

The legendary dog Suicune looked just as Lucario remembered him, but his intimidation factor had worn off quite a bit. The teal lion which had once seemed like the biggest, fastest and most fearsome threat ever was now just one of many powerful monsters that wanted him dead. Suicune's body structure was not nearly as powerful as that of Raikou, and his size was still just a fraction of Rayquaza's and Lugia's. From what Lucario remembered, the legendary dog had employed many attacks based around water and ice, which was nothing compared to the fire and electric assaults he had faced since. The once big and scary beast now looked more like a small, mangy puppy with a mentally unstable guy on his back.

Brendan and Suicune stared at Lucario, hatred shooting out of the champion trainer's eyes. Lucario would never forget how he had been hunted, tortured and nearly killed, all while not even having been able to land a single blow against the agile legendary. Dreams of revenge had haunted his sleep for over a year, and he had been looking forward to this moment far too long to risk missing it due to not going all-out right from the start. Growling as he gathered up aura in the palm of his hand, he was suddenly cut off as Celebi sped up and hovered in front of him, arms outstretched to her sides. Brendan's gaze suddenly shifted to the small green legendary, and his expression turned bitter.

"I will pay notice to capturing you another time, Celebi," Brendan muttered scornfully as he waved his hand in front of him, "You and that Weavile, be gone. Today, the one I want is the Lucario."

"… Well, you can't have him!" Celebi replied courageously, staying in front of Lucario and her sister while mentally preparing for battle. She thanked herself for being such a worrywart, coming all this way after just sensing Lucario's aura turn in the wrong direction. Thinking the two were just taking a break or something, she wanted to make sure nothing was wrong, and had the intention to see if their relationship had progressed in any way. The question was still very much on her mind, and nagged at her so much that she barely even had time to think of the impending battle. She was a legendary, after all. No trainer could ever muster up the power to defeat her.

Brendan's expression turned into a frown as he stared down Celebi. Something about his gaze made her slightly less sure of herself, like he was not wondering if he could defeat her, but rather gauging if it would be worth the time and effort.

"I should point out that I am a champion trainer, wielding five extra Pokémon aside from Suicune here, a multitude of rare and effective healing items as well as enough Pokéballs to capture each and every one of you seven times over," Brendan counted up before leaning forward with a stern voice, "Me. Lucario. Duel. Spoil my fun, and you can BET that I will spoil yours."

Celebi remained steadfast, but could not help but feel a twinge of fear as the inauspicious trainer stared her down. Suddenly she was reminded of Lucas, the little boy who had overpowered and caught her. What if this trainer was just as dangerous, or perhaps even more so…? Reminded of the helpless feeling of being drawn into a Pokéball against her own will, and the endless darkness within which sapped both her consciousness and strength, she felt her determination begin to waver. But still, she refused to move, well aware what would happen if she did. She knew she had to be strong, for both Zerobi and Lucario's sake.

"… Then so be it! I will make you suffer for this, you miserable cunt!" Brendan suddenly roared with bloodshot eyes, "I will catch you, but I won't pawn you off or use you in battle, oh no… I will restrain you and have my angriest, most violent Pokémon rape you in shifts every remaining moment of your pathetic life until your precious little mind shatters UNLESS YOU FUCKING MOVE!"

Brendan shouted with all his might as he slammed down his fist on Suicune's back, and Celebi was no longer to keep herself from flinching. The thought of being captured was one thing, but to be enslaved and violated, begging for a death that would come shortly thereafter was enough to send her mind into panic. She knew that losing was a possibility, because she had lost before. What if she had never been rescued from the clutches of Lucas? What if the bullet that had penetrated her had been aimed a little higher? What if Pikablu's 75% had been just a bit more powerful? What if her luck was to finally run out, and she would spend the rest of her life in hell on earth, cursing herself for trying to be brave instead of fleeing and saving herself?

She felt so far away from her natural habitat, so detached from what she once was and should be. She was an avatar of nature, a sprite meant to seamlessly hover in and out of existence, blessing the earth with her nurturing presence. Here she was, about to fight a completely foreign legendary over matters that had nothing to do with either of them, risking suffering and damnation for the sake of two Pokémon she had barely even known for a full year. Conflicted and shaking, she suddenly felt something touch down on her shoulder. Looking back, she saw Lucario had placed his hand on her, a confident and calm expression on his face.

"Celebi… Move," Lucario said as he stared ahead at Brendan, who looked back at him with a malignant smile, "You don't need to dirty your hands on this one."

"… You idiot! You can't handle him!" Zerobi yelled at Lucario, amazed to see him stick his neck out instead to leaving the fighting to Celebi, "Run!"

Lucario said nothing to explain himself. He had tried running before, and as he now faced both Brendan and Suicune once more, he knew that it would only postpone things further. The psychotic champion would find him again, possibly at a far worse time than now and kill him and whoever else had decided to follow him around. Victory… Freedom… Revenge… Tempting words echoed through Lucario's mind as he felt his determination grow.

Suddenly, another set of thoughts entered his head. Something Zoroark had explained long ago about Pokémon Stadium, where Ethan had defeated both Red and Brendan, unofficially becoming the greatest trainer of all time…

"And don't even think about fleeing!" Brendan screamed with a glare as he pointed at Lucario, "I've got Pokémon with Shadow Tag AND Mean Look! I'll hunt you all down and kill you!"

"I have no intention of either fleeing or losing…" Lucario whispered as he straightened his back and clenched his fists, "Brendan! I've beaten you as a human, and I'll beat you as a Pokémon!"

"Standing your ground? Eyahahaha!" Brendan laughed as he too clenched his fists, "PERFECT! This will truly be the final battle! End of the road!"

The fearsome champion continued laughing while Lucario stood silent, a mocking expression appearing on the blue jackal's face.

"No…" Lucario said with clarity, a wave of nostalgia washing over him, "Just like before… To me, you're just a stepping stone."

"… Hmpf!" Brendan scoffed as something about the grunts Lucario made irritated him to no end, "Back into the arena with you! No disqualifications here, only death!"

Silently Lucario begun to march back where he had come from, walking past both Zerobi and Celebi without either of them catching his eye. He was too focused on not turning around as he felt an omen of death caress his back, just like what he had felt when he first entered Pokémon Stadium.

"No! Stop him!" Zerobi pleaded as she looked at Celebi, "He's having… Delusions of grandeur! We can't let him do this, he's going to get himself killed!"

Her sister did not answer, still staring at Brendan with a fearful expression plastered across her face. However, Brendan was no longer concerned with her and quickly ordered Suicune to leap up on the roof of the Stadium, obviously taking his own route back the ring.

"Listen… The only reason Suicune kicked my ass before is because we were outside," Lucario said as he kept walking, "No snow in here, right? And even if that's the case, I've learned a few tricks since then…"

Zerobi shook her head in disbelief, looking back and forth between her sister who was frozen in fear, and her love who was heading towards certain doom.

"Sis!" she yelled as she walked in front of the small legendary, trying to get her to snap out of it, not sure of why the legendary had been so freaked out all of a sudden.

"When… I mean…" Celebi tried to speak, still shaken up by her own fading bravery, "If… He faints… I will… Save him…"

It was a promise she was not certain she could keep, but had to make in order to justify her own actions. She decided that she was giving Lucario a chance to prove himself, and would be ready to jump in should things get too dangerous. She convinced herself that the reason for her hesitation was definitively not that her once prominent courage had slowly been drained out of her, leaving behind a shaking coward unable to cope with any situation not easily dealt with.

Soon they had returned to the colosseum, things unchanged from their first visit except for a miniature draft created by Celebi's reckless destruction of the door. Lucario stood in the middle of the arena while Celebi and Zerobi sat by the crumbled remains of the gate, and Brendan sat up on his perch. He had withdrawn Suicune into a Pokéball, which Lucario assumed was a very temporary rest for the azure hound. Instead, Brendan was sitting on a very comfortable-looking seat that seemed awfully new and did not look like part of the original decor. Muttering quietly to himself and reaching behind the seat, he suddenly pulled out an old and dirty microphone.

"Rules are simple!" Brendan shouted into the mic, his voice blaring all over the stadium as Lucario covered his sensitive ears, "1vs1, no switching, no items and NO running!"

"… One versus one?" Lucario muttered as he poked the insides of his ears, the excess wax making things a bit more painful than usual, "What, don't I get to carry around some guy shouting orders on my back? How will I manage?"

"Then… Let's get started…" Brendan snickered as he held out an arm directed at the arena, "I've prepared a special opponent for you, Lucario! TORANA, I CHOOSE YOU!"

Pressing down on the elbow of his arm, a red light suddenly shot of the Pokéball hidden underneath. The light dimmed into nothing after having struck the middle of the arena, but the color red never faded. Crouching on the dusty ground was a large human-like figure, one Lucario had never seen before. It rose to its feet, proving itself to be almost a full head taller than he was, looking down on him with the sharp eyes of an eagle. While human in stature, like other Pokémon it was clearly something of different nature. The face was the strangest part, looking more like a mask or a crest with a hooked beak melded into it. Long, flowing white hair reached down from its head to cover its back and chest, clashing against the rest of its body which seemed to be covered in red feathers, except for the hands which consisted entirely of three large talons.

The musculature of the creature was apparent enough to make Lucario wonder if it had transparent skin or something, not even a sliver of fat visible anywhere upon the lean and well-toned body. Still, compared to Zerobi and Zoroark he felt this humanoid had very little elegance to it, bulging muscles and powerful appendages making it seem more like a brawler. One thing to catch his attention was the creature's massive legs, his own fairly developed legs seeming positively weak in comparison. The thighs and calves looked as if they were made out of diamonds, polished to a fine sheen and hard enough to crack anything unfortunate enough to smash against them. He was unable to determine what the feet looked like, due to them being covered by some manner of thick yellow hair which grew at the base of the leg. The hair looked a bit like the drooping sleeve of a too long pair of pants, although Lucario could not imagine the kind of leggings that would be considered "too long" when staring at the tall monster. It was then that the realization dawned upon him.

"You're… Not going to use Suicune?" Lucario exclaimed hopefully, looking up at Brendan. The insane champion remained silent, but had a very confident smile on his face.

"A Blaziken?" Celebi said out loud, pleasantly surprised that Brendan was not going to use a legendary, but still seeing the matchup as quite unfair due to type advantages. Had it been her in the ring, she would have been able to exploit the Blaziken's weakness to Psychic attacks for an easy victory, and suddenly her chances to rescue Lucario did not seem as far-fetched.

"Wait… Torana…?" Zerobi muttered to herself before crossing her arms, "You don't think… THAT Torana, right?"

"… Torana…?" Celebi repeated with an unfamiliar tone. It was not often that she felt like she was out of the loop, but Zerobi had the edge on her when it came to recognizing celebrities.

"Don't know the details, but I've heard the name…" Zerobi whispered while thinking back to the friends she once had, remembering one Lopunny in particular who seemed infatuated enough to have a crush on fiery bird, "… Torana the Tormentor, also known as… The most powerful non-legendary Pokémon in the world…"

Celebi turned towards her, Lucario doing the same after looking over the Blaziken one more time. Despite what Zerobi had said, he felt a bit more relaxed after knowing he would not have to defeat Suicune in order to win. Famous or not, fighting a bodybuilding chicken would not be nearly as difficult as taking down a legendary.

"… Truly?" Celebi asked skeptically as she blinked, "Going by her aura, she is about as strong as Lucario… And I can tell that she is not suppressing it, either…"

"Well, I mean, I think it's been over ten years since she got the title," Zerobi mumbled and wondered if maybe she was thinking of another Pokémon, "Can't stay on top forever."

Suddenly, Lucario put his hands together, determination flowing through him at a rapid pace.

"So, when I beat her…" he muttered before raising his voice, "… That makes ME the strongest!"

A groan from Zerobi was his only response, the Weavile sad to see her attempts to bring Lucario's ego back to earth was showing little effect.

"Lucario, I don't think this is an enemy you'll want to underestimate," Zerobi said, not able to sense the aura or anything like that but still feeling a bit intimidated by the muscular Blaziken.

"Don't think I'll be going easy on her," Lucario clarified while feeling a bit peeved at the fact that Zerobi simply assumed that he was underestimating his opponents when usually he did his best right from the start, "If I win, I'll get Brendan off my back as well as some goddamn respect. She's humanoid; that means I can't lose!"

"This… Does seem like an enemy you can handle," Celebi admitted carefully as Zerobi stared at her with annoyance, "Consider the fact that your resistance to heat and blunt impacts should be superior to normal Lucario due to the low amount of steel plating covering your skeleton."

"… Huh?" Lucario exclaimed with confusion.

"She uses fire," Zerobi translated cooly, eliciting a troubled gasp from Lucario who was suddenly not so keen on fighting after all. He looked at the Blaziken and then at Brendan, trying to wash the fear away from his face. His eyes locked together with Brendan's, and the champion quietly began to chuckle.

"Yes… Let's make things a bit fairer, no?" Brendan whispered to himself before standing up and shouting, "Torana, I forbid you from using fire-based attacks! Show them true despair!"

The Blaziken refused to look back at her trainer in acknowledgement, instead remaining steadfast. Her gaze had long since wandered away from Lucario, moving towards Celebi and then Zerobi. Now, she was looking up into the ceiling, as if that was the most interesting thing around. Feeling somewhat neglected, Lucario moved up to her, his spirits returned after hearing he would not be set on fire, after all. He felt rather miniscule when next to her, his head aligned with her chest rather than her face, wondering what to do in order to make the situation less awkward.

"So… Torana…" Lucario said quietly in an attempt to strike up a conversation, "Nice name. Let's have a fair battle to see who's the real champion!"

For a few more moments Torana continued looking at the ceiling, before slowly shifting her eyes down to where he was standing.

"… Battle?" she finally replied, her voice clear but somewhat ragged, although not to the point of sounding hoarse. He actually thought her voice sounded surprisingly normal, as unlike every other Pokémon he had come across he was able to detect a hint of femininity in it.

Brendan witnessed the scene and felt rather annoyed that his Blaziken had not taken the initiative to kick Lucario in the gut in an attempt to start things off. He looked out over the empty seats in the stadium, remembering the time when they had been filled to the brim with excited onlookers. They had been cheering for him and him alone, crying out in disgust and anger as Ethan had employed cheap tactics to steal his rightful victory. Tonight, he swore that they would not be left with such disappointment. After what he had gone through, he could not tolerate being branded as a second-rate trainer forever. His favorite Pokémon against the Lucario that had given his former rivals so much trouble… A fair duel. It was all he had ever asked for.

"Ahh… People, people… What a show we've got for you tonight…" Brendan whispered into the microphone to nobody in particular before raising his voice to an excited scream, "Round… One… FIGHT!"

Although the fight had begun, neither Lucario nor the Blaziken was moving. Lucario felt torn between his own wishes to finally be able to dominate the enemy right from the start and a stern inner voice warning him not to underestimate someone with the nickname "Torana the Tormentor". Proceeding carefully, he bluffed by taking a single speedy step forward. Immediately the Blaziken fell for the bluff, lifting her leg as to attack. Seeing his opening, Lucario rushed in from the other side as the Blaziken hopped away from him, lashing out with her leg in revenge.

"Whoa!" Lucario yelled while ducking as the kick passed right over his head. It was far more powerful than he had expected, the wind pressure knocking him from the side and reminding him of the ridiculously huge sword the hunter had used. Even though his current opponent's legs weren't sharp and wouldn't cleave him, he knew a kick from that mass could still hurt him pretty badly. Following through with his plan, he leapt up and punched the Blaziken once in the face, following up with an elbow to the stomach. Her abs felt like striking the side of a building, but he heard a subtle cough from above as she spun around and jumped back.

"How's that!?" Lucario yelled, the unfamiliar feeling of success coursing through him, "That strength's not going to do you much good if you can't hit me, huh?"

Zerobi sighed, knowing that Lucario's moment of triumph would only serve to make him less careful. Celebi stared at the two fighters, thinking of something else entirely.

"… What manner of technique was that?" Celebi asked quietly while moving closer to her sister, "Lucario… He was already moving to dodge her kick before she had even used it!"

"He said that when fighting human-like enemies, he can bait and predict what they're about to do due to reading their muscle movement or something…" Zerobi whispered before shrugging, "… So, you know, once she starts spraying fire he's pretty much done for."

"Oh…" Celebi mused in wonder, amazed that there could exist such depth to a regular brawl. She decided to continue watching in silence, lest her own lack of battle experience would show.

The Blaziken ran up to Lucario, feinting with one leg before using the other to deliver a kick from the side. Lucario saw through her methods and turned towards the kick, blocking it with both arms. Although the blow was still powerful enough to make him stagger, when the shockwave running through his muscles began to settle down he managed to grab a hold of the leg, lifting up Torana and slamming her down into the ground behind him. She managed to dampen the damage by bracing herself with her arms, but looked less than impressive as she leaped back with a bruised and dusty front.

"N… Nice!" Zerobi could not help but exclaim, impressed to see Lucario actually dominating a battle for once. Celebi remembered what Pikablu had told her, and realized that Lucario's so-called "stroke of luck" against Rayquaza might not have been a fluke after all.

"Hah, I told you! If it attacks like a human, I can't lose!" Lucario replied cheerfully, bashing his chest once in confidence, "Brendan's probably got some trick up his sleeve though, so get ready for anything once I'm done with this fight!"

A moment of silence passed as the Blaziken looked at him, her feather a little rugged but her indomitable gaze still unimpressed.

"… Are you still under the impression that this is a battle?" the Blaziken asked calmly, her voice showing no signs of exhaustion.

"Well… Currently it's more of a beatdown, isn't it?" Lucario corrected her while scratching his chin.

"Exactly," Torana replied before holding up her talons and letting them click together, "If my master wished for a battle… He would have given you an opponent you had a chance of winning against."

"Hmm… Didn't expect you to be on the receiving end of the beatdown, did he?" Lucario said confidently as he looked up at Brendan, unable to determine the trainer's expression from where he currently stood.

"Just getting warmed up…" Torana mumbled before slowly holding out her arms to her sides. After a few moments of stillness, she suddenly flexed. Feathers rippled as they gave way for mighty muscles protruding all over her body like a rockslide piling up stones on someone. Brendan looked down over the arena and smiled, aware of what was about to happen.

"Torana… An impressive structure, carried by two great pillars," Brendan muttered into the microphone while eagerly watching his Pokémon, "The strength of the pillars is what determines the strength of the structure… So, obviously you'd want to focus on making the pillars as strong as possible… For a champ like me, to be training a Pokémon while focusing on one aspect only… How strong d'you think it'd get?"

In that instant, a fire exploded within the Blaziken, lighting up the arena in heat and splendid light. It was as if she had breathed life into the fallen Stadium, allowing it to display glorious Pokémon battles with pride one last time. Although the fighters in this case were Lucario and Torana, it was the battle between Ethan and Brendan that was finally coming to its conclusion.


	78. Strongest Battler Blaziken

Lucario gasped as he stared at the Blaziken, flames leaking out of her left arm. Similarly, the right arm suddenly burst into flames, two mighty infernos raging above her arms like an impressive set of wings. Lucario leaped back while the heat in the room steadily rose, surprised to see Torana ignore Brendan's orders of not using fire so quickly. The two pyres suddenly began to crawl up her elbows, colliding around her chest before moving down to her waist and spreading by her crotch, the blazes now covering her legs. Lucario could see the fires raging extra violently before beginning to diminish, almost as if they were being sucked into the legs. The Blaziken closed her eyes with a strained expression for a moment, before relaxing and letting her muscles go back to normal, her feathers falling back into place as the fire was all but gone.

"… What? Did you forget?" Lucario said after everything had settled down, "No fi-"

He did not have time to finish his sentence as Torana was upon him, the Blaziken moving at a high pace. She raised her leg as to kick again, and Lucario realized she was leaving herself open just like before. He turned towards her other leg in the last second, forcing the Blaziken to leap back while lashing out with her prepared leg in defense. Lucario ducked to avoid the kick and smiled brightly as he headed towards her face, ready to settle things.

However, her face was no longer where he thought it would be. Instead, the Blaziken had managed to jump back a second time, kicking at him once again. Unprepared for such swift movements, Lucario staggered back in the last second, thinking himself clear of the leg but feeling something gash across his arm. He yelped and was about to look down to see what happened, when he realized the Blaziken was heading towards him again, much faster than before. She crouched and delivered a low sweep as Lucario jumped to avoid it, but in barely a second she was standing up again, striking at him with a roundhouse kick. Lucario was able to block the attack with both his arms, but felt them crumble under the sheer power of the Blaziken's legs as he was thrown several feet away by the recoil.

He crashed down on the ground, taking little damage from the soft, dirty soil. He quickly got to his feet and examined his arm, where a gash from something like a talon had appeared. It was not bleeding too badly, but he was beginning to think that the Blaziken's feet were sharper than he had been expecting. Not wanting to misjudge her again, Lucario put two and two together and determined a clear connection between the weird fiery display the Blaziken had put on, as well as the sudden speed boost which had followed.

"Nice powerup," Lucario muttered while rubbing away some of the dust from his eyes, "I guess… It's time for me to get serious, eh? Let's see how fast you really are!"

Calling to mind all his past failures, Lucario remained still and made no suspicious movement whatsoever. However, inside his body he carefully led a group of mitochondria from their comfortable homes into his right arm, where they grouped together to form a subtle blue glow through the cracks of his fingers.

Using every last bit of restraint to keep himself from shouting, Lucario punched the air in front of him while opening his palm, revealing the aura sphere that had been building within. The Blaziken only had time to blink as the body of blue fire ran through her left shoulder, disappearing before ramming into the wall of the arena behind her. Although she did not scream, it was clear that she was in great pain, falling to her knees as she grasped her left shoulder with her right hand.

"Next one's going for your head," Lucario said confidently, amazed to actually have pulled off the move successfully. He made a mental note to always keep the attack subtle, instead of giving it away by posing and shouting like an idiot.

The Blaziken looked up at him with a surprised expression, which then melted into anger. Standing up, she tried to hold out her arms, but her left shoulder was no longer responding. She flexed with the rest of her body, a fiery explosion igniting on top of her head. Although the position of the fire was different, Lucario knew what she was trying to do.

"Hah! Like I'd let you reactivate that thing again!" he shouted as he ran up to the defenseless Blaziken, seeing her as kind of stupid to be leaving herself so open in the middle of combat. He put all his weight behind him as he tried to ram her stomach, and she had no choice but to move out of the way. He quickly spun around and followed up with a punch directed at her lame shoulder, narrowly blocked in the last second by one of her now burning legs.

It was then that Lucario realized what was going on. The inferno on her head had been crawling down her body to her legs, all while she had been in the middle of dodging his attacks. Surprised to see that such a peculiar technique required little-to-no concentration whatsoever, Lucario suddenly felt himself ripped away from the ground, struck in his side by a very speedy kick.

He flew away a few feet before landing on the ground, confused and hurting from the sudden attack. It had been a direct hit, something his abdominal muscles made quite clear with the pain shooting up his spine. In terms of power and size, the kick had felt more like a full body slam and was something Lucario hoped he would not need to withstand too many more of.  
>Meanwhile, both Celebi and Zerobi stood speechless as they witnessed the spectacle.<p>

"She was able to pull it off in the middle of combat!?" Zerobi finally exclaimed before increasing the volume of her voice to a yell, "Lucario! Wait until it runs out again, and then attack her with all you've got!"

"No!" Celebi shouted to interrupt her sister while Lucario looked back at the two of them with a confused expression, "That initial boost in speed… It never ran out to begin with."

"… Of course it did! Why else would she use it again!?" Zerobi argued stubbornly before a quick tapping sound broke her concentration. Looking out at the arena, she saw the Blaziken moving towards Lucario in a zig-zag formation, much like she herself usually did in order to throw her opponents' aim off. However, what surprised Zerobi even more was the fact that the Blaziken was now moving at a far higher pace than earlier, realizing that the bulky Blaziken was now even faster than she was.

"It's compiling… Her agility is steadily increasing…" Celebi whispered with a troubled voice, obviously having noticed the same thing as Zerobi. The fact struck Lucario a few moments later, when he was just barely able to block the oncoming kick with one arm, nearly taking the brunt of the blow. Sensing danger, he suddenly jumped back a few paces.

"All right… Fine…" Lucario muttered while exhaling heavily and lowering his stance into a pounce, "Warm-up is over. Here I am, trying to be a nice guy and save my energy, but you're just ASKING for me to go all-out!"

"Save your energy…?" the Blaziken asked with a bored expression, her former anguish completely vanished. She lifted her left arm and looked it over, showing it to no longer be paralyzed from the earlier aura sphere.

"Yeah… I'm not that naive; I know Brendan'll sic Suicune on me after you're done…" Lucario said as he looked up at Brendan, the trainer wearing a sinister expression like always, "I'm prepared to fight a legendary, so I can't let a patsy like you get in my way!"

The Blaziken looked at him for a moment before shrugging.

"… And what makes you think Suicune is stronger than I am?" she asked bluntly.

"Eh?" Lucario exclaimed quietly, a chill suddenly running up his back. The implication was not lost on Zerobi or Celebi either, both of whom stared at Torana with a growing sense of dread.

"… Besting a legendary… While at a type disadvantage?" Celebi whispered to herself, trying to think of a plausible scenario where such a thing would even be remotely possible. She suddenly felt less certain of her chances at besting the Blaziken, and even less so of Lucario's.

"Save your energy if you want to… It will not change the outcome…" Torana continued as she sighed audibly and then flexed her muscles once more. Sensing danger, Lucario sped towards her, but in the back of his mind he already knew it was useless. No matter how many punches he threw, the flames sprouted forth from her back and caressed the tall Fire-type's body as they moved down and disappeared within her legs. Immediately an effect was shown, the Blaziken swiftly moving away from him by shuffling back with the agility of an alerted arachnid, light as piece of cloth caught within a tornado.

"I-Impossible! She sped up further!?" Zerobi stammered in shock as Celebi gasped, not having seen anyone move so quickly since Pikablu had employed his 25% against her. Lucario braced himself as the Blaziken decided to attack, charging at him like a locomotive jumping from zero miles per hour to two hundred in a flash. Torana was like a blur as she came nearer, but Lucario was able to detect a kick approaching from her right side, ducking from it through pure instinct alone. Before he could even raise his head again, another impossibly fast kick came from the opposite direction and smashed against his arm, a third kick suddenly striking him squarely in the chest.

Lucario stumbled back as the impact from all the kicks seemed to reach his brain all at once, the kicks coming out faster than his nerve clusters could manage. Torana shuffled back once more before coming at him again, Lucario realizing that he was completely defenseless against her assault. At a loss for what to do, he jumped directly upwards as high as he could, but only reached a few meters of height before being struck in midair by the Blaziken's jump kick. He fell gracelessly down to the ground, hurting badly from the violent attacks. He felt his legs begin to give out when he stood up, sorely hoping there was still a chance for him to turn things around.

"This time…!" Lucario growled as he struck a pose, abandoning all technique and getting ready to counterattack the moment he saw Torana do anything. Fast as a lightning bolt, the Blaziken ran up to him and he immediately kicked into the air with all his might, hoping to score a lucky hit like in his battle against Zoroark.

However, as his leg whooshed through the air, he realized that there was absolutely nothing for him to hit. Looking down, he saw the Blaziken crouching down into a ball, showing her back to him. The sight only lasted a moment before her two mighty legs suddenly engulfed his neck, the Blaziken pushing away from the ground by standing on her hands.

Lucario choked as the grip around his throat became stronger, and suddenly began tugging him to the side. The Blaziken used her arms to spin around, moving into a normal standing position while dragging Lucario's head down with her legs and slamming it against the ground.

"Wh-What the hell was that!?" Zerobi exclaimed in utter disbelief at what she had just seen, Lucario lying in the dirt with a dazed expression. Although he was at the Blaziken's mercy, his head was still spinning from having been thrown in such an odd manner and he made no attempt to retreat to a less vulnerable position.

"Get up," the Blaziken muttered, unfazed by the impressive move she had pulled while tapping the side of Lucario's head with her sharp foot. Lucario came to once more, rolling away from the dangerous foe and standing up. He barely had time to get his bearing together before the Blaziken was upon him once more, delivering a straight kick to his unguarded stomach. He staggered back with a pained expression as his back bumped into the arena's wall, his foot knocking over one of the candles placed nearby. Seeing the Blaziken come for him once more, he made one last attempt at fighting back, charging up an aura sphere in his right palm. The attempt was short-lived, Torana zooming towards him and lifting her leg, grasping a hold of his face with one of her talon-like feet. She lifted her leg further and pushed it forward, smashing the back of Lucario's head against the wall while suspending him in midair and mercilessly crushing his skull with her powerful claws.

"AAAHHHH!" Lucario screamed as the amassed aura leaked out of his arm, causing an internal explosion of blue fire. The sudden pain and panic had broken his concentration, and the current lack of ground beneath his feet left him feeling disoriented and restricted. He groaned and was unable to make resistance as Torana's claws ripped into his skin, warm blood dripping down his chin.

"So weak. So brittle," the Blaziken growled with disappointment in her voice, "What merciful trials have led you here thus far?"

"N-Never had to fight such an ugly twat bef- GAAAHHH!" Lucario tried to respond, his snarky comment cut short by the grip around his skull suddenly increasing, his cranium feeling like it was about to pop from the immense pressure.

"What was that?" Torana asked sarcastically as Lucario twitched in pain.

"H-hey, f-funny story…" Lucario stammered through the splitting headache, "… D'you know I'm actually Ethan? That means I've already beaten both you and that psychotic asshole you refer to as 'master'…"

Torana continued looking at him for a moment, her face remaining expressionless. She lifted him up into a completely vertical position with her leg before throwing him down on the ground beside her.

"No," she said bluntly, "You are far too pathetic. A man like Ethan would dispatch you in an instant."

Lucario's arms shook as he struggled to get up, every part of him pained, exhausted and begging for rest. One of his ears was bent an unnatural angle, and there was a blotch of his blood rubbed into the dirty ground underneath. Realizing just how pathetic he must be looking, he filled himself up with determination once more as he stood up.

"Best keep lying down," the Blaziken mumbled quietly, not even bothering to turn towards him, "Unless you plan on actually putting up some resistance this time."

"I'm not done yet…!" Lucario growled as he clenched his fists and straightened his back, "It's not over 'til it's over!"

"… It's over," was all Torana said before suddenly disappearing. Lucario felt a frightening sensation creep up his back as he turned around, the Blaziken standing right behind him with a menacing expression.

"You are not fast enough…" she muttered as Lucario punched at her with all his might. The Blaziken brushed the punch aside with a speedy flick of her wrist, barely even paying it any notice.

"Strong enough…" she continued as she suddenly reached out with her arms and grabbed a hold of Lucario's shoulders. As if he weighed nothing at all, she picked him up and held his head level with her own.

"Resilient enough…" she kept going as Lucario struggled and tried to kick her, his attack halted as she pushed her knee deep into his stomach. Lucario felt all the air flow out of his lungs as the Blaziken struck him with her knee again and again, the tight grasp around his shoulders leaving him with no hope of avoiding the onslaught. After a few moments he was becoming strangely accustomed to the pain, each hit against his punished stomach more predictable than the last. He hung limply, unable to put up a fight as the Blaziken wailed away at him, her expression becoming more and more agitated with each hit. After what seemed like an eternity, she finally stopped and shook him a few times. When she was given no response, she tossed him to the side like she was discarding an empty wrapper.

"… And definitively not experienced enough to ever match up to someone like me," the Blaziken finished her speech with disdain apparent in her voice. Lucario lay on his back with white noise echoing in his ears, only faintly aware that he wasn't being hit anymore. His former determination had all but vanished, the concepts of victory and defeat meager when compared to the agony he now found himself in. No matter what, he wanted to take a break for an hour or two to lick his wounds and figure out a countermeasure against his opponent. Still, there was something in the back of his mind telling him to keep on fighting, and he tried sitting up. His abdominal muscles screamed out in protest as he coughed and fell back down again. Torana sighed as she looked at Lucario and suddenly held one of her three-pronged talons in front of her.

"Thrice I've used the speed boost…" the Blaziken said with a menacing tone, hoping she would be able to hammer in the point this time. Quietly she lifted her other hand and placed next to the first one.

"Before reaching maximum efficiency…" she continued undauntedly while spreading her fingers, "… I can use it for a total of six times."

Due to the sudden ringing in his ears, Lucario could only assume that he had heard her wrong. Celebi and Zerobi were both fully aware of the implications behind statement, the latter gazing at Lucario's broken form with terror.

"… She's still just halfway powered up!?" Zerobi exclaimed with hopelessness, finally realizing that Lucario never even had a chance to begin with. Shame filled her, understanding that all the beatings he had taken so far had been for nothing while she had just been standing there and watching. Unable to restrain herself any longer, she took a step towards the ring in order to interrupt the match, not caring about the consequences. However, she froze in shock as the Blaziken suddenly stomped down hard on the ground, sending dust whirling all around her.

"Is this it!? You wild Pokémon roam about, thinking you're hot stuff after beating up the big kid in your neighborhood," Torana burst out with anger as she stared at Lucario, not even noticing Zerobi's short-lived advance, "I am a trained monster, a weapon forged for your destruction! I feed on pathetic warriors like you and shit out their broken dreams!"

Brendan sat and watched the spectacle from afar, taking delight in the battle. The Lucario's battered condition, the Weavile's feeble hesitation and Celebi's binding fear. From his position they looked like bugs, unable to do anything before the might of his Pokémon.

"Hehehehe… That ability truly is like something out of a dream…" he snickered into the microphone, not sure if anyone was able to hear him as they were busy gazing at Torana with admiration.

"Fire is heat, and simpleton fools only thing to use to it scorch the opposition…" he whispered to himself as his fingers tingled, letting his hands close and open irregularly, "… But I… I figured out its true value. Heat is energy, after all… If you can generate heat, then you have a nearly infinite supply of energy! Torana is both a Fire and Fighting type, so she can use the excess energy to strengthen herself! Her legs are thick and muscular because they're built to withstand any amount of strain! Lesser legs would've been torn to pieces!"

Lucario was beginning to come back to his senses, Brendan's words echoing through his pained ears and within his aching skull. He tried to sit up once more, but his suffering stomach muscles refused to comply. The repeated kicks had left their mark on him, and he felt weaker than ever before.

"Go ahead… Cry," the Blaziken whispered to him with a demeaning tone, "I know you want to. Do not hold back on my accord."

"Would you… Stop treating me like shit!?" Lucario growled in response as he tried to lift his upper body with his quickly buckling arms, "I haven't given up yet!"

"Hmpf… Why try to be nice?" the Blaziken muttered while shrugging, "You'll hate me in the end, anyway."

As stubborn as Lucario's badly beaten stomach was, he knew himself to be even more stubborn. Rolling over to his side, he was able to use his arm to push off the ground and stand without using his abdominal muscles at all.

"Our conflict has one victor, but two contestants," the Blaziken continued without paying any particular note to Lucario retrieving his upright position, "For me to triumph, you must taste defeat. There is no other way around it… And as it happens, I never lose."

Torana lost herself for a moment, seemingly reliving painful memories while solemnly closing her eyes.

"Bitter tears of defeat… They're all I know how to create…" she whispered before opening and fastening her eyes on Lucario with a critical gaze, "So… Go ahead, weep like everyone else! Blame _me_ for your own weakness!"

The Blaziken roared as she flexed once more, a fiery explosion igniting around her chest. Lucario could do nothing but stand and watch in amazement, wondering how such a technique was even possible. This was the fourth time he was witnessing it, but only the second without being busy trying to fight. Now that he knew what was about to happen, there was a sudden pang of familiarity when the fire crawled over the outside of Torana's body. As it settled down into her legs, there was a faint moment of recognition. Behind Lucario's faded vision, he thought he saw the yellow fire give off a violet glow before flashing completely blue.

As the Blaziken charged towards Lucario once more, Zerobi snapped out of her self-induced hesitation. Seeing that the fire-type had grown faster once more was all it took for her to finally completely give up on Lucario's chances of winning.

"… This is not an enemy he can handle!" she shouted in desperation, "We've got to do something!"

Turning back, she had expected to see to Celebi leap into action right away. However, the small legendary hovered in stillness, not even looking back at her. Celebi knew that if she were to look her sister directly in the eye, the Weavile would clearly see the fear she was attempting to hide.

"B-But… He's not unconscious yet…" Celebi whispered while trying not to think too hard about Brendan's intimidation, her face both troubled and worried, "I can heal him later if he breaks anyth-"

"So!? Can't you see how much he's suffering!?" Zerobi interrupted, a loud banging coming from the arena as Lucario received a powerful kick to his right shoulder, "Fine, I'll do it myself! I'll run in and grab him, you stay here and make a barrier or something!"

Suddenly, Zerobi took a step into the ring. Celebi gasped as she reached out with her arms, two newly-formed seeds lying in the palm of her hands. Two long vines suddenly sprouted forth as the seeds cracked open, shooting out and coiling themselves around Zerobi's arms, holding her in place.

"No!" Celebi yelled with a hint of terror in her voice, "Fighting/Fire against your Dark/Ice… You won't last a second, and that trainer will bring out more Pokémon to attack us!"

"I don't care!" Zerobi growled as she looked back at her sister with anger and fought against her binds, "Let me go, damn it! He'll die if we don't do anything!"

Celebi winced, not knowing what to say. The fight between the Blaziken and Lucario was clearly over, the latter currently being pummeled by several rapid kicks to his chest. She could see a few of his tendons ripped, and quickly worsening fractures all over his body. Torana did not seem to be letting up at all, and if the snickering Brendan was indeed merciless enough to see her raped to death he would have no qualms about snuffing out Lucario here and now. As much as she feared being enslaved and meeting her end at the hands of the mad champion, she wondered if she would truly be able to simply sit by and watch as Lucario dies right in front of her.

The Blaziken had sped up even more and was now too fast for Lucario to even attempt to parry her attacks. As the battle would turn out the same with or without his focus, Lucario let his mind drift elsewhere. Brendan's words echoed in his head as he carefully observed what little he could see of the Blaziken before getting struck once more by a mighty kick, trying to figure out what had happened the instant she had powered up. Mew's words echoed in his head as he carefully observed what little he could see of his own legs before getting struck once more by a powerful tackle, trying to figure out what had happened the instant he had detonated his mitochondria.

Each smashing blow brought him one step closer to clarity, a faint smile starting to form around his lips. Torana assumed he was slipping out of consciousness, and wondered how much longer she would be forced to beat him before Brendan ordered her to stop. He had completely given up on both attacking her and defending himself, doing nothing but staring at her legs as she moved around. Subconsciously, she began to ease up on her assault, the situation feeling less and less like a fight with every passing second. After a few moments she was just standing there, breathing heavily while gazing at the broken Lucario, lying on the ground with a creepy smile plastered across his face.

"Did I tell you to stop!?" Brendan's voice suddenly came from above her, making her wince. She walked slowly towards Lucario, his curious gaze still fastened on her legs. He made no attempt to get away as she closed her claws around his throat and lifted him up into the air. For a few moments he hung there, before finally starting to struggle as he noticed his supply of air being cut off.

"What's so funny?" she asked and loosened her grip around his throat.

"… Cheater…" Lucario wheezed almost inaudibly.

"Speak up," she muttered while punched him in the gut. The flesh beneath his fur had visibly reddened, and she knew it had to be very painful.

"Ugh!" Lucario coughed before lowering his head, his ears hanging by the sides of his head as blood dripped down on the floor, "… Th-That speed's too much… Too overpowered… It's cheating…"

Torana sighed and threw Lucario away, watching him not even attempt to land on his feet as he fell on the ground. Once more he tried standing up as she sighed, finally deciding to break one of his legs just to put an end to the pathetic display.

"Hey…" Lucario mumbled as he slowly rose to his feet, wobbling slightly before catching himself from falling with his leg. Instead of straightening himself up he held his position, looking like a marathon runner waiting at the starting position of a race.

"I-If you're gonna cheat…" he exclaimed with a desperate expression, "… Then… I'll cheat, too!"

And with that, Lucario vanished from sight.


	79. Extremely Speedy Lucario

A sibilant breeze whisked throughout the arena of Pokémon Stadium. It sent a small patch of dust rising from the soil. Having been reddened by blood, the collection of discarded particles had a similar appearance to autumn leaves, their colorful display reminding onlookers of change and their inability to prevent it.

A trail of the filthy leaves scattered from the empty spot where Lucario had stood a quarter of a second earlier. They led in a direct line towards the indomitable Blaziken, whose beak was halfway agape in shock. Lucario stood crouched beside her, his sharp elbow lodged deeply into the upper section of her stomach. Her normally rock-hard abs were bent and twisted, trying to accommodate this unexpected entry but failing miserably.

As another quarter of a second passed, everything happened all at once. The colorful dust began swirling around in massive amounts as Torana coughed hard, reeling over in pain from the mighty blow. The momentum of the attack finally caught up, her body being thrown back like a speeding bullet, crashing down on the ground almost twenty feet away. A stream of blood raced up her throat as she coughed up some of it, landing with a splash on the sandy soil next to her. For the first time in her life, Zerobi noticed that her eyes were not following the crimson red she desired so, but much like Celebi's they were fastened securely on Lucario and wide open in surprise.

Lucario exhaled. Pulling his elbow back and standing up, he carefully placed both hands on his knees. As he looked up he noticed that Brendan was displaying a very disturbing expression of a face caught between complete amazement and utter devastation. Bending over toward Torana, Lucario decided to smile.

"What was that you said about shitting out my broken dreams?" he asked with a mocking tone, tapping the side of his leg confidently.

"… Lucario! Way to go!" Zerobi burst out as she finally came back to her senses, "Why didn't you tell me you'd learned ExtremeSpeed?"

"E-ExtremeSpeed? No…" Celebi gasped quietly while measuring the distance Torana flew and gauging out the strength of the hit, "That impact was far too powerful for that!"

The term 'ExtremeSpeed' brought Lucario thought back to his days of training, how Mew had told him of a move even more useful than the aura sphere. By mastering the latter he needed to be able to steer and overload his mitochondria, detonating them into a splendid burst of pure energy. However, according to Mew, using this blue fire to burn the opponent or oneself was never the purpose of the technique. Supposedly, by mastering complete control over his body, he could make the surrounding mitochondria absorb the excess energy and instantly put it to use, massively boosting his output for a split second. Failing to employ it countless times during training and against the hunter, the latter of which had nearly resulted in his and Zerobi's deaths, it was only when watching the Blaziken do practically the same thing with her Speed Boost that he realized how easy it was and dared to try again.

"Torana! Go for his legs!" Brendan shouted orders, obviously having figured out the nature behind Lucario's skill, "They're thin! Weak! There's no way they can take a hit after a run like that!"

"Sorry, but that's not the case…" Lucario explained while shaking his head cockily, "So, maybe I haven't been training as much as you, but I've been walking… My god, have I been walking…"

A shudder passed through Lucario as he thought back to his absurdly long travels.

"How did you spend your last year? Me? Oh, nothing, I just walked halfway across the globe," Lucario muttered with a shrug as the Blaziken made an attempt to get up, "My legs know suffering you can't even imagine. This is nothing!"

"You think… You can outrun me…!?" Torana growled menacingly.

"Actually… Lately I've been practicing these to be able to outrun bullets," Lucario said confidently while pointing at her, "Compared to those, you're pretty sluggish."

Torana grit her beak together in frustration as she stood up. She had not felt this overwhelmed by an attack since her days as a Torchic, picking fights with Pokémon a few too many levels above hers. Since evolving and learning the Speed Boost, there was no longer anyone able to match up to her without resorting to cheap tricks. For nearly a decade she had been forced to beat up weaklings and clean up rabid wilders at her master's request. Now, she was finally facing someone ready to put up a fight, even finding a way to outmaneuver her peerless speed. Feeling herself filling up with excitement, she could not help but smile back at Lucario.

"Well then… The Poliwag has grown two arms…" she whispered, talons gleaming dangerously as she clutched them, "Let us see if he knows how to use them!"

The Blaziken flexed with her upper muscles, calling forth two pillars of fire by her feet.

"Me first!" Lucario shouted, pushing a large group of mitochondria from his stomach region down to his legs. Torana's fire engulfed her legs and disappeared within as Lucario's aura exploded and the surrounding mitochondria sucked it up. Wanting to test their speed against one another, they ran towards each other with harmful intents. Both too fast to even be seen by the untrained eye, the Blaziken noticed Lucario disappearing half a second before she felt herself getting rammed in the stomach again, then quickly punched in the chest and headbutted in the face. She had endured several ExtremeSpeed users in the past, but none as ungodly quick and strong as this one. Unable to withstand the unexpectedly powerful assault, she stumbled back and fell over.

"Is… That really ExtremeSpeed…?" Zerobi whispered to herself with confusion, watching the mighty Torana drop so easily. She knew ExtremeSpeed was a useful move for gaining priority in a clash, but even something like a regular body slam or mega kick should be able to do more damage. Celebi felt equally stumped as she analyzed the situation and nature of Lucario's move. However, it did not take long for her bright mind and advanced reasoning to bring about a conclusion.

"I-I've got it!" Celebi burst out in amazement, "It's… His weight!"

Zerobi looked at her with confusion, Lucario's ears perking as he wondered if she was planning on calling him fat.

"He has far less steel in his body than an average Lucario, which I assumed would do little but increase his weaknesses…" Celebi explained while shaking her head in disapproval, "… Not to mention his less than exemplary diet of hardly eating anything…"

Lucario wondered what she was talking about, remembering that he had definitively eaten two full meals in the past two years, both of which were varied and quite nutritious. He had also forced down a berry or two in the past few months, wondering how Zerobi was able to keep such a slim figure despite eating as frequently as thrice per week.

"This senseless starvation has led to reduce his body weight to the absolute minimum!" Celebi exclaimed with clarity, "ExtremeSpeed lets a normal Lucario move at a blinding pace, but with someone as light as he is… I have never seen anyone move that quickly! Not even Zapdos!"

Torana groaned as she sat up, placing a leathery talon by her forehead. Although her body had now reached utterly ridiculous levels of speed, the sharpness of her own reflexes and nerve signals remained the same. While it might be possible for her to parry Lucario's ExtremeSpeed, she was not able to even see him move before getting struck several times. Trying to think of a solution, her inner thoughts were interrupted by a familiar voice echoing from the PA.

"Hehehe… Cute widdle Sui's a great tracker, but far from my strongest fighter. I doubt he would've gotten up after another onslaught like that…" Brendan snickered confidently into the microphone, keeping his legs propped up on the podium in front, "But then again… Torana's not in a different league for nothing…"

Hearing her master's words of confidence, the Blaziken quickly stood up. When she found herself confused over how to counter an enemy, he was always the one to help her out. She knew this time would not be any different.

"I think this had gone on long enough, Torana…" Brendan whispered slowly, his expression looking slightly more bitter than before, "You have my permission to use fire."

"… Oh, great. Fun's over," Zerobi groaned helplessly. Lucario clenched his fists in anticipation, watching the Blaziken do the same thing with her talons. Readying himself for yet another charge, she was upon him, and only then did he realize the unimaginable levels of speed she had reached alongside his own. He felt himself struck on the hip by an attack so fast he was unable to even determine its nature, although from the creaking of his bones he was certain that it was yet another powerful kick.

"Ah!" Celebi gasped with shock as Lucario was thrown into the wall in a painful manner, "ExtremeSpeed only lasts for a second, but that Speed Boost seems to be permanent! Lucario, keep using ExtremeSpeed! If you do not, you will lose!"

The Blaziken watched as Lucario sat up and suddenly started rubbing his legs with a pained expression. Thinking she had somehow missed her target and struck his calf instead of hip, there was a certain sense of familiarity about his action. She thought back to her early days of mastering the Speed Boost, remembering the severe pain running through her then untrained limbs.

"Ah. I see. How reckless of you to use such a strenuous technique with such flimsy legs," she said bluntly as she walked closer to him, trying to get a better look, "Did you not say that all your walking had strengthened them?"

"Sh-Shut up!" Lucario growled in response, doing his best to hide the fact that he was experiencing some unexpected recoil after his last attempt at using his new technique. A deep burning sensation lingered in every part of his legs, one that had increased tenfold after the second use. His instincts warned him not to use it again since he would likely lose focus due to the added strain. Although if the Blaziken was not about to slow down any time soon, and he had to keep on fighting with his damaged abdomen and nearly useless legs, he saw little chance of winning.

"Maybe if you were to gain a little more weight and mass, they'd be able to handle the stress better?" the Blaziken continued undauntedly while continuing to approach him, "Or perhaps… This is the limit for a Lucario's muscles?"

"… I don't need legs to beat someone like you!" Lucario shouted as he suddenly thrust out his arm, an aura sphere heading directly towards Torana's head. Although the aim was perfect and she had no hopes of dodging it previously, compared to Lucario's ExtremeSpeed the sphere was not quite as fast and had no way of homing in on her. With a casual flick of her neck, she let the blue fire fly past her, only brushing up slightly against one of the appendages sticking out of her face and ruffling a few feathers. She continued walking until she was right in front of him.

"What a shame," Torana sighed in disappointment as Lucario slowly let his arm fall, his face etched in horror, "It seems I have powered up a little too much."

"Yes… You have!" Lucario yelled as he suddenly lashed out with his full body, attempting to grab a hold of Torana's legs. She felt his feeble hands try to get a grip around her thick limbs, watching with amusement as he helplessly fumbled around. Then, in an instant, she felt an unexpected searing pain strike through her being. Looking down, she saw that Lucario had given up on grasping her and had simply pressed his palms up against her kneecaps, a blue glow emanating from them.

"Grr!" Torana growled before kicking Lucario in the head, throwing him away to the side. Suddenly she crouched over, the pain in her kneecaps steadily increasing and spreading out across the rest of her legs. Lucario coughed as he sat up, but still had an air of confidence about him.

"Y-You caught me off guard at first… But I have just gained very intimate familiarity with that technique you use," Lucario tried to speak, still rattled about from the strong blow to the side of his head, "Hurts, doesn't it? Sure… You might be able to take the strain better than me… But that doesn't mean it's not there!"

The Blaziken gnashed her beak together, feeling her legs crumble under the seemingly unending stream of pain. Her shoulder had been hit by aura earlier, but had recovered rather quickly. Her legs were greatly worn out from being forced to constantly move faster and faster, turning the once impervious pillars quite fragile and bad receptors for the scathing blue fire. The pain disappeared from her mind for a second as an agitated voice suddenly blared out over the stadium.

"Fire! Use fire, damn it!" Brendan's voice echoed as he screamed in excitement, "Burn to the ground! BURN!"

Lucario and even Zerobi covered their ears to shield themselves from the loud noise. Celebi recovered from the blasting sound waves first, and was left wondering why the Blaziken had yet to use any fire-based attacks, despite having been given permission to do so for quite some time. Torana sighed as she turned towards Lucario, trying to keep her aching legs steady.

"A flamethrower aimed at your head," she said sternly, staring Lucario deep in the eye in order to reach him. Pondering her meaning, she suddenly opened her beak with a jet of fire shooting out of it towards him. In the split second he was given before being cremated, his brain was able to put two and two together as he ducked, the beam of fire passing directly above his head.

"A flame kick right directed at your feet," the Blaziken continued, suddenly crouching down as she made a sweep at Lucario. Already aware of what was going to happen, he was easily able to jump over it, seeing a trail of embers left behind where her leg had passed through. Not only that, but her movements seemed notably slower now compared to before. It seemed his attack against her legs were taking its toll.

"What the hell are you-" Lucario started, but was immediately interrupted by the Blaziken.

"You grew a set of arms, and immediately used them to become a full Poliwrath," Torana explained slowly, Lucario's apparent confusion forcing her to clarify, "You still have some more tricks to show me, don't you? It would be a shame to finish prematurely by setting you on fire!"

"… O-Of course," Lucario stammered, feeling peeved that he had not won yet despite fighting for so long. The Blaziken was truly showing her experience, countering and nullifying the ExtremeSpeed not even Lucario had planned on using. If at all, whatever new strategy he could come up with would probably not have any lasting effect upon the fiery veteran. Breathing heavily and aching all over, he knew he would not last much longer. Every second that passed was one second closer to when he would finally collapse from exhaustion and find himself at the non-existent mercy of Brendan. Unwilling to face such a conclusion, he dashed towards Torana, longing to finally deliver the punch that would keep her down.

Taking a step forward, Torana prepared herself for the attack. A sharp pain shot through her damaged legs, and she felt that there was no chance of running around like before. Even so, her Speed Boost was still very much active, and let her limp ahead at an even quicker pace than Lucario was running. They clashed together, angrily wrestling against each other with their arms, both combatants too tired to try anything fancy.

"Your arms seem OK!" Lucario respectfully complimented her before kicking her afflicted calf hard, "How 'bout your legs!?"

Torana squealed in pain for a second, before immediately collecting herself.

"One for me…" she muttered as she forcefully sent her knee deep into Lucario's abdomen, "… One for you!"

Lucario kicked at her legs while Torana kneed him in the stomach for a while until the two fighters separated, both in too much pain to continue the struggle.

"… What kind of battle is this…?" Zerobi muttered to herself, watching the Blaziken limp around at super-sonic speed with Lucario shuffling back while clutching his aching belly. Their struggle turning more and more desperate, she knew that any reasonable trainer would have called back their Pokémon by now, sparing the world of such a pitiful sight.

Brendan scratched the underside of his chin, undaunted by the development of the battle. Even as Torana staggered back and forth with crippled legs, he could see the beauty in what he had created. Through sweat and tears, he had given shape to a warrior of the 'Uber' class, paying meticulous attention to every last muscle in order to make the perfect fighter. Veiled by feathers and a well-toned body rested the strength of a true monster. Eleven years ago she had stood in this very stadium, undefeated and unmatched. Indeed, such would still be the case had it not been for Ethan and his wretched Trick Room.

Brendan sighed. He knew her loss was not Ethan's fault, but rather an effect of his own shortcomings as a trainer. May had always told him he would not be able to win by excelling only in strength. The vivid sight of her accusing face, crushed like a grape beneath the weight of a particularly large rock flashed through his mind before he forced the memory away. He did not have time to sink into despair once more, because he knew his Pokémon needed him.

It concerned him somewhat that Torana assumed he would not be able to figure out that she was warning Lucario before using fire, forcing him to question if he had overestimated her intelligence. Ever since she was a cute little Torchic she had followed his orders, but rarely to the letter. He did not mind it all that much; she was a free spirit after all and always got the job done in the end. Not to mention, he knew better than anyone that his orders were not always the best course of action. If she believed she could win while refusing to exploit Lucario's weakness to fire, he would fully support her decision. However, Brendan had just seen the Lucario pull out an impressive show of ExtremeSpeed out of nowhere, and knew that another lucky critical hit could mean the end for his Pokémon. He could not accept it. After all his Blaziken had done, she deserved nothing less than a complete victory. Unlike him, she was destined for triumph and glory, and through her he would be able to acquire it as well.

"Torana! It's time to finish things with your ultimate technique!" Brendan suddenly shouted with a powerful voice as he stood up, "End it with the Scorching Typhoon! The Inferno Cyclone! The Flare Whirlwind! The Pyre Tornado!"

The Blaziken looked up at her trainer for a moment, before slowly lowering her gaze towards Lucario.

"Seems that our time is coming to an end," she said quietly, "Better go hug the walls. Things are about to heat up."


	80. Burning Tornado Torana

Stomping down with all her might, the Blaziken managed to pierce deep into the lofty soil. She stretched out her talons underground, feeling around and determining how much room for mobility she had. Using her other leg, she kicked the air in front of her and let the rest of her body follow the momentum as she rotated. Again and again she kicked, spinning her body faster and faster around each time. Lucario began to slowly back off before the Blaziken suddenly stopped in her tracks, exhaling heavily. From above them, a clapping sound could be heard.

"Incredible! Nice rendition of the Swan Lake!" Brendan shouted as he gave a standing ovation, "Personally, though… I am a much bigger fan of the firebird suite!"

"That's… It?" Lucario asked with a dumbfounded expression. Celebi held her breath while Zerobi could not help but admire the Blaziken's flair for performing so many skillful fouetté en tournant in a row.

"Just warming up… Can't be too stiff for this…" Torana answered honestly and inhaled deeply. Twisting her body while crouching down, she suddenly leapt up very, very high. Lucario gasped, Zerobi wondering why the sight of a bird staying airborne had elicited such surprise from him. He looked up as the Blaziken passed the halfway point between the floor and ceiling, where she stretched out her body in an attempt to utilize the wind pressure and slow her ascent.

Hovering almost motionlessly in midair, she suddenly lashed out with a kick. Her body began to spin around very quickly from the sheer power, and she continued kicking in the same direction. Without one leg attached to the ground there was nothing to slow her down as she gained more and more speed with each kick. Subtly her deep red body was beginning to light up with small flickers, like a flammable canister of explosives beginning to ignite. Weightlessly she soared high above, spinning similarly to a drill with yellow sparks flying about.

"Run, stupid!" Zerobi yelled with all her might, starting to feel her precious cold dissipate before an approaching storm of sweltering heat. Lucario suddenly realized he was pushing his luck and quickly made a couple of leaps back until he felt his back hit one of the walls. His dodge had not come a moment too soon as he could clearly see that the Blaziken was now burning, lashes of fire like solar prominence surrounding her. With one final kick, Torana curled herself into a rapidly spinning ball, before roaring and throwing out her limbs in every direction.

"AH!" Lucario screamed as he shielded his eyes, a bright flash filling the colosseum. Torana had lit up into a brilliant light, striking his forehead with a heated glare as he tried to not stare directly at it. A deep and ominous whoosh echoed throughout the halls of Pokémon Stadium as a pillar of flame emerged from her, stretching down to the floor beneath. In an instant, the chilly and lofty stadium had heated up like a hot desert, the snow melting and being replaced by slightly less whitish ash. The pillar spun wildly like a twister as the Blaziken hovered at the top, resuming her kicking and spinning while the fire whirl grew larger and larger.

"FIIIIIREEEE!" Brendan screamed like a rockstar on stage, headbanging and wildly throwing his white hair up and down and all around, "I'll see you burn, Lucario!"

Witnessing the burning tornado, Lucario felt quite grateful that Torana had warned him about the attack. Even so, simply being in the same room as the fierce storm was making him overheat, and he decided to get as far away from it as possible. Hoping it would not count as disqualification in Brendan's mind, he leaped over the arena's walls and onto one of the spectator's seats.

"Hey, great show!" Lucario joked as he sat down on one of the chairs and watched the fiery tornado rage on. It suddenly occurred to him that it was not heading towards him, yet still the Blaziken was insisting on letting it continued. Wondering whether she was simply trying to show off, the temperature in the room seemed to double as his vision was suddenly obscured by something large, bright and very, very hot.

"WHOA!" Lucario yelled in shock as he got to his feet and jumped up, a mighty torrent of fire passing by right under him. The mass of flames curved itself backwards in an arc, disappearing without igniting any of the seats. However, a sizzling sound followed his landing as pain engulfed his feet, making him trip on the now scalding hot metal.

"YAAHH!" Lucario screamed as he fell over, his shoulder and right arm landing on another seat and getting burned as well. Shuffling away from the impact site, he sat and blew wind on his damaged feet. Not wanting to be taken by surprise again, he squinted and forced himself to stare into the blazing sun that was now the Blaziken's. She was spinning around like before, kicking and showing no signs of exhaustion. Suddenly she put a little extra weight behind one of the kicks aimed at him, throwing another torrent of fire in his direction. The stream was surprisingly wide as Lucario was forced to jump again, this time moving to the side to make sure he would not be landing where the fire passed through. His triumph lasted approximately one second before he saw the Blaziken aim another kick at him, a second inferno heading straight for him. Unable to change his direction in midair, he braced himself as the crescent stream of fire completely engulfed his body.

"LUCARIO!" Zerobi shouted, the Fighting-type falling like a failed piece of firework covered by deadly yellow fire. Acting from instinct alone, she rushed towards him, readying a mighty blast of ice to help douse the flames licking his body clean. It was the same kind of instinct that allowed her to stop herself as a mighty flare caressed the ground where she would be standing had she kept moving. Although she had avoided the attack, the heat from simply being near it was more than her body could tolerate as she fell back, feeling like she was about to faint. Looking up at the immense vortex, she thought she could see the Blaziken shoot an angry glare at her. A clear warning of what would happen should she try anything.

Lucario crashed down on the ground and immediately began to roll around in the sandy soil, feeling the pain of his body breaking down all over. He knew that like a burning piece of paper, his fur was turning into tiny red sparks and his body would soon crumple up into a black, unrecognizable mess. Remembering the fate of his former body he began to fight harder, feeling lightheaded from the lack of oxygen while simultaneous trying his best to choke out the surrounding flames.

Celebi stared at the scene with a horrified expression, and for the first time in her life felt utterly helpless. Of all the elements in the world, the one she had most trouble dealing with was fire, and before her now raged an inferno unlike anything she had ever seen before. One kick was all it would take for the Blaziken to strike her and severely burn her, barrier or no. Even so, with each painful twist from Lucario and subtle shake from Zerobi she felt her inner reason begin to fade away.

"Eyahahaha!" Brendan cackled madly from up on his perch, wearing a set of sunglasses to be able to fully enjoy the blinding spectacle, "Squirm! You've trained yourself hard, but now it's all going to burn!"

"Haahh… Bullshit…" Lucario groaned as the last of the fire around him disappeared, feeling sore like a scrape wound covering him from head to toe. Hoping to take a break and catch his breath, he rose up at a rather sluggish pace, hoping the Blaziken would not sink so low as to attack a guy lying down. However, before he had even gotten up on his knees, Torana sent another stream of fire running towards him.

"Lucari-AAGH!" Zerobi screamed as she leapt up and tackled the staggering Lucario out of the way, taking the brunt of the fiery attack. She fell to the ground like a dying ember, unbearable heat and pain running all over her body. Lucario's right side caught fire as he desperately dug his arm underground, too low on power to even roll around anymore.

"SIS!" Celebi burst out as the sight of her dying sister and friend finally made her snap. She raced out towards the arena, conjuring up a splash of water to douse them with. Torana anticipated her move and threw out another long-distance kick of flames, covering Celebi before she even realized what had happened. Raising a powerful barrier, the water evaporated into steam due to the heat as several tiny flames penetrated her barrier and stung her.

Unwilling to give up, Celebi reached out with her psychic powers and attempted to grab hold of the Blaziken, but found that the Fighting-type was moving too violently with her kicks to get a good grip around her. Growing more desperate as she saw Zerobi's struggles suddenly weaken as she began to succumb to the fearsome fire, Celebi sent out a blast of raw psychic force towards Torana, hoping to at least knock her out of the tornado. A loud crash sounded as the invisible force was halted by an equally invisible wall, shielding the Blaziken. Feeling a new presence in the arena, Celebi looked up towards Brendan and saw that his Gardevoir had emerged once more.

"Foul! Red card!" Brendan yelled with an exasperated face, "Referee, remove this hooligan!"

His Gardevoir kept her eyes steady on Celebi, breathing somewhat heavily from having blocked such a powerful attack. Expression nearly as mad as that of Brendan, Celebi tore her now furious gaze away from the champion and his pet towards her poor sister. Zerobi had stopped burning, but was no longer moving and seemed to have lost consciousness. For an instant, she felt rage like never before course through her, ready to crush the Blaziken, the Gardevoir and their master like a set of ripe prunes. Knowing she would need to take out the Gardevoir first, she soared up and sped towards the well-dressed and now very frightened psychic.

As the flames died down once more, Lucario breathed out heavily. He withdrew his arm from the cool sand and began to get up, feeling hurt and disoriented. Zerobi was lying next to him, her fine coat looking a little blacker than usual. Celebi was flying away somewhere, and seemed to deliberately avoid bumping into the fire whirl. The burning vortex had grown even bigger than before, and showed no signs of stopping any time soon. He saw the Blaziken on top of it, spinning around while imagining her throwing him a bothered look with each turn. Somewhere in his scrambled mind, Lucario remembered why he was here and knew what had to be done.

"Ha… Haha…" Lucario snickered to himself, barely feeling anything anymore. The sources of pain around his body seemed to have collided and cancelled each other out, leaving him with a persistent yet unchanging level of agony. With no sudden spikes in pain to register, his mind felt completely focused upon the task that lay ahead.

"You think that this pathetic excuse for fire is enough to stop me!?" he shouted with all his might as he looked up at the Blaziken, "Time for you to taste MY brand of fire!"

With that, he began running towards the tornado. His legs were hurting, but he did not care. He knew things were going to get worse before getting any better. With each step he felt the temperature rise another hundred degrees, and had he still had them he was certain his sweat glands would have popped from exertion.

The Blaziken stared down with a horrified expression as Lucario's fur caught fire once more, but he continued running towards the center of the twister. She thought that he was hoping to reach the eye of the tornado, thinking he would be safe from harm in there. However, she knew her blazing fire whirl was not like any regular typhoon, and the center was actually where the temperature was at its highest.

Surprising her yet again, Lucario suddenly jumped up, moving directly through the tornado. Wall after wall of illuminating heat passed him by, singing his skin and searing his flesh. Lucario's brain entered a state of full panic, feeling his blood boiling and his eyes hurting as if beginning to melt out of their sockets. Scorched from every direction, all he could do was focus on the target in front. Like a ball of pure fire, he finally came upon the Blaziken, managing to cling on to one of her legs with the last of his strength.

"You fool! Stop it!" she yelled out in terror as she finally stopped kicking, staring at the soon-to-be cremated Pokémon holding on to her, "You want to die!?"

"Yeah, with a big fucking explosion!" Lucario laughed through the pain as he began to amass as many mitochondria as he could reach with his disoriented mind, "All you did was light the fuse!"

To his relief, he found he was able to command far more mitochondria than he had expected. They were in perfect synchronization with his crazy plan, lined up and ready to work towards the same goal – Killing Torana.

"KA-BOOOOOOM!" Lucario roared with all his power as he detonated every last mitochondria at once. A massive explosion of blue fire suddenly erupted from his body, overtaking the yellow fire surrounding him. It pierced and burned the Blaziken who began to scream in agony, her already worn out legs absorbing the blue fire like sponges. Although unfazed by regular fire and heat, the blue flames proved to be a great deal more troublesome. In an instant it felt like her legs had been chopped off, and some was currently carving through the stumps with searing hot razors. She entered shock as the pain increased further and further with each second, until her mind was not able to comprehend it anymore. Drifting away into darkness, she fainted.

A quiet wind sounded throughout the colosseum as the fire whirl swiftly died off. Celebi had stopped dead in her tracks, moments away from engaging the Gardevoir who was covering her face in speechless fear. Brendan's mouth was wide open as he slowly got to his feet, trying to get a better look at the arena. Zerobi groaned in pain as she came to and lifted her head, seeing two bodies dropping towards the ground at a rapid pace. She recognized the first as the Blaziken, but the other was unfamiliar to her. It had a furless body with faded pink skin, and it took her a moment to realize that Lucario had just had all his fur burnt off by the raging inferno.

Two silent thuds ended their fall as Lucario and Torana crashed down a few feet away from each other. The Blaziken was no longer moving, but Lucario had entered a violent coughing fit, smoke emerging from his badly hurt body. He blinked a few times, his body far too punished to attempt anything else. Turning his head slightly to the side he looked over the Blaziken, realizing that she had been defeated. It seemed unreal somehow, that despite having found himself at the epicenter of the burst of aura he still retained his consciousness whereas she had fallen.

"… Problem is… You win… Too much…" Lucario wheezed, "Me…? I get my ass kicked… Over and over… My tolerance… To pain… Is greater… Than yours…"

It was then that he became reminded of the dull ache all over his body. A violent twist in his stomach caused an eruption to pass through his jowls, and he puked out the small remains of the berries he had eaten with the help of mints earlier. Somehow, they tasted even worse coming back up.

At that moment, many things happened at once. Zerobi rose to her feet to move towards Lucario, Celebi turning around to do the same. However, the fastest of them was Brendan, who before any of them could reach him had already recalled both Torana and his Gardevoir, leaping off from his perch while throwing a Pokéball towards the ground. A flash of deep red and then azure blue shone throughout the quiet stadium as Suicune appeared and immediately jumped up, catching the quick-thinking trainer in midair. Without wasting even a second, Suicune dashed towards Lucario and halted right in front, causing both Zerobi and Celebi to stop themselves.

"Brendan! You promised!" Celebi shouted with a nervous tone, "Neither Zerobi nor I touched the Blaziken, so we did not interrupt their battle! Uphold your word!"

Zerobi gave off a soft wheeze in agreement, feeling weak from getting burned earlier. Brendan looked at her and then at Celebi, his expression unreadable. He crawled forward through Suicune's mane until he reached the neck of the legendary dog, bending over to look at Lucario. They stared at each other for a moment, Brendan's face going from a sneer to a smile to and finally a frown.

"Hmpf! This battle may be yours, but the war…" Brendan started, staring deep into the Lucario's eyes. The defiant expression he had come to loathe so was gone, replaced by a strange mixture of exhaustion and triumph. At that moment, Brendan's slowly building rage instead began to diminish, realizing that the Lucario really had defeated his Blaziken. Despite Torana choosing not to use fire until the very end, for a wild Pokémon to strike her down was nothing short of a miracle.

Brendan gazed over the Lucario with admiration, seeing him in a different light than before. There was something truly absurd about the Pokémon in front of him, something unpredictable beyond his wildest imagination. The way the Lucario adapted himself to the rapidly changing situation of battle… Learning a technique like ExtremeSpeed by simply watching his opponent… Finally ready to throw it all away with a glorious finish… It was as if the Fighting-type was both trainer and combatant in one. If a regular Lucario could learn to control the flow of battle through such minor and seemingly simple strategic moves, then so could a champion like Brendan.

"… Is over," Brendan finished as he sighed out in defeat, "You win. I will hunt you no more."

Zerobi and Celebi felt tension release its grasp of them, the Weavile lowering her shoulders in relief. Brendan's mind was suddenly racing with new strategies for competitive battling, his eagerness to start training almost causing him to forget where he was.

"Hmm… I owe you back your friend, no?" Brendan said with a smile as he looked down at Lucario, "Didn't bring her, wasn't expecting you to not die… Give me some time on that."

Lucario could not answer, having passed out from the pain just moments before. Celebi looked up and down between the blue jackal and the champion, realizing that Brendan was too caught up in his own thoughts to realize Lucario was no longer conscious.

"Until the next time we meet… Champ," Brendan said as he suddenly tugged at Suicune's mane. The great lion paid none of the other Pokémon any mind as he gracefully trotted past them towards the exit. As both master and beast left the arena, so did the oppressive atmosphere that had threatened to crush Celebi psyche earlier, the bud-like legendary currently hard at work with reconstructing Lucario's damaged body. Zerobi sat by and watched, helping to keep him and herself chilled in order to lessen the pain of the burn wounds.

Through all this, Lucario found himself in a black space, constantly reliving the battle he had just fought. Although it had been hectic, he felt strangely serene each time he watched himself strike the Blaziken and endure her attacks. Torana changed her shape into a Garchomp, the blue landshark also falling prey to his newfound strength. Entei, the Umbreon and the small star-like fairy all took turns in trying to bring him down, each beaten worse than the one before through skillful use of the Aura Sphere and ExtremeSpeed. Distracted by pleasant dreams brought on by Celebi's proximity, he remained blissfully unaware throughout the severe operations being performed upon his body.

Eventually, something rubbed him from his sleep. There was a strange sensation emanating from his stomach, but even more so he was overcome by a very recognizable presence. Opening his eyes, they were met by the familiar sight of the legendary he had been chasing for so long. Unable to hold back his surprise, he opened his mouth and spoke but a single word:

"Mew…"


	81. Faithful Psychic Mew

Met only by a blur of darkness, it was Mew's unique color and shape that Lucario was able to distinguish first as he opened his eyes. Her presence was beaming like usual, and everything around her seemed like an uninteresting grey mess. As Lucario regained more of his vision, he realized that this was because her background really was a grey mess, finding himself inside of a cave.

Mew was hovering above his stomach with her back was turned towards him, and it did not take long before her squirming tail began to swish around. It came to rest directly in front of his face, obscuring most of his vision with its fine pink fur. Lucario felt irritated by the long appendage, eager to see if Mew had recovered since the last time. He reached out in preparation to give the annoying tail a harsh tug, but the instant he moved his arm she was alerted to his consciousness. The tip of her oar-shaped tail jumped up and lightly smacked him on the cheek as Mew drew in a breath, turning around to face him with a dash of surprise across her face.

"Are you awake?" Mew asked with a somewhat nervous tone, "If so, could you tell me what your abdomen feels like?"

"Abdomen…" Lucario repeated hazily while noticing something like a draft running through his upper body, "… Breezy?"

"Oh… Good!" Mew exclaimed as she sunk down towards his stomach, "It seems your nerve endings are in proper condition, after all. Let me just close this up, then…"

Lucario threw his head back as a very painful sensation suddenly spread throughout his chest; a dozen needles poking into it. Doing his best not to scream like a little girl, he clenched his teeth together as Mew worked extra quickly and finished stitching him up.

"There. Tell me should it become infected," Mew said as Lucario's pain disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. Shaking his head as he sat up, he was able to get a better look at Mew. Graceful and otherworldly as always, the stark contrast between the being currently in front of him and the dying legendary in No Man's Land made itself known. Her innocent eyes almost made him lose nerve before remembering just how long he had chased after her, feeling the urge to grab onto her so she would not try to escape once more.

"You weren't easy to find," Lucario muttered, not sure on what to say even after all this time. Feeling conflicting emotions stir up inside of him, all he was sure of is that he wanted answers.

"So I have been told," Mew said as she closed her eyes in a solemn gesture, curious as to why Lucario would assume otherwise with someone as secluded as her, "Why did you follow me?"

"… Why? I thought you wanted us to do this thing together," Lucario explained in an attempt to clarify himself, "Why did you ditch me back at the Seafoam Islands?"

Mew suddenly looked at him with an expression of confusion. It melted into relief for a split second before she shook her head.

"I did not 'ditch' you…" Mew replied with an unfittingly cheerful tone, "… No Man's Land was an unnecessary obstruction for our plans of uniting Pokémon and humanity. It was something I was easily able to handle on my own, and as such I saw no reason to bother you about it, leaving you more time to train, learn or simply relax after our long journey together."

"Yet still, I'm the one who had to come save you," Lucario pointed out stubbornly, remembering how she had not been able to talk the last time they met and was definitely not in any shape to give him lip. This time, Mew looked at him with a somewhat offended expression.

"For your information, I revived on my own and Zoroark had no intention of hurting me in the first place," Mew defended herself with pride, "In fact, I believe we would have resolved our differences faster had you not been there to drag me away."

"… What, that's the thanks I get for risking my ass for you?" Lucario asked sternly while feeling his temper start to rise. After all he had gone through, from running and fighting to getting captured and shot, the last thing he expected was for her to be ungrateful. Their eyes locked together in a moment of bitter conflict before Mew's eyes suddenly eased up and she slowly shook her head.

"No. I appreciate it. Under different circumstances, you really would have saved my life," she said while politely bowing her head, "Thank you."

Her respectful display quickly drained the hostility out of Lucario, and even the animosity he had built up over a long period of time was beginning to phase out. Instead he was suddenly feeling surprisingly good about himself. Mew's appreciation felt special, especially since such long time had passed since their last meeting. She smiled when she saw him scratch the back of his head in modesty, but after a few seconds her expression became troubled.

"Now, why _did_ you follow me?" Mew asked curiously, "Did you want to tell me something?"

Lucario was certain that he did, but could not think of much at the moment. His earlier concerns seemed so distant. As he sat and talked to the earnest and kind Mew, he wondered why he had ever worried about her lying and trying to keep away from him. The memory of a deceivingly gentle smile five times the size of his own suddenly ran through Lucario's mind, and the forgotten mistrust came to light once.

"What did Lugia say about me?" Lucario asked bluntly, trying to read Mew's expression. He quickly realized this to be a useless endeavor; the legendary's large sapphire eyes containing more depth and wisdom than he could ever hope to analyze.

"Lugia?" Mew repeated and suddenly felt slightly homesick, wondering how the other legendaries were doing, "What would he have to say about you?"

"I know he told you something," Lucario insisted, "What was it?"

"Hmm… I think…" Mew whispered to herself while digging through the past conversation, "He claimed that he would make sure you had a pleasant stay. He also implied that you would be too stubborn to sit and wait for my return should you have learned of my highly temporary absence."

"Of course I wouldn't-" Lucario started, instantly halting himself as he realized that was exactly what he had done, "I mean… Uh…"

Lucario fell quiet as Mew looked at him for a moment. Then, she started to giggle. It was a meek, gentle and very unusual sound.

"Worry not, what is done is done," she said with an amused tone, "Your actions here will be far more valuable than playing games with Azelf and Mesprit."

Her response caught Lucario off guard, both in what she had said and the way in which she had said it in. For a composed and refined creature like Mew, Lucario knew how rare it was to hear her voice in such a frivolous manner and doing something like giggling. Not only that, but the idea that there even was a "here" suddenly entered his head and suddenly made him realize that he had no idea where they were. Remembering his bout with the Blaziken which had been in close proximity to his and Zerobi's destination, he could only assume that he had been transported to the revolutionists' base of operation. A swirling mass of powerful aura all around supported his idea, and there even seemed to be one or two familiar sensations among them.

"… Since you're here, I'm guessing you've heard about the virus already?" Lucario asked in an attempt to see how far his assumptions would lead him, "Have you forgiven Zoroark?"

"Yes," Mew replied as her fit of giggling trailed off and her face suddenly looked a little embarrassed, "I… Might have overdone it a bit, but… You saw the state he put me in! I was not eager to take a risk like that again!"

"… Wait, what?" Lucario asked worriedly, not used to see Mew anything but self-assured and proud of her actions, "Did you… Hurt him?"

"No, no! I simply…" Mew started as she sunk further into chagrin, obviously remembering something she was hoping to forget, "… Opted for a slight amount of intimidation…"

"Quite the understatement, I'd say," a voice suddenly sounded from a few feet away. Lucario turned his head right, seeing a familiar figure standing by what looked to be the entrance to the room he found himself in. A massive bush of flaming red hair and a face not entirely unlike his own, the owner of both was none other than Zoroark. Although he was confidently leaning against the cavern's walls in an attempt to look collected, Mew knew the cool and calculating leader of the revolution was simply afraid to come near her, nervous to be put into another situation he would not soon forget. The feeling was mutual, Mew not willing to be put into stabbing distance of his sealing claws once more.

"Congratulations on your victory, Lucario," Zoroark said with a quick nod, "How are you feeling?"

"Don't really know," Lucario muttered as he tried to run a hand through the fur on his chest, a bit surprised when he was unable to find it, "How… Do I look?"

"Well, nothing worse than those scars you already have," Zoroark replied as Lucario looked down at himself. The sight of pink skin instead of a sea of blue and yellow hair was both a familiar and unfamiliar sight at the same time.

"… What the…" Lucario stammered as he touched his naked chest, suddenly realizing why everything felt so breezy, "My hair! It's been burnt off!"

"It will regrow soon…" Mew whispered, her eyes locking with Zoroark's for a moment. Lucario was too busy staring in awe at his leathery skin to notice, but Zoroark was aware of her intentions and took the moment into action.

"Hmm… Do you mind?" Zoroark asked, "I would like to speak with Lucario in private."

Mew continued looking at her for a moment before nodding, hovering away through the exit as Zoroark moved away from it and towards Lucario. Seeing Mew depart brought Lucario back as he opened his mouth as to say something, stopping himself as he was instead met by Zoroark's stern gaze.

"… Oh, right. The virus," Lucario said, wanting to talk more to Mew but realizing that there were higher priorities at stake, "I… Don't suppose you took the liberty of fixing that whole mess while I was asleep?"

"No…" Zoroark responded, obviously thinking of something else. The Dark-type kept still a for a few more seconds before turning around to make sure the legendary was no longer there, finally exhaling in relief and visibly calming down.

"Man… What did she do to you?" Lucario asked and thought he could see Zoroark's hair stand on end, slightly poking through her illusion.

"… It happened right after our talk over that videophone…" Zoroark explained quietly while remembering everything as vividly as if it had happened only minutes earlier…

- - - - - - - - -

Zoroark exhaled as she fumbled with the convoluted control panel, taking an awfully long time in finding the button that made the big screen go dark. Hoping she was still not visible on the other side, she wished she had brought the technician who had reactivated the videophone in the first place to handle everything.

She knew the call needed to be private as she had expected to discuss many secrets with Lucario, and so she had decided to come alone under the guise of illusions to remain undetectable by anyone. The Whimsicott and Sigilyph were the only ones to know of her presence here, inside the inconspicuous wreck of an old human vehicle that neither man nor Pokémon would ever look at twice. Still, even though all the windows and been barred to deter anyone from taking a peek inside, she could not help but feel a bit uneasy as it was not buried underground and therefore still within visible range.

Speaking with Celebi had served to calm her down a bit. The powerful legendary had been gentle, wise and nowhere near as arrogant as she had expected. Celebi was what Zoroark had hoped Mew would have been. However, Celebi insisted that Mew was just as kind, and Zoroark wondered if maybe her own hasty actions are what served to agitate the living legend.

Ready to send an envoy to summon the legendary trio, Zoroark stopped as something like an explosion sounded all around. All the lights in the vehicle went out as it began to shake. Worried she had somehow activated the crashed machinery with her reckless mashing of buttons, Zoroark ran up to the control panel and started pressing buttons again, desperate to find an OFF switch. After a few moments everything calmed down, and she sighed out in relief. Feeling slightly nervous from the ordeal and not wanting to stick around should anything else go wrong, she pressed down on the handle and opened the door outside.

The ground was not there to greet her step, but instead laid several hundred meters below. Zoroark gave off a terrified gasp and grabbed hold of the door she had just flung open as a cloud passed by underneath, hating herself for not having had the time to locate another parachute after the last one broke. Knowing that the old vehicle should have all the airborne qualities of a metallic lump, she looked around to determine what had happened.

Above her hovered the legendary Mew, holding the truck airborne with her psychic powers like it was a leaf carried by an upward draft. She seemed to have recovered fully since their last encounter, looking down at Zoroark with the same unfazed and serene expression as always. In contrast, Zoroark was panicking at the thought of the legendary exacting revenge and dropping her, thereby ending the revolution.

However, a fraction of a second before losing her mind to fear, Zoroark grasped hold of her rationality and refused to let it go. Celebi had guaranteed that Mew was not the type to go around killing people, and had that been her intentions Zoroark would have been dead by now. The more obvious purpose behind this charade was to scare, and to show that she no longer held any power over the legendary she had nearly killed earlier. Zoroark sighed out as she calmed down, and looked up at Mew while doing her best to hide her nervosity.

"I surrender!" Zoroark said loudly with a clear voice, not wanting to be misunderstood while in such a vulnerable position.

"Smart," Mew replied almost immediately, apparently not at all surprised to see her intimidation tactic working. What bothered Zoroark was that Mew's intentions seemed unchanged from their meeting back in No Man's Land while the situation was now all but the same.

"Listen! I have spoken to Celebi!" Zoroark shouted, not sure of why she was yelling but fairly certain it had to do with being suspended hundreds of feet up in the air, "The world is in danger! We need your help!"

Mew's expression suddenly changed, showing a hint of concern at the sound of her fellow legendary's name.

"Celebi…?" Mew repeated carefully, "Truly? What has happened?"

"C-Can you put me down first?" Zoroark could not help but stammer as she made the mistake of looking down once more, "We have a few things to discuss, and I feel rather… Unsafe…"

"If you were to come down, then I would be the one feeling unsafe!" Mew exclaimed with an agitated tone. Zoroark realized Mew had not forgotten what she had done, and knew she was in a bad position for bargaining. It was then that she realized that bad positions came in great variety, and she was ready to supplement the current one for just about anything. Letting go of the vehicle and taking a few unsteady steps back, she held her hands up in a display of submission.

"I never meant to harm you, Mew!" she yelled at the top of her lungs, "But you need to hear what I have to say, and I cannot think straight like this! Freeze me solid or tie me up if you must… I will pose no resistance!"

- - - - - - - -

"A poor choice of words on my end, I believe," Zoroark muttered as she grabbed a hold of her right wrist with a pained expression, "Sure, it is not a free fall without a parachute, but… Do you have any idea what it feels like to be held in place by icicles?"

"Actually… Yeah," Lucario admitted as Zoroark finished her story, her surprised expression telling him she did not know the details of his initial encounter with Suicune, "Don't ask. But… Mew hadn't figured out anything about the virus? She just came to hunt you down?"

"… And I met her inside of a truck, as well…" Zoroark whispered as a sardonic smile crossed her features, "Should I have expected truth from an urban legend regarding an urban legendary?"

Something about the whole situation struck Lucario as weird. With all the new information from both Zoroark's and Mew's end circulating his head, he was unable to properly analyze everything right at that moment and decided to just go along with it.

"But hey, Celebi's right. You've got no need to be afraid of Mew," Lucario assured her while thinking of his own argument with Mew regarding the dog, "She only wants what's best for everyone, and probably feels bad you had to see her like that."

"Perhaps…" Zoroark sighed before shaking her head, "My feelings are irrelevant. For the sake of the bigger issue at hand, I will ally myself with anyone."

"Could you tone it down a bit? I'm trying to get some sl-" a familiar voice sounded by the entrance as the drowsy figure of Zerobi stpped inside, her face and features perking up in an instant, "LUCARIO!?"

Zerobi immediately jumped into a sprint but stopped herself just as quickly, seeing a vast amount of blood around the makeshift operation table where Lucario was sitting. Most of it had dried up, but she refused to take another step and instead looked at Lucario with a longing expression. He nodded as he tried to get up while Zoroark viewed Zerobi pensively, taking note of her actions.

"Hey, Zerobi," Lucario grumbled as he stood up and walked towards her, not noticing all the blood in favor of his cold and furless body. His skin looked a bit more leathery compared to when he was human, and the scars over his chest were definitively visible.

"You were great!" Zerobi exclaimed, impressed to see Lucario on his feet after only a few days out of commission, "But… What the hell were you thinking!? Where'd that ExtremeSpeed come from!? Come on, you've got to tell me everything…"

Zoroark stood still and watched as the two of them left the room, Lucario turning his head back towards her in confusion. She knew he would assume that she had left, too busy to talk with someone like him all day. Instead, she upheld an illusion that made her camouflaged against the cave wall behind, invisible with eyes not for him but rather the new arrival.

Seeing the Weavile's excited demeanor as she chatted happily brought about a nagging feeling in the back of Zoroark's head, suddenly forcing her to question her decision to ally herself with anyone. The voice of Astrid quietly echoed through her head, nervous and meek like always but carrying a hint of determination in it. It was at that moment that Zoroark rearranged her priorities, realizing that there was an even greater threat than the impending biohazard, and one that was within her immediate grasp. Before destroying the fearsome virus, she knew something had to be done about the ruthless killer Zerobi.


	82. Perky Jester Gallade

Celebi trembled, but not from the cold of the blizzard whipping past her. Not from fear either, the stark landscape of caves and stones withholding far more creatures of the revolution than the eye could tell. Hovering next to her sister and sensing the arrival of her three best friends, one would think it was impossible for her to be shaking from anything but excitement at this moment. In truth, however, she was nervous beyond belief.

After leaving the Seafoam Islands, she had gone to Viridian Forest to pay visit to her old friend Pikablu. The aged mouse had greeted her with disturbing news, having found out about Zerobi's run as a serial killer, warning Celebi and seeing her head out with the intents of a confrontation. However, how would she be able to explain that although he had been right all along, the small legendary had chosen to forgive her sister? Pikablu had hunted down Celebi for contributing to a single unintentional death, and would most likely not be nearly as merciful to the murdering Weavile. Not wanting to repeat their violent battle from five years ago, Celebi knew she would have to lie, something she was apparently very bad at.

"So… How long until Lucario's fur grows back?" Zerobi asked, not nearly as nervous as her relative.

"Leave that for later," Celebi said in an attempt to bring Zerobi's mind back to the current situation, "You should focus on making a good impression on the trio. It would be terrible if they end up disliking you!"

"Right," Zerobi replied, thinking that she really couldn't care less, "How long?"

"… A week, at most…" Celebi reluctantly admitted while worrying that her sister was taking things too lightly, "Please think about that later and prepare yourself for the meeting at hand! Do not… Say anything unnecessary…"

"Well, you know them better than me, so I'll probably just stay quiet," Zerobi said with a shrug, "If they ask about it, just say I have bad breath or something."

Not that bad breath was anything Pokémon usually cared about, Zerobi thought. The only one who would complain about it was Lucario, and she was suddenly reminded of something important.

"Ah! Right!" she exclaimed while looking at Celebi, "Sis, you've got to grow more mints for Lucario!"

"Oh? So he did enjoy eating them!" Celebi responded cheerfully, glad to see her idea of human culinary techniques had not been entirely misguided.

"… Not really, but who cares?" Zerobi asked as she shrugged, "They're the only hopes I have of getting him to kiss me!"

Celebi fell quiet and looked away for a moment, surprised by her sister's bluntness. Although she was steadily getting used to the two of them being a couple, the real reason for her embarrassment was simply because no one had ever talked to her so openly about love before.

"But… Normally you kiss under the mistletoe, not mint," Celebi corrected her, remembering what she had learned while celebrating Christmas so many times.

"… Nothing normal about what I have to do to get kissed…" Zerobi muttered quietly, a foreign noise suddenly sounding by the mouth of the cave.

"Cell! Over here!" a happy voice shouted, and out in the blizzard both Zerobi and Celebi could see the tall and slender figure of a Gallade emerging, wearing a pair of sunglasses. Despite being caught outside in the middle of a fiercely cold storm he was completely untouched by the flurry, walking on top of the bed of snow since he was apparently light enough to not sink through.

"She can sense us… She already knows we are here…" a grumbling voice came from behind him, the short and hulking form of a Kabutops entering visual range. He seemed a little extra short today, having sunk into the whiteness but still seemed to be completely unhindered by the decimeter high snow attempting to hamper his progress.

Not far behind both of them came a Pikachu, who much like the Gallade being able to walk across the snow. Even so, he was completely covered by snowflakes, not capable of creating a miniature barrier like the psychic next to him. Moving out of the wind as he approached Celebi and Zerobi, he let a jolt of electricity run through his fur, whipping the tiny bits of snow over him into motion and splashing them against the cavern's walls.

"Celebi," Pikablu said as he respectfully bowed his head, before turning it towards the Weavile with surprise, "… Zerobi? Kabutops, that thing. Give it to me."

The Gallade and Kabutops both stared at Zerobi with bothered expressions, the latter suddenly raising his shoulders. Loosening up his body, he poked one of his scythes in behind his chest plating, a large piece of paper sticking out the other side. It had odd coloration due to being covered in purple mucus, the heat visibly dissipating due to the cold all around.

"Eeeeeewww!" the Gallade exclaimed with a disgusted expression at the sight of the dripping paper, "Don't tell me that's where you keep that contract I asked you to hold on to!?"

"No," Kabutops replied bluntly while throwing him a quick glare, "I threw that away as soon as I got it."

"What!?" the Gallade shouted out in shock, clutching the sides of his head with his long arms, "That's…! I mean, I've got copies at home, but now I can't show it off to everyone!"

Pikablu sighed as he watched his two companions bicker back and forth, suddenly jumping up to snatch the paper out of Kabutops' shell. While it was slimy and had a fairly unpleasant odor, he handled it carefully as he held it up in front of himself.

Zerobi grit her teeth and Celebi gasped as they saw what it was. In his hands Pikablu held a large flyer with a picture of a Weavile on it, wearing a menacing expression with claws visible in hostility. Zerobi recognized the background setting as Snowpoint City, realizing that someone must have managed to take a photo of her during the turmoil, most likely when she and Lucario were busy escaping. Beneath the picture was a message in clear, powerful lettering.

SERIAL KILLER AT LARGE, SKILLFUL AT HIDING  
>MAY BE ACCOMPANIED BY STRONG LUCARIO<br>Client: POLICE  
>Objective: ARREST ZEROBI<br>Place: NORTHERN KANTO  
>Restrictions: NONE<br>Difficulty: S  
>Reward: 10,000 P<p>

"There's a pissed police officer hammering these up all over town," Pikablu said snidely as he held the picture closer towards Zerobi, "Look familiar?"

Zerobi swallowed hard, seeing her own face on a wanted poster. She realized her days of wandering around town in a cloak to pick up her subscription of occult magazines had come to an end before she even knew it. Lost on what to say, Celebi hovered in front of her and pushed aside the paper to look Pikablu directly in the face.

"Calm yourself, Pikablu," Celebi said sternly, "Zerobi and I have already discussed her past. Things are not as bad as neither you nor the police assume, and there is nothing for you to worry about."

"… Obviously, seeing how you two're still together…" Pikablu muttered while looking at Zerobi with disdain, "I'm going to need some details."

"No," Celebi insisted without batting an eye, "It is within a past she has no intention of revisiting. Trust me."

"… But…!" Pikablu exclaimed in irritation at being told off, "She's wanted by the police, damn it!"

"So is Celebi," Kabutops pointed out with a shrug, "And so were you."

Pikablu frowned, suddenly realizing that he was the only sane being in the vicinity. A nail's length away from smacking both Kabutops and Celebi in the face, he instead closed his eyes and breathed in deeply. He was reminded of the time he had first met Celebi, when she had lamented over her lost sister. They were finally reunited, and Pikablu was starting to think that maybe it was not his place to ruin whatever they had going. After all, if he had gotten to see his little brother again he wouldn't have cared about anything else.

"Fine…" he groaned while shaking his head in disapproval before pointing accusingly at Celebi, "… But you are never allowed to lecture me on morality again!"

Celebi sighed out, feeling the tension in the room thin out. So did apparently the Gallade as well, who started laughing.

"Haha! Well, I for one am glad to see that Zerobi is as innocent as she is beautiful!" the Gallade said with a smooth voice as he clapped his elongated hands together, "But if you're worried about your reputation, you could always hang out with someone like me! The tabloids would love you! What d'you think?"

"… Fine by me…" Kabutops said quietly before leaning in closer to Zerobi and whispering, "… Just make sure he dies painfully…"

However, Zerobi did not hear either of them, her mind clouded by newfound worries. Pikablu looked at her while feeling a bit restless to not have been given any explanation to her past, wondering if he could really trust Celebi's sometimes questionable and always otherworldly judgment.

"Pikablu, that police officer…" Zerobi suddenly asked with a bothered expression, "What kind of Pokémon was it?"

"… A Snivy," Pikablu replied quietly while scratching his nose, "Looked grumpy as all hell. Shitty day at the job I'm guessing, using a hammer with those tiny arms."

"Did…" Zerobi started in an attempt to push her luck a little further, "Was there an Eevee anywhere nearby? Maybe an Eeveelution?"

The members of the legendary trio looked at each other, searching for any signs of recognition.

"Like, when we left…?" the Gallade muttered as Pikablu's ears suddenly perked up slightly.

"Oh yeah! The fat one!" Pikablu burst out as he remembered. The Gallade continued looking at him for a moment before suddenly cracking up, turning his head away in an attempt to stifle a laughter.

"… 'Fat', he says…" Kabutops said slowly, a very faint snicker echoing inside his shell.

"Hahaha! Ah, the naivety of youth!" the Gallade laughed and held his arms out, pointing jokingly at Pikablu, "Couldn't you see that the Eevee was clearly pregnant?"

The Gallade continued laughing heartily, hoping everyone else would join him. Although Kabutops was clearly amused and Celebi was able to suppress her giggle at the last second, Zerobi's face was one of utter shock and surprise.

"Hey! Screw you!" Pikablu shouted in an attempt to hide his embarrassment, "Unlike you, I don't like to think of little girls in that way!"

"Oh, right," the Gallade snapped back with a big smile, "Is it because she didn't have any mandibles?"

"Alright, that does it!" Pikablu growled and clenched his fists, absolutely not willing to tolerate lip form someone as ridiculously flamboyant as the Gallade. Kabutops sighed as Celebi gasped.

"Whoa whoa, calm down!" the Gallade shouted in response while backing off and waving his arms back and forth, "Remember! Think positive!"

Feeling his muscles clench involuntarily in annoyance, Pikablu simultaneously felt the anger seep out of him at the Gallade's last statement. For reasons unknown to anyone but him and his two allies, he cracked a smile.

After that they continued to chat excitedly over all that had happened, Celebi glad to finally have a few interesting events of her own to share. Arguing heatedly about old pointless issues while occasionally laughing it up over long forgotten times, it was no wonder neither the legendary trio nor Celebi noticed Zerobi slipping away. Staggering quietly through a rocky corridor, she sought emptiness in order to be given some privacy with her own thoughts. Eventually she found a narrow passageway leading into a hollowed out section of the mountain. Where others would see a dead end, she saw a chance to be left alone. Walking into a corner and placing her back against the cool, hard surface, she exhaled a breath she had not realized she was holding in.

"… Pregnant…?" Zerobi whispered to herself, the words sounding as unreal coming out of her mouth as they did swirling around in her head. It did not feel right, and slowly she came to the realization that while she had basically been frozen in time the better half of this past decade, those around her had long since carried on with their lives.

A heavy feeling came upon her heart as she thought of Eve, a deep sucking sensation of regret in her chest. She remembered all the years of fun they had together, proclaiming to be best friends forever long before even coming up with the concept of Evolution's Gate. Imagining the same friend laying on the ground somewhere, the terrible Snivy pounding her and filling her womb with a child made Zerobi wince and blush fiercely. She shook her head and brought her mind to more pleasant matters, namely the fact that despite all the lives she ruined, at least her best friend was able to acquire a happy ending. More than anything she wanted to go congratulate Eve and let her know of her own remorse, to give the soon-to-be mother some closure and peace of mind.

Her plans were put on ice however, as a dampened knocking sound alerted her that she was no longer alone. Heart aching both from grief and shock, she spun around to see a dark, thin Pokémon leaning by the exit.

"Hello, Zerobi," Zoroark said with a menacing tone, "You and I are going to have a little talk."

"… Yeah?" Zerobi replied while recomposing herself, not wanting to appear easily intimidated, "About what?"

"About your plan to murder us, of course," Zoroark said bluntly. Zerobi tried to make her expression as devoid of concern as possible, but it was difficult as she stared into Zoroark's probing set of glaring eyes. Quickly she tried to figure out just how much Zoroark knew, and how easily she could get off the hook by bluffing.

Zoroark eyed Zerobi carefully, looking for any kind of reaction. Bloodthirsty as the Weavile was, Zoroark believed herself to have an edge should push come to shove, and could at least incapacitate her with a dose of stun spore. In truth, she would much rather prefer to use poison powder to put an end to Zerobi as quickly as possible, but knew the Weavile to be far more difficult to kill than one would assume. As Connor had showed her, incapacitation had proven to be far more effective.

"See, in the early days of the revolution, I came across a very peculiar being…" Zoroark explained as she crossed her arms and leaned up against a wall, "Astrid was his name. Does it ring a bell?"

Zerobi felt her teeth unintentionally grind together. Even though her own endeavors were well-publicized, Astrid was not someone anyone outside of evolution's gate would know of. She had assumed to have scared him off for good, imagining him running wildly around the Cerulean Cave forever. Was Zoroark trying to trick her?

"K…" Zerobi stammered before swallowing hard, "… Kabutops' wife…?"

Zoroark stared at her with a piercing gaze. Her smile and kind features were all but gone.

"By playing dumb, you are only making me more suspicious," Zoroark said with a sharp tone to her voice, "I think one would remember spending a few years with the only rock-eeveelution to ever have lived."

"… H-Have lived?" Zerobi suddenly stuttered, not being able to help herself. Zoroark took note of her flustered expression before closing her eyes.

"Yes. Unfortunately, he died a most untimely death…" she whispered before opening her eyes and once again with a fierce glare, "… But not before he told me an awful lot about you, Zerobi. Some things I think he was the only one to know about."

A chill ran through Zerobi. Not at the prospect of Astrid no longer finding himself among the living, but rather that Zoroark was so well-informed on the subject of her. Realizing that playing dumb was pointless and deciding to make sure she wasn't playing directly into Zoroark's hands, she decided to add some new information into the conversation.

"You're wrong," Zerobi said bluntly while slowly shaking her head, "That's not the case anymore. I've already told Lucario and Celebi everything."

"Oh, but I don't think you have," Zoroark replied quickly as she uncrossed her arms and pointed towards Zerobi, "The fact that they forgave you is enough proof."

Zerobi did not know how to retort, actually equally surprised that she had been forgiven after all she had done. Zoroark examined her carefully as she decided to push her own personal theory on the matter a little further.

"I wonder… How does a kind, harmless student turn into a ruthless killer from a simple blood transfusion?" Zoroark asked before giving off a strained shrug, "The short answer is… She doesn't."

Their eyes locked together once more, a bitter fight raging between them with both on edge and ready to strike at any moment.

"You may have fooled the rest into believing that you were controlled by some strange force, that your actions were not your own…" Zoroark growled accusingly as she felt her temper rise, but suddenly decided to calm herself down, "… But tricking me will not be as easy. You knew what you were doing. You were always in control of your own actions and could have stopped had you wanted to."

Yet another chill ran through Zerobi, but this time it was not as merciful. She felt it run through every inch of her being as she could not stop herself from trembling. Her deepest fear, a secret kept from everyone including herself in one last attempt to save her own sanity was coming to light once more.

"No!" Zerobi yelled with desperation, refusing to accept what she deep down knew to be the truth, "I never hurt anyone before the blood set in, and I haven't done anything since it ran out!"

"Is that because you hate killing… Or simply because you fear the consequences of it?" Zoroark continued and knew she had struck a nerve, the Weavile's expression turning more and more frantic with each syllable, "Should I give you the opportunity to get away with it, you will strike… And it is not because you cannot help it, but rather because our blood is worth more to you than our lives. Admit it!"

"No, you…!" Zerobi growled and instinctively raised her claws, "You know nothing! Nothing of what I've gone through! I would rather DIE than succumb to my bloodlust once more!"

Breathing heavily, Zerobi saw Zoroark looking at her with a disappointed expression. Zerobi looked down and noticed that she had subconsciously brought out her threatening claws and hastily lowered them. Even so, Zoroark continued to look unimpressed.

"I hope you mean that…" Zoroark said with a menacing tone, "… Because if as much as a drop touches you… I will not hesitate in killing you myself."

Raising her own claws and grinding them together slightly, Zoroark could not help but feel like the villain in the scenario as a terrified expression crawled up on Zerobi's face. It annoyed her a little, wondering what manner of naïve and careless fool would have acted differently.

"Consider that the extent of my mercy…" Zoroark sighed as she put her claws away by crossing her arms once more, "… Do not think too badly of me. What choice do I have? You have the potential to become the most dangerous being in the world, and you have shown the ambitions to pursue that. Should I risk the death of millions just because you tell me that things are different? That you've changed?"

Zerobi felt a moment of reprieve in the constant onslaught of accusations, Zoroark's tone taking a gentler form as the revolutionary finally admitted the cause of her worries. Zerobi sighed out, suddenly not as intimidated by the fellow Dark-type.

"I don't know how to convince you otherwise… But if a man like you really wants to understand a girl like me…" Zerobi said bitterly, unaware of Zoroark's true gender, "Try killing your friends. All of them, especially those you like. Get melted down by acid and live in seclusion for seven years with no company aside from endless nightmares, and THEN ask yourself if you think it was worth it."

Fed up with indictments and still annoyed to have been so rudely interrupted from her own musings, Zerobi stormed towards the exit. Half expecting to be attacked, she passed by Zoroark with no intervention whatsoever and entered the passage unhindered. Leaving the sanctuary where so many of Zerobi's thoughts had swirled around, the emptiness was soon replaced by Zoroark's contemplations. Watching the back of the Weavile disappear from sight, she sighed and looked up at the ceiling.

"Friends, huh…?" Zoroark whispered and closed her eyes. A weight lifted from her consciousness, realizing that Zerobi seemed to be in control at least for the time being. Although important, Zoroark knew she was only delaying the inevitable by handling the easy tasks first. Soon she would find herself back at her makeshift desk, struggling to figure out a successful strategy for the army she had amassed. She soon made her way out of the room as well, hoping no one would be able to see the uncertainty she was keeping within.


	83. Restless: Epilogue of Episode XII

Night had fallen. Amidst a torrent of loud snoring and mild wheezes laid a bothered Lucario, completely sleepless. Having difficulties in finding peace while on an uncomfortable bed of rocks, he stared as a pair of purple balloons snorted in their sleep, each exhale filling the air with a foul-smelling fog. Not much further away was what Lucario could most accurately describe as a pile of brown hair with tusks sticking out of it, tainting the room with yet another rancid odor while also sawing wood like a thunderstorm. He had never been around this many Pokémon before, always finding sleep out in the open wilderness. Realizing he would never, ever get any rest in this kind of atmosphere, he muttered as he got up and walked away, hoping to find a better place to spend the night.

After a short walk to a place where his only companions were rock and stone, he found a decent enough spot where he sat down and leaned up against a wall. However, even though he was quite tired he was still having trouble falling asleep. There was an unfamiliar sensation all over his body, and unlike the rowdy Pokémon in the other room, this he knew he would not be escaping from.

Examining his body he was pleased to see that his fur was coming back rather quickly. Only problem was that for some reason, different patches of hair were growing back at different speeds. Celebi suggested it was because of the massive beatings he had taken over the past few years, damaging the hair cells and shunting their growth. As a result, the hair that had grown back was relentlessly tickling the parts with naked skin as if mocking them for being so weak, and he constantly felt both hot and cold in different areas of his body. Despite all of this he struggled as hard as he could to fall asleep, but to no avail.

As he desperately tried to still his thoughts, he was suddenly made aware of a faint noise. A small, yet largely annoying scratching sound was emanating from somewhere deep inside the cavern. Eager for yet another excuse to not have to lie still and wait for sleep that would not come, Lucario got up and followed the sound. Despite the labyrinth-like structure of the cave's passages, with his acute hearing he had no trouble detecting the origin of the noise, finally finding himself inside a small and surprisingly well-lit room.

At the source of the scratching he saw Zoroark sitting on a soft cushion in front of a desk-like rock, slightly hunching over something. Although he sure she should have noticed his arrival, she seemed to be too absorbed into what she was doing as Lucario moved nearer to get a closer look. On the sleet stone she sat next to laid an open notebook, a bottle of ink and a couple of feathers, some of them worn out at the tip. Lucario marveled at the sight of a creature with claws writing at an unexpectedly quick pace, keeping a steady grip around the pen-like feather with her spiky fingers. An expression of disdain crossed Zoroark's face as she stopped writing and held the vellum in front of her, finally noticing that he was standing there.

"Lucario?" Zoroark whispered as she looked up from the parchment with a frown, "Shouldn't you be sleeping?"

"Shouldn't you?" Lucario responded quickly, and Zoroark sighed audibly as she put down her work.

"I am a Dark-type. We are active during the night," she tried to explain.

"… And during the day too, if I'm not mistaken?" Lucario continued, having seen both Zerobi and Zoroark alert during daytime. Only difference was, one of them was sleeping tight while the other one was currently looking at him with a very bothered expression, obviously wishing he would just go away.

"What do you want? There is work to be done," Zoroark muttered with an annoyed tone as she shooed him with her hand, "Consider me permanently busy. As such, stop bugging me."

"Just curious. Do you sleep, like, ever?" Lucario asked with an inquisitive look and a short snicker, "I bet you're hiding fifty million bags under your eyes with some kind of illusion."

Zoroark groaned to herself, well aware she should not have underestimated Lucario's persistence. Short on lies and quite worn out from the seemingly endless work, she realized that Lucario already knew a whole lot of secrets about her, assuming one more wouldn't hurt.

"… Fine. I suffer from insomnia," Zoroark admitted as she leaned back in her chair with a tired expression, "Can't be helped. It lets me stay alert and get an awful lot of work done, so it's not all bad."

Lucario titled his head slightly, surprised to hear her admitting something like that out of nowhere. He wondered if it was him or rather her lack of sleep responsible for breaking her down.

"So… You're just never going to sleep again?" Lucario asked as he crossed his arms, not really sure about what to say. Of course, he was having trouble sleeping too… But that was mostly a side effect caused by his irregular hair growth and irregular bedroom partners.

"Oh, no… I should be collapsing from exhaustion in two or three days," Zoroark explained as she looked up and stared longingly at the ceiling, "Hopefully. My performance plummets after too long, and I begin to hallucinate. I have to figure out a strategy for our assault before then."

"… You have two legendaries on your side, as well as a whole battalion of strong Pokémon," Lucario said while thinking of Mew's and Celebi's overwhelming power, "Do you REALLY need a strategy?"

Zoroark decided not to give a response this time. Although her own morale was steadily waning, she knew there was no point in telling Lucario of the ruthless opposition they were facing. She wondered how he would react if she were to say that despite having come up with nearly a hundred different strategies involving the nearly limitless potential of both the overly powerful legendaries, they all ended up with everyone being defeated, captured and the virus being deployed.

"Why don't we take a walk?" Lucario suggested as he saw a concerned expression form over Zoroark's face, "Might help you relax."

Zoroark continued looking up at the ceiling a few more moments before turning her gaze towards Lucario, a sneer across her face.

"A walk," Zoroark repeated mockingly, "And to think, all this time… After millions of various attempts and thousands of medicines… The cure for the greatest issue in my life was but a simple walk. How come I never thought of that before?"

"Hey, don't knock it 'til you've tried it," Lucario pointed out confidently, "I was able to cure Celebi of insomnia in one night."

The sneer quickly vanished from Zoroark's face, replaced with one of surprise.

"… Really? How?" Zoroark asked with a newborn voice of sheer curiosity. Lucario imagined himself squeezing her tight while convincing her that it was part of the technique only moments before getting a knee to the groin, deciding against even trying.

"I, uh…" Lucario muttered while involuntarily wincing, "… Don't think that particular method's going to work with you. Let's start with a walk."

Although she looked disappointed at first, Zoroark eventually gave off another sigh and got up from her cushion. The two of them left the workroom with Zoroark taking the lead, explaining that the cave system they were currently in was like a maze that went on for miles. It kept them from being detected as an organized group of Pokémon, but getting lost in the frozen wastes was just as easy. After her explanation, Zoroark fell quiet with a sudden display of awareness.

"… Did you just coerce me into giving you a guided tour?" Zoroark muttered accusingly while giving a sideways glance towards Lucario.

"Maybe," he replied with a shrug, "This place is a lot cozier than I had expected."

Compared to the dank underground near Saffron City and the busy streets of No Man's Land, Lucario could not deny the charm of the area he was currently in. The caves were faintly formed out as houses with rooms, the passages between them giving way to the outside and letting fresh air seep through the otherwise stale atmosphere. Sensing several strong auras in the vicinity, the whole thing felt a little like a fortress, well defended and safe.

"Hmm… It just occurred to me that we have yet to do this formally…" Zoroark suddenly said, breaking him out of his chain of thoughts, "Lucario, will you help us claim and destroy the virus before it comes to fruition?"

"Uh… Sure, but…" Lucario replied as he scratched the back of his head, "I'm sensing quite a few strong auras all around. You sure you need another brawler like me?"

"Do not worry, I have a more important role in mind for you," Zoroark said with a sinister smile showing itself. Lucario tried to ignore it, but felt a little worried as to what the future held in store for him. Focusing more carefully on the auras, he was disappointed that there weren't anything familiar about them. There were actually two revolutionaries he had hoped to meet up with.

"Oh yeah… Where's Connor and Astrid?" Lucario asked curiously. The smile on Zoroark's face faded almost instantly, realizing she had yet to break the news to him. She felt reluctant in doing so, rather enjoying the quiet and peaceful walk they were having, wondering if maybe her duties as a leader could come in second for once. However, it was not her duties as a leader, but her duties to her dead comrade that finally convinced her to go through with it.

"Connor has trouble traveling long distances, and is staying behind to fortify our defenses back home…" Zoroark whispered, deciding to get the lighter side of things out of the way first, "… Astrid… Perished during a raid of No Man's Land…"

It took Lucario a few moments to stop, his steps growing continuously heavier and slower until he was barely moving at all. The so-called frightening vision of the extremely cute eeveelution crossed his mind for a moment, Astrid's worried yet very talkative demeanor bringing about a sense of nostalgia. Even though it had annoyed him in the past, Lucario now wished he had gotten to hear the small thing speak some more.

"Raid…?" Lucario repeated as his mouth dried up, "How many…?"

"Very few have died since the creation of No Man's Land," Zoroark explained while lowering her head, "Astrid… He chose to bravely face the enemy head on. I doubt they intended to kill him, they just wanted to move him aside… And it went too far…"

Hearing the words "brave" and "Astrid" in the same sentence sounded wrong to Lucario. A bitter sensation crawled up on him, remembering how he had instructed the small Rock-type to be manlier and face adversities without backing down.

"… Damn it…!" Lucario growled as he clenched his fists, suddenly feeling guilty. Astrid had followed his advice and gotten himself killed as a result. Zoroark looked at Lucario, surprised that he even knew about Astrid. Wondering if Zerobi maybe had told Lucario everything about Evolution's Gate after all, she suddenly remembered having seen both him and Astrid talking about something in the underground base beneath Saffron City. Seeing the devastation apparent on Lucario's face, she decided to drop her inquisition and instead gave him a pat on the back in comfort.

"Wh-What the…!?" Lucario burst out in shock as he took a step back, Zoroark slowly realizing that his devastation was caused by neither her touch nor the memory of Astrid. Looking down at the ground, she saw a purple mist leaking out of the rocky floor. Her fears of the cavern filling up with poison gas faded quickly as she noticed a familiar set of red eyes suddenly rising out of the floor.

"Good evening," Zoroark said quietly, welcoming the end of all privacy with a faint smile. Following the eyes, the rest of the creature's body rose up from its tomb of stones, gracefully and without leaving any sign of its passage through solid rock.

"Good evening," a deep, disembodied voice replied as the apparition's mouth came into view. Lucario watched as the purple haze grew until he could make out the monster's feet hovering out of the soil, before silently setting down on the same area they had just effortlessly gone through. Although the scene was bizarre, something about this creature was urgently tugging at his mind.

"Ah! You!" Lucario suddenly exclaimed, recognizing the Gengar he had found drinking back in No Man's Land. The terrifying being's eyes had gone back to being icy cool, but Lucario remembered his outburst all too well and no longer wondered as to why he had been so frightened only moments earlier. The Gengar stared at him silently before looking at Zoroark with a not-so interested expression.

"The reputation of your hauntings is so severe that people are too afraid to partake in the stash of booze we found," Zoroark told the Gengar with a calm voice before nodding in appreciation, "Keep up the good work."

The Ghost-type nodded back, suddenly beginning to sink back into the ground. Lucario was surprised by the unexpected guest leaving as quickly as he had appeared. Taking the moment into action, Lucario knew that while he had many things to ask, most of them could be summarized into a single question

"What are you?" Lucario asked with a bewildered expression. Expecting the Gengar to continue sinking out of view and out of his life forever, the Ghost-type instead brought himself to a stop. His torso was halfway submerged in the cavern's floor as he looked up at Lucario.

"See for yourself, kid," he spoke quietly, before suddenly lounging up at Lucario from the ground. Lucario staggered backwards and held his hands in front in an attempt to defend as the Ghost-type came upon him. Expecting a collision, all he saw was the Gengar continuing his approach as he continued moving unhindered, Lucario's arms sinking into the purple haze surrounding his body. A stifled gasp sounded as Lucario felt his arms caressed by a thick, formless gas and he was met with the Gengar's eyes at point blank range, only moments before those very eyes melted straight through his own. Something like millions upon millions of tiny fleas crawling over his body shook Lucario as he froze up, feeling his body invaded from every direction and through every pore.

Zoroark watched as the Gengar walked through Lucario, somewhat glad to not be in his position. Her body possessed secrets, most of which could only properly defend against the naked eye. The Gengar reformed behind Lucario, the normally grumpy old bastard seemingly pleased with himself as he continued his trek downwards, disappearing into the ground and away from sight. Zoroark felt a bit annoyed by the ghost's hasty leave, realizing that she would have to be the one to explain everything once Lucario came back to his senses.

"S-Spectre…!" Lucario stammered with vocal cords that just moments ago had been touched by an unearthly force, "H-He ran r-right through me!"

A sigh escaped Zoroark's lips, amazed by her own precognitive abilities. She was at least glad Lucario's curiosities were directed at the Ghost-type and not their stash of alcohol, because the last thing she needed was for him to be drunk when he had so much learning to do.

"Ghost-types have a very strange ability, which is why we do not simply refer to them as Gas-types," Zoroark said, knowing that if Lucario had no idea what a Fighting-type was he definitively did not know about something as advanced as this, "Due to their… Non-solid body structure, they can break and scatter their bodies into very small components without dying."

"Of course!" Lucario replied loudly as his body was beginning to return to normal, pushing away the feelings left behind by the unwelcome visitor, "… Ghosts can't die!"

"I believe that you are missing the point," Zoroark explained slowly in an attempt to calm him down, "What they do is break up their bodies to such an extent that only microscopical particles remain. Such miniscule pieces can easily slip through seemingly solid matter, which is why they can move through walls and other objects low in atomic density. Because of this, I hear they dislike Platinum."

"Ah," Lucario exclaimed in realization, saddened by getting a logical explanation instead of a creepy ghost story, "It's… A bit boring when you explain it like that."

"Just be glad you have yet to fight a Ghost-type," Zoroark said bluntly as she watched Lucario, glad to see that he had settled down so quickly, "Punches, kicks, slashes and anything done by solid matter will have no effect. I have a natural advantage, but as they hardly have any weaknesses they would be quite troublesome for someone like you…"

She was then made aware that Lucario was no longer listening, instead looking over his body with a concerned expression, obviously trying to distinguish if the Gengar's harmless attack had affected him in any way. Sighing for what seemed like her fiftieth time this night, Zoroark began walking again as Lucario followed. She was beginning to realize how difficult it would have to be to re-learn everything about Pokémon. For someone as clueless about the dangers of the world as Lucario to be wandering around, she knew it was nothing short of a miracle that he still had both his life and freedom in possession.

A quiet smile suddenly formed over Zoroark's face. Having read the reports on each of Lucario's battles, she knew there was neither luck nor miracles involved. Lucario was strong, persistent and most importantly, had very powerful friends who cared about him. For a fighter like him to be taken down for good, luck and miracles would have to be with his opponent. Admiring his beneficial position in life, she wondered if Lucario even realized this. Did he know that even if he were to lose and get captured, someone like herself or one of the legendaries would come to rescue him? Could that be the reason for him constantly sticking his neck out, because he knew himself to ultimately be untouchable?

Zoroark felt her line of thinking get out of hand. Lucario was facing mortal danger just as often as capture, and no helpful urges on anyone's part would change the outcome of death. Again she could not help but wonder why Lucario bothered doing anything. He had told her that his reason to keep on living was simply because he disliked dying… But if that truly was the case, why did he constantly set himself down the path of danger? For a man concerned with only survival, it would be far safer to hide oneself as his companion Zerobi had done for so long. Perhaps he was incapable of sitting still? If so, what did he have in mind for when the battle was over? Bothered by how much she was thinking of Lucario when she could be thinking of more important things, she decided to ask him straight out.

"Say, Lucario… What are your plans for when this is all over?" Zoroark asked curiously, "As to say… When you are no longer needed?"

Lucario shrugged as he kept on walking.

"I don't have any plans…" Lucario answered earnestly, wondering what was really expected of a human-made-Pokémon like himself, "… But I wasn't really doing anything before this all went down, so I'll think of something. You?"

"Well… I still have No Man's Land to take care of," Zoroark replied quickly as if having anticipated the question, "But soon enough, it will be able to sustain itself whether I am there or not. At that time, I shall retire."

"… You mean, permanent vacation? Go relax on a beach somewhere?" Lucario asked as he thought of what would qualify as retirement for a being with neither job nor home, "… Get a family and settle down?"

Giving off a quick chortle, Zoroark imagined herself in the many unlikely scenarios. It suddenly occurred to her that despite having figured out a lot of her personal secrets, Lucario really knew very little about her. As tempting as it was to reveal everything, she knew there was still one secret about her that she could absolutely not let anyone know of.

Agonizing memories began to crawl up on her and wipe away her cheerful expression as she was suddenly reminded as to why she was here, or rather why she even existed at this moment. She sternly told herself that if she had time for leisure, then she had time to bring prosperity to her goals. Converting her peace of mind into determination, she hastily regained her will to keep on working.

"I need to get back to work," Zoroark said as she stopped and turned around, signaling her departure to Lucario. He looked disappointed but eventually nodded, completely unaware of her reasoning.

"Alright, keep working for that retirement!" Lucario said in an attempt to understand her motives. Again, Zoroark smiled. If only he knew the truth.

"Haha, Lucario… We are rather similar, you and I…" Zoroark snickered while shaking her head, "… But it seems that there is one major difference that will always separate us."

"Oh? What's that?" Lucario asked and wondered if she was referring to her gender again. Instead, Zoroark fully turned her back away from him and spoke with total clarity.

"Trauma," she said before walking forward, soon disappearing within the darkness of the cave. Lucario stood and wondered what she had meant, but was beginning to feel drowsiness come over him and affecting his reasoning. Yawning loudly while realizing this was as good a place to sleep as any, he lay down on the rocky ground and closed his eyes.

"That looks really uncomfortable," a familiar voice sounded, Lucario wondering why Zoroark had returned after such a cool departure. Opening his eyes, he suddenly realized that it was not her at all, but another very familiar aura-less being.

"You don't HAVE to sleep on rocks, you know," Zerobi said as she looked down at him, one of her fangs poking through her smile and gleaming slightly in the moonlight, "I'm pretty sure even the soil outside would make a better bed."

"… Too cold…" Lucario muttered, too tired to explain their difference in body temperatures again. Even so, he could not help but notice that something was different about Zerobi, and before he even had time to ask she held up one of her claws in a stopping gesture.

"I tried mixing one of those weird plants you like with some berries," Zerobi muttered while making an odd sound in her voice, "Didn't, uh, go down too well."

"Heh. Told you berries are bad," Lucario chuckled, diverting the blame of his precious mint towards the loathsome berries. Zerobi snickered for a moment before her face suddenly became serious.

"I heard you talking to Zoroark," she said with a stern tone.

"Yeah," Lucario replied and felt a bit annoyed over the fact that he was unable to sense her aura. Between her and Zoroark's ability to become invisible, he was pretty much guaranteed to never be sure that he was actually having privacy. Zerobi looked behind, making sure no one was listening in on their conversation before leaning in closer to Lucario's ear.

"… You honestly think we can trust him?" she whispered with a concerned expression. Not sure on how to answer, Lucario simply sighed and thought to himself for a while.

"Listen… Once you've shared a cage with a guy, you get to know a few things about him," Lucario started, aware that one of those things was that the guy was never a guy to begin with, "Don't worry, I understand the way he thinks. He's cool."

"But… Do you think Zoroark will trust us?" Zerobi continued nervously. She obviously had some beef with Zoroark, but he could not think of what it was.

"Sure," Lucario replied bluntly, swallowing before lowering his voice to a whisper, "Mostly just guessing here, but… I think I'm the closest thing he has to a friend."

This brought a reaction out of Zerobi, the Dark-type flinching with a flustered expression.

"A-A friend?" she stammered before scrounging her face into one of complete confusion, "What… Makes you think that?"

"Uh…" Lucario muttered as he thought of what to say, "Well, every time we meet it's like he starts gushing out all he's been thinking about, all his secrets and everything. I don't think he does that with anyone else… I don't think he has anyone else he can talk to openly…"

Finding it difficult to explain things without revealing too much about Zoroark's true nature, Lucario tried to feign a yawn. He did not have to work hard, the yawn becoming progressively more natural as it slipped out of him. He really wanted to go to sleep.

"Can we do this tomorrow?" Lucario groaned as he laid his head back again and closed his eyes, "I'm… Really tired…"

"… Of course," Zerobi replied in an unusually calm manner, suddenly sounding a little unsure of herself, "Um… Good night?"

She looked down as Lucario gave no reply, obviously halfway on the road to dreamland already. Feeling jealousy creep up on her once more, she began to walk away while thinking of what he had just said. As she continued down the passage and out of his sight, her body began to change. Her chest shrunk back as the rest of her upper body elongated, claws transforming from scythes to spikes as her red hair grew longer. Where Zerobi had stood now was Zoroark, releasing her illusion and ending her impersonation with a quiet sigh.

"… Friend, huh…?" Zoroark whispered to herself. She felt people were throwing that particular word around an awful lot lately. Knowing she was not about to get any sleep anyway, she headed back to her workplace with somewhat lighter steps than before.


	84. Deceptive Spider Spinarak

Mew wandered awkwardly across the ceiling of the cave, trying her best not to stumble over one of her many legs. No matter how many times she transformed, she always found herself having a hard time getting used to not being able to float. As much as she wanted to shed her disguise and speed towards her destination, it simply would not do to be seen by the countless revolutionaries roaming about the area. While Celebi had already gained slight amounts of notoriety due to her antics together with the legendary trio, Mew definitively wanted to let her own existence remain a legend.

There was really no need for her to be going where she was going. Zoroark had summoned her and several others for a strategy meeting later that afternoon, but she was definitively more than a few hours too early in her arrival. In truth, she was feeling slightly inadequate as of late. Legendaries had many duties to fulfill in order to help the world flourish, nearly all of which she had ignored in favor of moving her own agendas. In an attempt to sate her conscience and idle hands, she would have to confront Zoroark once more in private. Thinking that the third time's the charm, she hoped this encounter would not end with either of them in mortal peril.

Mew was able to hear Zoroark before actually seeing him, the Dark-type practicing her speech for the big meeting later. Where others had seen but a simple Spinarak going about its daily business of loafing about, Mew had managed to sneak all the way to their leader's chambers completely undetected. She could easily have remained quiet and eavesdropped to find out more about what the meeting had in store for them, but thought that to be quite rude. Longing to be set free from the body of a spider and having to watch the world from an upside down perspective, Mew reverted to her original form and entered the cave Zoroark stood in. The revolutionary immediately stopped her rehearsal and looked at her with surprise.

"Mew?" Zoroark exclaimed with a bit of a hoarse throat, instantly erasing her shock and activating her most cordial behavior, "What brings you here? The strategy meeting is not until sundown."

"Pardon me… But do you have a moment?" Mew asked with a regal yet humble tone, wanting to get off on the right foot for once.

Zoroark sighed. Between her 'discussion' with Zerobi and stroll with Lucario, she felt like she was being tugged further and further away from what she should really be focusing on. After all, none of this would matter if the virus ended up killing everyone.

"Sure," Zoroark replied while swallowing down her pride, knowing better than to refuse a legendary. She had a feeling her only options were to agree or continue the conversation a hundred feet up in the air.

"What species of Pokémon are you?" Mew asked bluntly. It was not a regular question in any way, as whatever Zoroark chose to say would define the answer for generations to come. She was the only known example of her species, and Mew felt it was only right that she would be the one to name it.

"… A Zoroark," Zoroark muttered quietly, not wanting to make things overly complicated, "I was born a Zorua, and evolved into this form."

Mew pondered her statement for a moment. There were millions upon millions of subspecies among Pokémon, and only those notably different from the rest are recognized as independent species. She wondered what genetic mutation could have caused something as unique as a Zorua to spring forth, deciding to excavate her lineage for clues.

"Are there any others like you out there?" Mew continued asking, keeping her tone gentle and calm, "Do you have any relatives?"

Zoroark froze up for a moment. Slowly, she lowered her head.

"No…" she replied solemnly before regaining composure, "My parents are dead, and they were neither Zorua nor Zoroark."

"… I am sorry to hear that," Mew responded sincerely, feeling like she might have dug a little too deep. As much as she needed Zoroark focused on dealing with the lethal virus, she knew she would get scolded by Giratina and Lugia for not fulfilling her duties as a legendary and could not free up her mind until she had gotten this particular meeting over with. Gathering her courage, she decided to speak unhindered.

"Zoroark. You are the only one of your species," Mew said with a touch of curiosity, "What actions are you taking towards preserving your legacy?"

"… A revolution is a good start, no?" Zoroark replied while faking a smile, getting a hint of where the conversation was heading.

"I am referring to your… Biological legacy," Mew clarified, although she was certain the sharp revolutionary had figured that out by now and decided to keep pushing, "All you need is a single offspring, and the world shall be enriched by many more generations of both Zorua and Zoroark."

"Doubtful. I am male, after all," Zoroark lied with a confident shrug, "You are familiar with the rules for Pokémon breeding, no? What are the odds of my child being a Zorua?"

"Quite big," Mew responded quickly, "Seeing how you are, in fact, female."

Zoroark's expression dropped as she stared at Mew. In her mind, she swiftly rearranged a certain Fighting-type's role in their planned assault, hoping he would not mind handling extremely dangerous situations.

"Lucario told you?" Zoroark growled menacingly, feeling very betrayed and cursing herself for being so lenient with her secrets.

"No. You hide your characteristics well, but your chromosomes do not lie," Mew explained before wondering how Lucario had managed to figure out Zoroark's gender before she did, "But… Lucario knows? How?"

Zoroark looked at her with a surprised expression, before suddenly sighing out in relief and redacting her earlier planned punishment. Although freaked out that Mew was able to actually see her chromosomes, she was unable to bring her illusions down to microscopic levels and would not have bothered trying even if she had known. The problem was not that Mew knew the truth, but rather that Zoroark once more found herself faced with the big question.

"Please," Mew begged as she lowered her head in a sign of respect, "If you refuse, your species will go extinct. You will be the last Zoroark to ever exist."

"… Perhaps that is for the best…" Zoroark mumbled while thinking back to her past, not wishing to bring anyone to life that might suffer the same horrid fate.

"Certainly not!" Mew insisted, "You are part of the gift of nature that we are preparing for the future generations! If you truly wish to change the world for the better…"

She fell quiet as she realized she was becoming forceful again. Embarrassment rose as she was beginning to think that spending so much time with the headstrong Lucario had a negative effect on her usually gentle behavior. Zoroark held up a hand, gesturing for her to stay quiet.

"Do I look like I have time to be carrying a baby?" Zoroark pointed out with a hint of anger, "Not to mention having to reveal that I am female and did, in fact, lie to everyone. Do you not think it would be bad if my followers' faith was to waver at this crucial hour? Let me handle my own affairs, or there will be no future generations!"

Zoroark and Mew stared at each other for a moment, their meeting once more taking a turn towards a battle of wills. However, before things could escalate Mew decided to withdraw, closing her eyes and nodding in submission.

"I understand," Mew said quietly, "Then, stay safe until this is all over. I shall protect you to the best of my abilities until the time that you feel you are ready. Never forget the important role you have in this world."

With that, the legendary took her leave. Zoroark had to sit down for a while, wondering what difference it would make to Mew or anyone else if her species went extinct. She was getting a bit grumpy over the fact that all her efforts, struggling and triumphs paled next to the importance of her getting knocked up. Annoyed but eager to get back to work, she picked up her paper and began rehearsing once more. It would not be long, now.

- - - - - - - - - -

"Left?" Zerobi asked curiously, looking down the splitting passage.

"Left," Lucario confirmed as the two of them continued walking. The sun was setting, and he could sense the aura of many strong beings converging. Zoroark had summoned the so-called "top-brass" for a special strategy meeting before the rest of the troops, an exclusive club which apparently both he and Zerobi were a part of. He kept up a brave display, but was getting really nervous about the whole situation, not only due to the virus that threatened to kill them all but also the fact that he had no idea what they were up against. If Zoroark's earlier reaction was anything to go by, even with their overwhelming forces it would not be an easy task.

Zerobi was also nervous, but for a different reason. The fact that Zoroark had decided to allow her entry into this important strategy meeting when the shrewd leader obviously did not trust her sent an alarm signal through her head, thinking the fellow Dark-type was planning on assigning her a suicide mission or something of similar nature. Zerobi and Lucario's thoughts eventually blended into one another's, imagining some huge monster with many teeth eating them for lunch.

"Whoa! Look at all those cool scars!" a cheerful voice sounded behind them, making both Lucario and Zerobi jump. Swiftly turning around, they saw the Gallade standing there, a big smile on his face.

"D-Don't sneak up on people like that!" Lucario shouted, all too aware that the Gallade was hiding his aura for that express purpose, "Where're the other two?"

"Dunno. Probably went ahead without me," the Gallade said while yawning, "Gotta get some of that spotlight before I show up and steal it, I suppose. But, hey!"

The Gallade suddenly reached his hands towards Zerobi, obviously looking to give her a friendly pat. The sight of her mouth and claws twitching angrily made him halt himself in the last second.

"The movie we made premiers in just a few weeks!" the Gallade chimed happily while pointing at Zerobi and then Lucario, "You're in it, and you're in it too! I named it 'Pokémon of the Sunset'! Pretty cool, huh?"

"So, you think sis went before us?" Zerobi asked Lucario, resuming their walk and completely ignoring the Gallade.

"Can't sense her," Lucario replied, trying to ignore the Gallade but had a feeling that a spikeless Lucario must be a really common sight on the big screen by now. The three of them kept walking until they reached Zoroark's workplace, the area quite a bit brighter than Lucario remembered. Behind her desk like usual was Zoroark, chatting casually with Pikablu. Her long red hair seemed to be a little more well-kept this time around, like she was trying to appear more inspiring than usual. Appearances were deceptive as Lucario wondered what manner of poison vials and explosives she kept beneath the innocent-looking locks. Pikablu looked the same as always, a short and rugged beaver-like creature with the voice and attitude of a wild bear. Although easy to make fun of, both Zerobi and Lucario had learned to respect the violent rat after having witnessed him knock out a legendary the size of a mountain in a single hit, and would prefer to stay on his good side no matter what.

Sitting next to Pikablu like a statue was Kabutops, blending in well with the rocky background. Lucario at first thought Kabuta had come to visit, but noticed a distinctive difference in both height and aura. Before he had time to examine the old creature any further, he noticed that something was subtly pulling at his shorts. Looking down, he saw the Whimsicott standing by the entryway, having moved forward to greet the new arrivals but ended up getting completely ignored.

"Mr. Lucario! Mr. Gallade!" he said with excitement when he realized they were looking at him, Zerobi's gaze suddenly making him tremble slightly, "M-Ms… Z-Zerobi…"

"Oh, give it a rest," Zerobi muttered as she walked in, tired of being treated like a ghastly apparition by Pokémon she was fairly certain she had never wronged before. The Gallade whistled quietly in amazement as he followed her, Lucario carefully examining the room to make sure he wouldn't accidentally sit down on a particularly small and stone-like Pokémon.

"Lucario, Zerobi, you can come sit with-" Pikablu said before noticing the Gallade, seeing him walk directly up to Zoroark and rudely interrupt their conversation, "Damn it, you led him straight to us!"

"Welc-" Zoroark started when the Gallade suddenly gave her a pat on the shoulder, causing her to trail off in surprise.

"Ah, the star of the evening!" he chimed confidently, "Give us a good show, and don't be afraid to ask if you want me up there on stage with you!"

"Eh…" Zoroark stammered but quickly regained her composure, "… I can handle things on my own."

"Hahaha! Of course you can!" the Gallade laughed, seemingly a bit disappointed to miss out on his chance to show off, "But hey, since you're pushing this revolution and looking to get your message out to the people… How about starring in my next movie? You'll get attention, fame and, of course, more women than you can handle!"

"Sorry. I am a bad actor," Zoroark lied to such an extent that Lucario choked on his own spit in surprise, starting to cough violently.

"… Hey, you trying to infect the whole troop with that?" Pikablu growled at Lucario, not appreciating the display with the looming threat of a deadly virus nearby. The fact that there even was a strategy meeting was getting on his nerves, wanting it to end as quickly as possible so he could go and electrify whoever was responsible. Between fighting insane cults, despicable criminals and innocent legendaries, he felt he could handle some labcoat eggheads just fine even without a plan.

"So…" Kabutops started as he gave Lucario a dirty look, "… Has the 'human' realized his true identity yet?"

"… Huh? Yeah…" Lucario answered while looking at Kabutops, the ancient Pokémon seemingly a bit healthier than during their last meeting, probably due to not having gotten beaten and captured just prior, "Turns out I'm actually Ethan, transported into the body of a Pokémon."

"… Of course…" Kabutops replied quietly, sounding less than convinced. The skeptical look on Pikablu's face told him his buddy was feeling the same.

"Hey, where's Kabuta?" Lucario asked curiously, having associated the legendary trio with her rather than her father all this time.

"… As far away from here as physically possible," Kabutops replied bluntly.

"Oh… Arm's still growing back, eh?" Lucario asked, to which Kabutops only gave him silence. Her arm was healing just fine, and he wondered why Lucario would think it strange that he did not wish for his daughter to be present in what was probably the most dangerous spot in the world. It had not been easy getting her to stay home, but he knew she would thank him for it later, especially considering her recent entry into puberty. The absolutely last thing Kabutops wanted to do was entrust his precious legacy to a bonehead like Lucario.

A few minutes passed as the group caught up with one another, sharing stories about their recent mishaps and adventures. The Whimsicott listened eagerly as Lucario told everyone of how he had defeated Torana, Pikablu equally eager in pointing out that he could've taken her, too. Kabutops zoned out as the Gallade shared his take on why he was so amazingly popular yet still incredibly smart, and Zerobi found herself not ignoring the flamboyant psychic for the first time in her life. Zoroark purposely stayed out of the conversations, taking one last moment to go over everything she was about to say. She did want to tempt fate by chatting with Lucario in this friendly atmosphere, thinking him likely to be spilling his guts about her by accident.

Everyone suddenly fell quiet as the atmosphere in the room took a drastic turn. The excited air dissipated into tranquility, and everyone immediately knew why. By the entrance to the hall hovered two beings, their combined aura strong enough to shatter the greatest mountain, yet gentle enough to melt even the hardiest hearts. Mew felt uncomfortable as a dozen amazed eyes fell upon her, whereas Celebi was getting rather used to it by now. She stuck by her friend as they floated inside the room which by now was practically overflowing with nervosity from each occupant.

"Hey, what's up? You two haven't missed a thing," Lucario said casually, not even a little awestruck by the two living legends in front of him. Kabutops and Zoroark both felt the urge to smack him over the head for not showing proper respect, but calmed themselves as Mew suddenly broke into a smile.

"Comforting to know," she answered happily, grateful for Lucario's intervention to help lighten up the heavy mood.

"Yo, Cell," Pikablu chimed, not wanting to be outdone by Lucario, pointing next to him where Zerobi was sitting, "Saved a seat for you and your sis."

"… Thank you?" Celebi replied with dismay, realizing she would now have to be sitting instead of floating like she usually did. Setting down between Zerobi and Pikablu, her friend Mew preferred to stay airborne as she hovered in between Zerobi and Lucario. As everyone had settled down, Zoroark could not help but be a bit amazed at the group she had amassed. Legendaries, legendary-wannabes, a human in the shape of a Pokémon and a murderer. The fact that these creatures were meant to work together gave her second thoughts about her plan, and took the moment into action before doubt would cloud her mind.

"Now that we are all gathered…" Zoroark spoke clearly as she stood up, "… Let the strategy meeting commence."


	85. Final Peaceful Day

The Whimsicott stood guard by the entrance, signaling Zoroark that no one was eavesdropping. With deep sigh, she decided to start the meeting.

"I trust you are all already aware of the nature of the virus we are facing?" Zoroark asked. A few oblivious looks were exchanged among the small crowd.

"I know it'll kill us," Pikablu said with a shrug, "I guess detail would be nice."

"The new Pokérus virus exists in endospores, and as such cannot be detected, destroyed or avoided by any known means," Mew began to explain before Zoroark had the chance, "It infects both humans and Pokémon, but will only attack bacteria found inside of us Pokémon. The new bacteria exchanges genes from its plasmids with other bacteria, mutating into factories for three proteins that are harmless on their own but will rapidly attempt to combine to a lethal formula."

"… I believe what Pikablu wished to know was…" Kabutops suddenly chimed in with his usual depressing tone, "… How will it kill us?"

In an instant everyone's full attention was focused upon Mew, eagerly awaiting her answer. She was wondering whether to actually tell them seeing how it would probably not boost morale, but thought they should at least know what they were up against.

"… Respiratory collapse, most likely," Mew answered quietly, "There may be boils and tissue destruction, but as necrosis activates and your nervous system shuts down it should not cause any more pain than the alternative."

"You're damn right, I'm nervous!" Lucario exclaimed while feeling a knot tie up in his stomach, "Let's go destroy the virus already, can't wait to NOT have to worry about this any longer."

A murmur of agreement followed, the occupants starting to wonder why they had not done so already. Gradually, eyes begun to turn towards Zoroark.

"Yes, I suppose it is time for me to reveal the location of the virus…" Zoroark said slowly while digging around her area for something, "… As well as the lab where so many Pokémon were tormented…"

"Wait, let me guess…" Zerobi interrupted as a sudden thought hit her, "Pokémon Stadium?"

Zoroark looked at her with surprise for a moment. With a swift gesture, she brought forward a large map from behind her desk-like rock and placed it down on the ground.

"Indeed. Underneath the abandoned dome of Pokémon Stadium lies a secret laboratory," Zoroark explained while pushing one of her claws against a circled spot on the map, "Most likely an attempt to get some 'privacy'… And it explains why it was closed to the public in the first place."

"Not closed enough… Especially not to Brendan…" Lucario muttered before turning his head away from the map and towards Zerobi, "Wait, how did you know about this?"

"Huh? I told you when we got there, that I could sense blood in the air," Zerobi replied while wondering if Lucario had forgotten, "Figured it was from all the fighting, but then I thought… Why would there be fresh blood in an abandoned stadium? I mean, now there is, but BEFORE Torana and all that…"

Lucario had no recollection of Zerobi ever saying anything about blood, but also remembered zoning out around that time. He worried over what else he might have missed and hoped none of it would come back to bite him later on.

"I must say, you VERY NEARLY ruined the entire operation by heading there prematurely," Zoroark continued with a stern tone as she glared on both Lucario and Zerobi, suddenly easing up just as quickly, "But I assume it was not exactly your choice. My spies tell me the scientists were a bit shook up by your rumble with Torana, but luckily have not chosen to relocate."

Silence followed as everyone took a moment to examine the map. At first it looked rather shoddy to Lucario with a bunch of footprints all over, until he realized it had been translated into pawprint.

Suddenly, Pikablu rose up. Without warning, he turned around and began to walk away.

"Pikablu?" Zoroark exclaimed with a surprised voice, the yellow rodent turning around to face her.

"Underneath Pokémon Stadium, right?" he said as he held up a hand with all four of his fingers outstretched, "Give me… Four hours. I'll have this shit wrapped up before breakfast."

"Nice!" the Gallade whistled while clapping his hands, "A round of applause for Pikabro, redefining manliness like always!"

Pikablu looked at the Gallade with an annoyed expression as Zoroark stepped away from her desk to confront him.

"Do not be so hasty!" Zoroark said loudly, trying her best not to act too harshly, "You will not succeed without a proper strategy!"

"Sure I can," Pikablu snorted cockily, "What've they got? A legendary? Two legendaries? We've got three."

"And they have something FAR worse," Zoroark responded while realizing she was being forced to reveal the gravity of their situation earlier than expected, "Do you think I would have gathered everyone here today if our opposition was but a simple legendary? No… All of our problems can easily be summarized into two colors…"

Moving back from Pikablu and sitting down by her desk again, she gave a moment of pause for impact.

"Red…" Zoroark said clearly with an expression of dismay, "… And Blue."

A quenched gasp was heard from Lucario as Zerobi felt herself grow colder, and not in the usual good way. The Gallade's smile froze into a panic as Pikablu grit his teeth together.

"They have chosen to support the virus!?" Celebi exclaimed, appalled that people so familiar with Pokémon willingly support their total destruction. Zoroark looked at her with a calming expression.

"No. They know nothing about it or the secret laboratory, and believe they are only there to protect the Stadium from rowdy Pokémon," Zoroark explained before breathing in deeply, "The liaison we sent out to inform them was quickly captured, and it seems unlikely that any other would fare better."

Everyone fell quiet as they worked on comprehending the current situation. Pikablu slowly made his way back to the others, sitting down and staring at the map again. He saw that the Gallade was still taken by shock, while Kabutops seemed as unfazed as always.

"Well…" Zerobi suddenly whispered, breaking the silence, "… It's not like we have to hold back, right? Tons of lives are at stake here. If we all attack at the same time…"

Zoroark closed her eyes and shook her head.

"These are the two strongest trainers in the world with access to a nearly limitless amount of Pokémon, and quite frankly…" she said before giving off a bothered sigh, "Even with all our resources, we do not stand a chance against either of them. Unless, of course, the omnipotence of you legendaries is not overstated…?"

Zoroark was looking expectantly at Mew and Celebi, a sight the two legendaries were rather accustomed to. It was the sight that expected everything and anything from them, as if they could recreate the entire world with a snap of their fingers, when in truth neither of them could snap their oddly formed fingers even if their lives depended on it.

Mew had remained calm throughout the conversation, but noticed that Celebi was taking the news rather hard. She had recently been captured by a trainer after all, and was definitively not eager to put herself in harm's way any time soon. Sticking up for her friend, Mew met Zoroark's gaze.

"No," Mew said reluctantly, "Although legendary, we are still just Pokémon. Against several powerful enemies, even we may lose and be captured."

"H-Hey, now. Really?" the Gallade suddenly said with an unusually shaky voice, "We've got Pikabro, Cells AND Mewsy on our side! Just bumrush the place, we'll stroll in right behind you and pick up the pieces of what's left!"

"Trainers are very dangerous foes…" Kabutops muttered as he gazed sternly at the Gallade, "They carry a team of six Pokémon, built to counter any threat… Pokéballs, which can potentially end the battle in a single hit… Healing items, eliminating the viability of status effects and making their Pokémon nearly impossible to bring down…"

"We could always just, you know, attack the trainers themselves," Zerobi suggested, stuck in the mindset that everything was allowed since so many lives were at stake. Instead, all she got was a reprimanding look from Lucario.

"I'm pretty sure that'd be good reason for them to start open warfare," Lucario replied, seeing an appreciative expression from Mew in the corner of his eye.

"… And a virus created to wipe out all Pokémon isn't!?" Pikablu suddenly burst out with rage, thinking Lucario was so deluded in his fantasies of being human that he would defend humanity no matter what. Before long the argument was in full swing, Pikablu and Lucario shouting angrily at each other. The rest of the legendary trio were quick in backing up Pikablu while Zerobi went with supporting Lucario's point of view. Mew and Celebi watched them, trying to interject but finding their voices too weak to break it up.

It was then that a screech filled the room.

"People! Please, calm down!" the Whimsicott shouted with all his might, "Zoroark has been working on it day and night, and has without any doubt constructed a brilliant strategy for defeating both Red and Blue!"

Everyone fell quiet as they stared at the tiny piece of fluff, their gazes quickly turning towards Zoroark. The Dark-type tensed up at the sudden attention, having come to realize just how difficult it was to take charge of this rowdy crowd.

"Well… No," was all she could say as disappointment filled the room, the Whimsicott's face falling in despair.

She knew this was it. All the planning, all the repetition had been leading up to this moment. This is what would make or break her legitimacy as a leader. It had to be done.

"Red and Blue were both geniuses by the time they were ten years old, and have only grown wiser since… In truth, not one of us is even nearly as experienced as they are when it comes to Pokémon battles," Zoroark spoke with a clear voice as she looked at Lucario, for the first time sorely wishing the experienced Ethan had been sitting there instead, "No matter what strategy, plan or trickery we could come up with, I am certain they would see through it in a second and immediately counter."

"Then what can we do?" Lucario asked, still a bit riled up from his debate with Pikablu. Zoroark closed her eyes as she smiled.

"Simple… We will not be using any strategies," Zoroark said confidently, "Just like wild Pokémon, we attack them head on."

Sighs of disappointment filled the room, but Lucario felt a tinge of hope as Zoroark continued her confident charade.

"See, there really is no need for us to defeat either of them," Zoroark elaborated her plan with a certain mischievous glint in her eyes, "If we can just keep them occupied in battle while a smaller team slips past them undetected, we can take the virus and make a run for it."

"Keep them… Occupied…?" Kabutops repeated with a dull tone, before fastening a set of judgmental eyes upon the Dark-type, "… I understand that you have faith in your followers, but you greatly underestimate the champions if you think your ragtag gang of rebels can do anything against their ilk…"

"Indeed," Zoroark replied quickly, "Even a hundred Pokémon at above average strength would get wiped out in half a second by Raikou and whichever powerhouse Blue decided to bring. And if we bring out an army, they'll grow suspicious and know it's an organized attack, probably sending for reinforcements… No, what we need are powerful individuals."

"Ah!" Lucario exclaimed, remembering what she had said about having a special role in mind for him, "Like, I'm flattered and all, but if I have to go up against Red again I think I'll end up with some pretty serious afflictions. I'm still jittery from the last time!"

"Don't worry - You're on the stealth team," Zoroark assured him before exchanging looks with Mew, Celebi and Pikablu, "To be honest, there are only three Pokémon in this cavern able to stall enemies as fearsome as Red and Blue…"

As Zoroark's plan was starting to take form and finally make sense, Pikablu could not help but feel his earlier disappointment in the revolutionary leader disappearing. Instead, at the sound of a certain other Pokémon's name, a flame was beginning to ignite in his chest. Although the current mission was dire, it was forced to give way to a far older desire of his, one that he had nursed inside of him for decades.

"Dibs on Raikou," Pikablu said with a smile perched precariously on his lips.

"… How is fighting thunder with thunder a good idea?" Kabutops immediately interjected, before getting interrupted by the Gallade.

"Hey, hey! Don't talk like that!" the Gallade chimed while tapping his forehead, "Remember! Gotta think positive!"

"Shut up," Pikablu muttered, so very tired of the eager dancer constantly trying to give away his new trump card. Almost wishing he hadn't told him about it, he thought back to the past when things weren't so bad between them. Roaming the earth in search for legendaries, driven by his desires of becoming one himself… The instant he had seen Celebi he had switched his goals and wished for nothing more than revenge, but his will to become a legend had never reached its conclusion.

"Raikou's the legendary of thunder… If I beat him, that title's mine," Pikablu said out loud in order to inform everyone else of his intentions, exchanging a look with Celebi. The small legendary recognized the dangerous glint in his eyes, suddenly feeling a bit uncomfortable to be sharing the same room as the man who tried to kill her.

"And I'll film it, so the public knows who's boss!" the Gallade added happily, and for the first time in years he was given an appreciative nod from his old friend. Kabutops saw it unnecessary to say anything, his two partners already knowing he would follow them anywhere and drag them out of the fray if push came to shove.

"That works," Zoroark said while giving the Whimsicott a signal with her hand, the small Pokémon beginning to write down something on a parchment, "And since we have no idea which Pokémon Blue might use… It would be nice for that team to be skilled in utility. Mew? Celebi?"

The two legendaries turned their heads towards each other, deciding on who one to go. By exchanging only a single look, they were able to come to a conclusion.

"Both of us will fight him," Celebi said determinately.

"We are both legendaries, so it would not seem like an organized attack even if we were to be seen together," Mew continued with a confident flick of her tail, "I assume our presence would help to draw attention away from the other squads?"

An awkward silence filled the room. Suddenly, the Gallade burst out laughing.

"Hahaha! Wouldn't wanna be Blue!" he said with a smile, imagining the overkill of being forced to fight the two most powerful legendaries in the world at the same time. Lucario thought the same thing, remembering that even he and Rukario had been enough to defeat Blue. He wondered how his self-proclaimed ex-wife was doing, and wondered if there was any way for him to contact Blue about her without ending up in another fight.

"That also works," Zoroark said while giving another signal to the Whimsicott, the wooly Pokémon already hard at work with writing, "Now, for the team that moves in to retrieve the virus… A speedy, stealthy squad…"

Zoroark threw a glance around the room, as if deciding right then and there on whom to pick.

"It will consist of me… Lucario…" she said before adding a tint of bitterness to her voice, "… And Zerobi."

The change in tone did not go unnoticed by Zerobi, who was both shocked and worried. But before she even had time to formulate a sentence in protest, Zoroark decided to explain herself.

"I know, but it can't be helped," Zoroark said as everyone else looked between them in confusion, "Too much is at stake. You and I are the only Dark-types here, and only our presence cannot be sensed by Psychic-types… Besides, I would assume that you know a thing or two about staying hidden."

"And me?" Lucario asked quickly, still worried that he was about to get another shock treatment from Red and Raikou.

"You can hide your aura, and…" Zoroark started before giving pause as a difficult thought struck her, "… Our team will be heading deep into uncharted territory, and there is no telling what we might encounter. If we end up caught by a sudden torrent of Pokéballs, someone needs to be there to bail us out… Or carry on the mission, if need be."

Lucario scratched the back of his head, imagining himself wading through a sea of Pokéballs while carrying Zoroark and Zerobi on his shoulders. Standing up, Zoroark looked over the small crowd one last time.

"That is all," she said, "Brendan has left his post but may rejoin Red and Blue before long, so time is of the utmost importance. Work on the details of your strategies, and we shall discuss them in the early morning's sun. Tomorrow, after nightfall… We strike."

"Uh, yeah, we don't have a strategy," Lucario replied with a shrug while Zerobi slowly shook her head, "We'll just tag along with you."

"Hmpf… A fight with Raikou…" Pikablu mumbled as he crossed his arms, wondering if there was still a chance for him to become a true legend after all.

"Alright! The legendary trio's back in business!" the Gallade cheered while patting Pikablu on the head, "And don't worry, after the epic battle that's sure to happen, I'll teleport your broken body to a Pokécenter!"

"… His body is the least likely to break…" Kabutops muttered, wondering why they always had to pick fights with legendaries he had an elemental weakness to. Looking over at Celebi, he saw that she and Mew were already in deep conversation regarding their upcoming battle.

"A Baton Pass tag-team?" Celebi asked her friend, only somewhat familiar to the basics of Pokémon battle.

"Why not combine our forces?" Mew suggested, thinking that a unique strategy only they could pull off would disorient even a veteran trainer, "Synchronize to inflict various status effects and then heal ourselves through Natural Cure?"

"Excellent!" Celebi exclaimed while immideately moving on with the plan, "After that, I could easily restrain our foe…"

"… While I exploit its weakness…" Mew whispered, continuing to form their nasty plot.

To Zoroark's utter surprise, the mood of the room was rapidly easing up. Having expected a doomsday atmosphere considering what they were up against, the occupants were instead taking the news rather well. Lucario and Zerobi were talking about how relieved they were not to be on one of the other teams, the legendary trio kept bickering back and forth as to who owed who a free lunch after everything was done, and Mew and Celebi were a little too eager in proving their expertise in planning as their methods of attack grew more and more advanced.

"Actually… There was one more thing…" Zoroark spoke loudly as everyone turned towards her. She considered not saying anything, but had to make them take this whole thing more seriously.

"I hardly even have to mention it, but know that failure is absolutely not an option… No matter the cost," "There are more lives at stake here than just ours, after all. If you are captured, we will perform a rescue after this is done with. If killed, we shall never forget the name of the one who saved all Pokémon in the world. That is all I can offer."

Zoroark felt a little awkward as the atmosphere in the room took a nosedive, but at least they were now meeting her serious expression with their own.

"Hey, I just need to stall Raikou, and I wouldn't worry too much about Mew and Celebi…" Pikablu muttered while pointing a thumb at Lucario, "… Looks like the ones most likely to get killed will be you, Zerobi and Mr. Human."

The Gallade laughed, but Pikablu's ominous prediction struck a chord with some of the Pokémon present. The legendary trio decided to turn in for the night and left rather abruptly, carrying an unmatched air of confidence about them. Celebi followed, but not before urging Zerobi to be extra careful. Lucario was also feeling tired and was about to leave when he was stopped by a gentle tapping on his back.

"Stay safe," Mew said as Lucario turned around to face her, her long tail returning to its position behind her.

"You too," Lucario answered calmly, realizing his request was a lot more likely to be fulfilled. To head into the unknown was not a fun thing, but he took relief in know that at least he would be fighting neither Red nor Blue.

"Know that I will not hesitate to come to your aid, should danger befall," Mew said with a quiet nod, "Simply let your aura flow, so I may locate you."

"I can handle myself," Lucario replied and felt like spreading a little gallows humor, "Besides, you're supposed to keep Blue far away from where I'm going. By the time you get to me, I'll be long dead!"

He was given the opposite reaction of what he had expected, Mew gasping with concern overflowing in her expression.

"I mean it! If you were to die because of my absence, I could never forgive myself…" Mew whispered softly. She already felt responsible enough for killing him once, wondering if his close brush with death had given him a much too casual look on the subject.

"So… When I die, you want me to make sure it's in front of you?" Lucario continued with his dark humor, Mew finding herself caught between a smile and a frown.

"We have so much more to talk about," Mew kept going, unabated but his attempts to lighten the issue at hand, "Please stay your recklessness… Just this once!"

"Yeah, yeah…" Lucario mumbled as he waved his hand around, giving up on trying to be funny. He realized that spending so much time with Zerobi was starting to give him a very sinister outlook on life.

Few of them slept well that night, minds running rampant with thoughts of the upcoming mission. While the Gallade had sweet dreams regarding the great battle he was about to film, and Kabutops saw himself at home with his family once again, Pikablu was revisited by haunting nightmares of his deceased little brother. His suddenly awakened hatred made the dream seem all too real, finding himself choking Celebi to death in a fit of rage without any recollection of what had really happened. The intensity of his emotions seemed to spread themselves over to Celebi, who in turn dreamed of fighting Pikablu once more in an attempt to protect her sister from his anger. Zerobi too could not help but feel uneasy, worried about what tomorrow would bring and feeling like something really bad was about to happen.

Like usual, Zoroark found herself completely unable to sleep even a little. Sitting and staring at the horizon, she waited for the arrival of the sun. It would shine for a full day, before leaving and giving way to an event that would surely determine the fate of the world.


	86. Royal Joker Blue

Red and Blue were wasting yet another eventless night away. Bored with their dull task of defending Pokémon Stadium, they found themselves spending their time together locked in fierce battle like usual, rival versus rival with both trying to prove their superiority over the other.

"Squirtle…" Red muttered as he quietly pointed towards his opponent, "… Bubble."

"Cubone, use Snivel!" Blue retorted immediately. Flipping a coin twice, the first came up tails and the second came up heads, eliciting a cheerful whistle from Blue as his Cubone successfully blocked both damage and paralysis.

"Water is meant to be effective against Rock-types…" Red argued with a tired expression, wondering why he was even bothering.

"Not in this game, it isn't!" Blue replied as he rearranged his cards. Using a complicated strategy of Gust of Wind, Scoop Up and an unexpected Hitmonchan, Red quickly found yet another one of his cards knocked out. His experience with real Pokémon battles was interfering with his skills at the card game, and so their first combat of the evening ended with Red's loss. Although not exactly eager to make up for it, he decided to have another round just to help pass the time.

"Alright, stop me if you've heard this one…" Blue started while shuffling his hand, "So, there's this team of scientists doing research over at Cinnabar Island. Place's ruined since the volcanic eruption, but it's pretty big and they've gotta stay there for several weeks."

"Hmm…" Red mutters, wondering what kind of research a molten rock held.

"After a while, one of the younger scientists starts to feel pretty lonely, y'know?" Blue continued with a chuckle, "Can't control his hormones and all that! Checking in with his superiors, he asks how they deal with it. They laugh and say it's only normal, and that they brought something just in case. They decide to give the guy a break and tell him to go open one of the Pokéballs back at camp."

Drawing a card, Red acquired possession of a Professor Oak. He hoped the deceased professor did not mind being used from beyond the grave to defeat his own grandson in a children's card game.

"He goes back, opens the Pokéball, and guess what?" Blue said while rearranging a few of his cards again, "It's a Gardevoir. Elegant and stylish, sure, but… Guy's shocked at his superiors' suggestion. Still, she looks KIND of human, y'know? He's so damn pent up, and was not about to bug the others any further. So, he pulls down his pants and starts doin' her."

Red sighed. He knew all too well where this was going.

"After a while one of the superiors comes back, sees him knee-deep inside the Gardevoir and starts yelling," Blue kept going while suddenly doing an impersonation, "No! We meant for her to teleport you back to town to find a girl and get laid!"

Blue laughed heartily while Red felt obligated to give a mildly amused expression. He had heard the same joke many decades earlier, although in that version it had been a Jynx instead of a Gardevoir. Thinking back, he was pretty sure Blue was the one who had told him back then as well. Wondering if maybe his long-time rival was finally going senile, he looked up to see Blue's smile fade away into an expression of utter shock, obviously staring at something.

Still laughing from his own joke, Blue suddenly saw something pink move near the window to their little shack. Smiling to himself at the thought of some curious Pokémon looking in at their game, he wondered which kind it was. An Audino? A Jigglypuff? His question was answered as not one, but two faces suddenly peered inside.

The first face was pink and had extremely fine hair, two small ears and massive sapphire eyes. The second face was green and looked like a budding flower, two stalks protruding out of its forehead. Blue's expression froze until he felt himself choke on his own spit, immediately recognizing the creatures and helplessly reaching towards the window as both of them promptly flew off.

"Mew!" Blue exclaimed loudly, drawing Red's attention, "Mew and Celebi! Holy fucking WHAT THE SHIT **DID YOU SEE THAT!?**"

Red turned around and looked at the window as Blue practically flew to his feet, grabbed his jacket and sloppily threw on a pair of boots, moving as eagerly as a ten year old boy about to receive his first Pokémon. Seeing nothing but white snow and black darkness outside, Red could only assume that Blue was indeed turning senile, and was about to get a lot colder for it.

"… Calm down…" Red muttered, "… It was most likely just the snow."

"Ah, yes! For sure!" Blue shouted as he ran outside, thinking he was lucky to be getting the two legendaries for himself, "Now sit here and do nothing while I go out and go down in history as the best damn trainer that ever…"

Red heard Blue's voice trail off into a mutter, the antsy trainer already well on his way to verify what he had seen. A few seconds passed as Red sat with nothing to do. Carefully he peeked over at his opponent's hand, seeing that Blue was carrying almost nothing but basic Pokémon cards. Red sighed as he leaned back, realizing that his rival he were still quite different even after all these years.

* * *

><p>"C-C-Cold!" the Umbreon stammered as his pads touched down on the snow, having just been summoned by Blue into a much chillier area than he had hoped.<p>

"… Brisk…" the Espeon whispered before shivering slightly. The two of them looked up at their trainer Blue, who was breathing heavily and had a look of excitement on his face.

"Mew's here, and Celebi too!" Blue yelled happily while rummaging through his pockets for his Pokédex, "You two, sniff them out!"

"C-Can't even smell…" the Umbreon whined with a running nose before sneezing, his ears suddenly perking up, "… Wait, Celebi!? Celebi's here!?"

"… Mew? Truly?" the Espeon repeated with an equally surprised expression.

"Yahoo!" the Umbreon cheered as he began to hop around in anticipation, "Come on, let's get Celebi to send us to the past so we can be cool time travelers!"

"… Sending you into the past would be like signing history's death warrant…" the Espeon muttered with a tone so cold it made the blizzard seem warm and gentle by comparison, "… And I would think the mother of all Pokémon should warrant more attention than a common Grass-"

"Not now, argue later!" Blue shouted with a stern voice as he crouched down and put his hands on his Pokémon's heads, "Tell me, where's Mew and Celebi!?"

"Skyward," something not human replied, and it took Blue a moment to realize that neither of the Eevee siblings had said anything. Instead, both of them were looking up at something, faces frozen in surprise. Faintly recognizing the meaning of the Pokémon speech, Blue slowly turned his head upwards as well. There, floating above him were the legendary Pokémon Celebi and Mew.

Blue's expression exploded into joy as he beheld the two living legends. Pink hair so fine it could only be properly appreciated through a microscope accompanied by a verdant appearance clashing poorly against the cold and lifeless area all around… There was no doubt in his mind. At long last, he had found two of the most elusive legendaries in the world.

His excitement began to turn into nervosity. Mew and Celebi were certainly not large or intimidating, but had a certain presence to them that made Blue feel like an insect. The way they looked at him was unlike anything he had experienced before, like their gazes were piercing into his very soul, and a lifetime of experience with handling Pokémon told him that it was not a peaceful sign.

"E… Eh… Esp…" Blue stammered while nearly tying his own tongue into a knot, "Espeon! Surround us with a barrier so they can't escape!"

"On the contrary," Celebi spoke softly as Mew placed her hands together, turning the surrounding area into a pink hue, "It is you who will not be escaping."

* * *

><p>Red had been staring into the wall for quite some time, feeling a bit unfulfilled with his current situation in life. Aging was in no way glamorous and he had always expected to live out his final years in boredom, but never saw himself in a rickety chair in some shack in the middle of nowhere, waiting for nothing in particular to happen. Still, it was not as bad most people would assume. The six decades leading up to this moment had given him enough adventure to last three lifetimes, and now he just wanted to take it easy and rest. Indeed, the start of his retirement had been sweet, giving him time to enjoy the fruit of his labor and relax while reflecting over his eventful past.<p>

However, he knew his satisfaction had come at a high price. Deoxys had rampaged through the world unhindered, killing thousands of people and Pokémon, all wondering why there was no one skilled and powerful enough to stand up to the threat. It made Red realize that champions like him were never allowed to retire, but had to fight for the sake of others until his bones turned into dust. At least then, he would finally find peace at the end of it all.

A loud knock suddenly shook him out of his thoughts. Another followed, seemingly coming from the door. Thinking Blue had finally gotten fed up with the winter wonderland and strangely eager to continue their children's card game, Red went and opened the door.

Whirling snow quickly slathered his face, but there was no Blue in sight. The wayward rival seeped out of Red's mind though, because standing on top of the bed of snow with arms crossed was a ghost from the past.

"Knock, knock," Pikablu said menacingly, "Can Raikou come out and play?"

Red could not believe what he was seeing. A Pikachu? Out here, on the snowy plains? If there was one species Pokémon he considered himself versed with it was Pikachu, and was fairly certain there were no fitting habitats such as forests or cities anywhere nearby. For forty years his own Pikachu had whined about the cold due to never wanting to go inside his Pokéball, and Red could feel that something about this situation was off.

Even so, Red found himself intrigued by the creature. It was old and nearly as worn by battle as his own partner was shortly before drawing his last, peaceful breath. Despite the Pikachu's smile, Red detected animosity exuding from him, the glint in his eyes telling the aged trainer he had a fight on his hands.

"Hmm… Such untamed ferocity… You could use a trainer…" Red muttered before feeling his mood sullen once more, "But I am retired… Be agitated somewhere else…"

The Pikachu remained steadfast and shook his head, showing that he had no intention of backing down. Red was amazed the seemingly wild fiend understood him, and could not imagine what a Pikachu would ever want to do with an old man like him. He painted up the only plausible scenario he could think of – That he was trespassing upon the Pikachu's territory. Unbeknownst to anyone, the abandoned Stadium now housed Pokémon and he was preventing this Pikachu from coming home.

Feeling distressed and uninformed, Red suddenly thought back to the mission he had been given. Had they expected this? Were they not concerned about random Pokémon causing a ruckus, but rather precognitive beings organizing an attack? He gave the Pikachu one last warning gaze before reaching into his backpack and pulling out a Pokéball.

"No? How stubborn…" Red sighed as he let his own curiosities die off, "… As you wish. I will end this quickly."

* * *

><p>The powerful aura of Raikou flared up in the distance as Lucario gnashed his teeth together.<p>

"Raikou's out," Lucario whispered while tightening his grip around Zoroark's wrist, "You, uh, sure we're completely invisible?"

"Shh," Zoroark replied hastily with an almost entirely soundless hiss, "No one can see us, but they can definitively hear us… We cannot help but leave footprints in the snow, so we must be careful…"

Zerobi felt like pointing out that she was graceful enough to not leave any footprints, but decided not to. She already felt silly enough as the three of them trudged through the snowy landscape, clinging on to one another in a chain formation. Zoroark apparently had the ability to make himself and his surroundings invisible, which would help them get inside the Stadium undetected. But since they could no longer see each other, they needed to "stay in touch" so to speak, and she ended up getting dragged along Lucario who was being tugged along by Zoroark.

Already feeling exhausted from maintaining such a complicated illusion, Zoroark constantly ran the mission through her head over and over. If any of the other parties should fail, it would be up to her to figure out the right course of action. She found herself longing for tomorrow. For better or worse, at least by then this would all be over.


	87. Cardinal Master Red

The exotic Raikou stood tall and proud, not showing the slightest hint of discomfort in the biting chill. He lowered his head as Red adjusted his winter coat and climbed up upon the beast's back, covering himself in the warm, cozy mane.

"Sweet ride. How fast does it go?" Pikablu asked with a mocking tone. He could not shake the feeling that he was but a rat barking at a tiger, and was certain that anyone else in his position would be running for the hills right about now. Even so, Pikablu was not about to falter. Earlier in his life he had matched and perhaps even bested Celebi, a legendary a whole tier above the one currently in front of him.

A frown crossed Red's expression as the Pikachu suddenly made a small hop, stomping down and sinking into the snow. They layer of snow was a good decimeter thick, and so the small rodent found his entire lower body submerged. As if eager to further worsen his predicament, he crouched down and placed his hands against the frozen soil.

"… Reducing your own mobility? Raikou..." Red said with a dull tone as he patted the side of his Pokémon's head, "... Stomp."

Raikou showed no hesitation as he made a ferocious lunge, bringing his forepaw down on Pikablu. As it hit the ground, the lack of moisture in the air caused massive sparks of static electricity to stem from the mighty slam, making the snow around the impact site to scatter in all directions. Raikou lifted his paw, witnessing the crater that had swallowed up the hole as well as the small electric rodent within.

"Actually, I was _increasing_ my mobility. You know, 25%?" Pikablu said while calmly leaning up against Raikou's other foreleg, prompting a startled expression from Red. The electrical charge from Raikou's attack seemed to have latched on to the Pikachu somehow, sparks emanating out of his body in steady pulses.

The legendary dog spent no time figuring out what had happened, instantly sweeping the ground with his great claws. Pikablu did not bother backing away from the fierce attack, instead running directly between the large beast's front legs. Raikou halted his swipe in the last second as he noticed his target disappearing from view, Pikablu suddenly jumping up with all his might and headbutting the great tiger's stomach. An audible cough came from Raikou as he temporarily staggered, Pikablu taking the opportunity to headbutt his foe once again. The legendary dog had apparently had enough of the rat's assault, discharging all of his stored up electricity and surrounding himself with a powerful veil of lightning. However, Pikablu had already escaped from underneath him, crouching several meters away with a sinister smile.

"That's two attacks…" Pikablu said with a voice rattled by the strong electricity running through his body, "… Hmm, you used three? Strange, you seemed pretty damn slow to me!"

"… You…" was all Raikou was able to say, still reeling and feeling queasy from Pikablu's raw force. Red continued staring at the Pikachu while gauging the situation. A moment passed before the old trainer lowered his head and sighed in dismay.

"How unfortunate. I was going to let you go free..." he whispered as he reached into his backpack, bringing out a regular Pokéball from one of the pockets, "... But after such a magnificent display, how can I?"

* * *

><p>"Ugh… Do you smell that…?" Lucario muttered bitterly as he clutched the end of his long snout. His group had just passed the gates of Pokémon Stadium, and as he was not busy experiencing a long-winded flashback this time around he was fully aware of the awful waft coming from inside. It smelled like burnt hair, and there was a defined hint of gore mixed into it. Seeing Zoroark's and Zerobi's equally disgusted expressions, he could tell it was not just his imagination. At the same time, it occurred to him that Zoroark had made them all visible once more.<p>

Meanwhile, Zerobi was dealing with a problem worse than the stench. Her heart palpitated at an alarming rate and her body was tingling all over with the same kind of feeling she got after just having finished carving up an unfortunate victim, about to take her first dip into the bloodbath. It was a good feeling, and that is what worried her.

"There's so much blood in the air!" she tried to whisper, but was unable to hold back the urgency in her voice, "It wasn't this bad before!"

"Hmm? I did trash Torana pretty badly, I guess," Lucario replied confidently, hoping they would not point out that the fiery bird had no hair to be burnt in the first place, and that he had bled a whole lot more than she had. Zoroark felt troubled by the heavy musk of death hanging over them, and quietly ran a claw over her lips to see if they were sticky. It was a common effect from lingering fat in the air, which in itself was a common effect of someone exploding. Sensing nothing, she hoped their sentient blood-detector would continue to keep her informed.

"Follow me," Zoroark ordered as she moved ahead, "And remember that we are here for the virus. We can worry about anything else later, and that includes corpses."

"Right, let's drop the illusion and charge in like real men!" Lucario said while clenching his fists as his excitement quickly turned into worry, "… That is why you dropped the illusion, right?"

"Men?" Zoroark snapped back before suddenly realizing she still had her regular illusion activated, "I mean, yes. Like men."

Zerobi felt left out, being the only girl in the group. She knew groups of three usually came all male, such as the three legendary dogs and the legendary trio. Tugging her mind away from the lingering blood, she found herself wondering how the latter was holding up against the former.

* * *

><p>"Raikou..." Red muttered with an uncaring flick of his wrist, "... Thunderbolt."<p>

The mighty legendary roared and spat out a ball of lightning, the mass of electricity grazing Pikablu as he used his 25% to zoom past it.

"You call that aiming?" Pikablu asked while lowering his hands once more, letting the excess electricity flow out of his body and into the ground, "Probably used to facing bigger targets, huh? That stupid mask is obscuring your vision; let me help you with that!"

Once more he made use of his superior agility to make his way to Raikou unhindered. Not even waiting for Red's commands, Raikou tried to bite down on Pikablu but only got a mouthful of air as the speedy rat jumped up and headbutted the underside of his chin, his teeth crashing together painfully.

"Watch your tongue… Both of you…" Red muttered words of warning as Raikou slowly staggered backwards, not even bothering to strike out at the untouchable Pikachu in front. Pikablu felt his body reaching its limit and decided to temporarily deactivate 25%. Letting all the electricity flow out of him, he smiled as he felt amazed by his own abilities.

"I knew it!" he shouted and crossed his arms in a prideful gesture, "You legendaries are too damn lazy, doing nothing but relying on your inherent abilities! All it took was some training plus a few new skills, and even a guy like me can usurp your throne!"

"… Training…" Raikou repeated slowly with a certain harrowed tone to his voice. It was at that point Red realized the gravity of the situation. He was not simply one command away from going back inside to his warm fireplace and comfy chair, unlike with most of his encounters. For the first time in years, he was actually being met with resistance. Standing up on Raikou's back he gazed down at the creature in front, analyzing his every detail.

"I must say, I am impressed that a wild Pikachu would know of such a high level move…" Red said loudly as he reminisced, "… A most impressive technique. I still remember when I first taught it to my own Pikachu. Blaine's called me a 'cheater' for using it to defeat his Rhydon…"

"… Taught…?" Pikablu repeated with a confused expression. Red sat down again with a slight bit of effort as his knees refused to bend properly, and grabbed onto Raikou's mane once more.

"But for maximum efficiency, you really should apply the technique to a body with greater bulk…" Red explained as he patted the head of his Pokémon and lowered himself, disappearing inside the fluffy mane, "Raikou, show him how it is done."

Something changed in the eyes of the tiger as Pikablu could not help but take a step back, still trying to comprehend what he had just heard. Raikou relaxed his muscles for a moment before slamming the front of his body into the ground, lightning stemming from the impact with a loud crash, surrounding the legendary dog in an aura of flashes and whirling electricity. Throwing his head to the skies and piercing the blizzard with an intimidating howl, Raikou activated the same technique that had led Pikablu through so many battles before.

Unable to do anything but stare in disbelief, Pikablu noticed that he was trembling, and it was not because of the cold.


	88. Enduring Sabertooth Raikou

"I… Impossible…" Pikablu stammered as he suddenly felt himself run low on air, "My technique… It was so difficult to master…"

Raikou stood before him and looked down with an intimidating glare, covered by a veil of electricity with sparks randomly shooting out of his body.

"… Your…?" Raikou said questioningly as his voice was distorted from all the electricity running through his body, making him even less intelligible than usual. Thinking back to the merciless training Pikablu had put himself through, he did not believe for a second that Raikou or anyone else for that matter had managed to go through the same torturous ordeal.

However, what truly worried him was that fact that if the technique let a regular Pikachu like himself take on legendaries such as Celebi, how strong would it make an already beastly foe like Raikou?

"Tch!" Pikablu spat as he crouched down and activated 25%, his body exploding into an aura of thunder. He had not done it a moment too soon as Raikou sprang into action, the huge monster flying at him like a bullet. Pikablu did not even have time to react as he found himself struck by a few hundred kilograms of charging legendary, Raikou tackling him with the side of his body.

"UGH!" Pikablu coughed as he flew back, but immediately as he landed on the ground he retaliated, jumping back and responding with his own tackle to Raikou's face. Staggering for only a fraction of a second, the large tiger charged and struck back at Pikablu again, instantly moving at the speed of a rampant locomotive despite not having accelerated at all. Pikablu grit his teeth through the pain and once more tried to retaliate as he hit the ground, but instead felt his body shut down and collapse from exertion.

"Gh… Gah…" Pikablu stammered as he struggled to keep control the electricity running through him, but felt it grow unwieldy. About to be torn asunder from inside out, he was forced to conduct the electricity into the ground where it quickly dissipated.

"I suggest you cease trying to trade blows with someone approximately fifteen times your size…" Red mused as he emerged from Raikou's mane and crossed his arms, "… And although that technique makes you both very fast, your reaction time should remain unchanged. You may move like a bolt of lightning… But can you dodge one…?"

Pikablu groaned and clutched his forehead. His strenuous training had made him nearly immune to all pain, so he had not realized that his body had taken so much damage and was too frail to match brute force with Raikou. He knew he would have to try a different approach, or this battle would not last much longer.

"… Don't make me laugh!" Pikablu taunted as he stood up and reactivated 25%, "Your body's too big and bulky! You're just a big canister of electricity! Let me show you the difference between you and a genuine bolt of lightning!"

* * *

><p>The deeper they went into Pokémon Stadium, the less certain of herself Zerobi became. Each footstep added another layer to the already heavy musk of blood in the air, and she was certain she was already feeling some of their effects just by inhaling. She lowered her head and breathed in and out at a slow pace to keep her mind steady, hoping things would not get worse before they got any better.<p>

Lucario and Zoroark looked at her with concerned expressions, the foul stench not going lost on either of them. They had arrived at the iron gates leading up to the stands, which was their destination. Sighing audibly, Zoroark went ahead and began to fiddle with the lock, inserting two of her spiky claws.

"Zerobi. The source of this blood is where we are heading," Zoroark muttered as Zerobi flinched and lifted her head, "Can you handle it? This mission is far too important for you to become a liability."

"I can…" Zerobi said before stopping herself, thinking this was probably not the best subject to feign hardiness with, "I… Probably can… Depends on how much blood there is…"

"Smells like a lot," Lucario pointed out as he clutched his queasy stomach, "Urk… Maybe even I can't handle it. I just barely managed to force down breakfast."

A clinking sound echoed through the hall Zoroark finished undoing the lock, but deliberately kept the gate closed. Turning around, she faced Zerobi with a stern expression. Zerobi met her gaze as Zoroark examined her, the two Dark-types staring at each other for a while. Noticing Zerobi's labored breathing, Zoroark decided to ease up and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Listen. Lucario and I can handle things from now on, you stay here and secure our escape route," Zoroark said with calmness to her voice, "The last thing we need is a surprise ambush as we flee."

Zerobi looked down before slowly nodding, feeling disappointed in herself.

"Hey," Lucario muttered as he patted her back, "It's the smart thing to do, we didn't expect there to be blood down there. Anything's better than you going crazy, right?"

"Ah… Well…" Zoroark suddenly interrupted, holding up a finger. She stopped herself as Zerobi and Lucario looked at her in confusion, the revolutionary obviously at a loss for words.

"… I was hoping it would come naturally… That I would not have to ORDER you to do this, but…" Zoroark whispered before putting more strength behind her voice, "If Lucario and I fail, I want you to head inside, lather yourself in blood and slaughter everyone."

A moment of silence passed before Zerobi gasped and Lucario inhaled sharply, feeling an involuntary twitch of anger and surprise around his temples.

"A… Are you insane!?" Zerobi burst out with indignation, forcing Zoroark to approach her and make a hushing gesture.

"Shh! Listen! Have you forgotten what is at stake here?" Zoroark explained with a shred of panic across her face, "Even if we die and even if you must surrender your reformed life… The virus cannot remaining in their hands, or this was all for nothing!"

Swallowing hard, Zerobi forced herself to keep a straight face. The very same person that had demanded she never touch a drop of blood again was now practically forcing her to do it.

"You are this team's greatest asset, and it is for this express purpose I brought you along," Zoroark continued while moving her arms around, displaying a sense of urgency, "You have experience with killing in vast quantities, do you not? If we do not return, the main force will make their move to retrieve the virus. Just cooperate, they have been ordered to put you down should you prove troublesome."

"… I'm not some rabid animal!" Zerobi hissed angrily at the sinister proposal, "And I did not come here ready to risk my life!"

"Everyone's life is already at risk, yours included," Zoroark muttered depressingly, "I am giving you a chance at redemption. Is that not what you told me you wanted? Lucario, am I out of line here?"

"Yes!" Lucario burst out, having finally reclaimed the words he was looking for all this time, "The enemy is out there, not here! You're saying something down there's going to kill us!? Like I'd let that happen!"

"… You don't know that…" Zerobi whispered quietly before shaking her head. It seemed unreal, that she might be forced to engage in what she had abstained from for so long. A few years back the prospect might have excited her, but now she could only associate her bloodlust with misery and regret.

"Stop thinking about it," Lucario said reassuringly as he suddenly put his arms on both her shoulders, "I won't die. But if I do, I'll give 'em hell so you don't have to."

Zerobi did not have time to react or respond as Lucario was suddenly pulled away from her, Zoroark dragging him with her behind the steel fence.

"We have already wasted too much time," Zoroark muttered sternly, "People are bleeding for us up there. Let us hurry."

"W-Wait!" Zerobi stammered abruptly as she reached out for Lucario, "K-Kiss for good luck?"

"Uh… Sure, when I get back," Lucario replied while scratching the back of his head, not having brought any mint and already close to barfing from the smell of death and roasted skin all around. Detaching from one another, Zoroark and Lucario hastily slipped behind the iron bars and disappeared down the corridor, out of sight from Zerobi but definitively not out of mind.

* * *

><p>Raikou threw his massive body into a tackle, narrowly missing as Pikablu rolled to the side in the very last second. As the legendary skidded over the frosty soil, Pikablu saw his opportunity and moved gracefully on top of the snow, chasing down the considerably heavier legendary still recovering from the fearsome lunge. He mustered up all his strength and shot out like a rocket towards his opponent's hindquarters, but Raikou proved himself to be just as agile as his opponent by avoiding it through a strangely acrobatic jump and mid-air twirl.<p>

"Whew," Pikablu exhaled as he landed on the ground and decided to take a break from the assault, "Your ballet might give uncle sissy a run for his money!"

"… You talk… Big…" Raikou wheezed as he caught his breath, "… For such a… Tiny rodent…"

"Oh, do I? In truth, I could just go all-out and wipe the floor with you any second…" Pikablu growled before drawing a heavy breath, "… But those techniques are too unwieldy and would kill you, Red and probably me too. I've got things to live for now, and I'm not squandering them for you."

Unable to read Raikou's expression behind the mask, Pikablu found himself thinking of Anne back home again. It felt strange that a world containing such a peaceful existence was the very same that had placed him into this hectic battle.

He knew that if he had wanted to, he could have avoided all of this and stayed at home. He was old after all, Celebi and the rest of the trio would have understood. Yet still, although he was beginning to feel the labors of a bad back and stiff neck, his youthful spirit was all but extinguished. There was still something he had never quite finished.

"Going down in legend's one thing. Could've done that whenever I wanted to," Pikablu explained before shrugging, "But now, I actually want to be there to enjoy it. Ain't no use to me when I'm dead. Fight with all your might, because the battle of how a simple Pikachu became a legendary will be retold for generations to come!"

"… Unwarranted… Self-confidence…" Raikou muttered angrily, the small rat's arrogance serving to defile his precious memories of Red's Pikachu.

"Maybe. But to win, I don't need to go 75% or 100% anymore," Pikablu said before raising his voice to a shout, "One might say I have a more POSITIVE outlook on life!"

The effect of his shout was immediate. For the first time since the start of the battle, Red's eyes darted away from the yellow mouse to witness a sudden altercation to the battlefield. In two separate areas, the snow was beginning to move, two previously unseen figures standing up and making their appearance. The first quietly shook in order to get the snow off him, while the other one suddenly jumped ahead, instantly clearing himself from the frozen water and landing directly in front of Raikou. Red stared in disbelief as the Gallade in front of him suddenly pointed to the heavens and struck a pose.

"Sha-zaam! Prepare from trouble, and make it double!" the Gallade spoke with a big smile and determination in his voice, "To protect the world from devastation, the impregnable duo is here to rescue our trusted companion from a painful death at the hands of a psychotic legendary! Our journey has been long… Our trials many… But in this pale moonlight, we find ourselves at the gates of the final confrontation! Say your last prayers as we, the heroes of justice, put an end to your tyrannical rule over Pokémon so unfairly captured! Time has come for you to step down, and leave the world to a new generation! With me as the king and you as an old queen, let the snow be our ballroom and the wind our orchestra! Now, come with me and let's boogie, baby!"

The Gallade finished by striking another pose, holding his hands in front of him in a taunting gesture. A long, awkward silence followed as everyone stared at him, Pikablu slapping his forehead with an open palm while Kabutops shook out the last bit of snow caught inside his left shoulder.

"The camera is broken," Kabutops said monotonously, "Raikou stepped on it."

The Gallade was wondering why Kabutops wasn't following the script as he put extra effort into smiling for the hidden camera, suddenly noticing a cracked lens sticking up from one of the many paw-shaped footprints in the snow. His mouth fell open as his scripted sequence came crashing down all around him, staring at the wreck that was supposed to have captured his greatest moment of cinema.

"NOOOOOOOOOO!" the Gallade screamed with anguish and ran up to the broken camera, kneeling next to it and slowly picking up the ruined lens. In it, he saw a broken reflection of himself, telling him his gallant speech had not been recorded. With a furious gaze, he turned towards Red and pointed at Raikou.

"You will pay for this, you… You simpleton!" he yelled angrily as his voice turned into a higher pitch, "You may think me bested, but I brought a Polaroid! I will pose on top of your unconscious body and take pictures! SO MANY PICTURES!"

Still flabbergasted by the psychic's odd behavior, Pikablu was the first to snap out of it and walked up to the Gallade with the intention of kicking him in the shin for ruining the atmosphere. However, he found his trek hindered as a most unusual sound was emanating from in front of the Gallade. Looking up in disbelief, he saw what looked like Red, hunched over himself and shaking lightly. He felt as if his own senses were betraying him as he realized that the aged trainer, the very same person who so far had not shown even a shred of emotion, was without any doubt laughing to himself.

"Hnf… Hnffnf…" Red chuckled before lifting his head and looking at the Gallade, "I believe you and Blue would get along quite well with one another."

The Gallade stood frozen for a second before nodding in gratitude, completely forgetting his position. The old man had broken into a smile, and he soon turned his head towards Kabutops who remained unfazed in face of the happy expression.

"And you look an awful lot like that fossil I gave up in Mt. Moon," Red said as he tapped the side of his chin, "I suppose that super nerd successfully revived you? Who'd have thought it was actually possible…? Be grateful, the one I picked is still lying in a box somewhere."

At the sound of this, even the stoic Kabutops could not help but twitch. He did not have time to ponder Red's statement before the Pokémon trainer suddenly unhinged his backpack, opening the biggest pocket and beginning to rummage around. Ignoring that he was in the middle of combat, his smile only grew wider as he seemed to have sunken into his own little world.

"What a night… A genuine ambush, of all things…" Red whispered to himself with a hint of admiration in his voice, "A wild Pikachu, handling himself like a legendary… An extinct being, about to put that old museum in Pewter out of business… And that Gallade… Fellow…"

The members of the legendary trio wondered what was about to happen when Red suddenly pulled something out of his backpack. Expecting it to be a Masterball or some manner of trainer's tool, they were surprised to see that it was but a regular white and red cap. It looked very old, lightly torn and tattered at the edges. There were signs of repetitive damage and repair, stitches and filth covering every inch. It would have seemed like garbage to anyone else, but Red continued staring at it with an adoring gaze, lightly caressing it. He had not seen it for quite some time. It had been lying at the bottom of the backpack he always brought, but never had to use because all his fights were usually over in one stroke.

The cap seemed to be in disrepair, but such was not the case. Every notch, every burn mark and every faint fragrance brought another memory to life inside of Red. A mildly displeasing aroma hung in the air as he recalled the time he had accidentally slept next to a Gloom after forgetting to put her back in her Pokéball for the night, worrying that the stench would never go away. He snickered to himself, thinking of how right he had been. He felt a slightly sticky segment inside, where Blue had placed a piece of gum to get it stuck in his hair after their seemingly peaceful encounter on S.S. Anne. He knew the hat looked like crap, but to him it was far more beautiful now than when he had first won it from the Pokémon League Expo all those decades ago. Slowly lifting it, he placed it on top of his head, glad to see that it still fit.

"Appears there are still a few interesting encounters to be had in this life," Red mumbled quietly as he felt a tinge of discomfort, "But… Something seems off…"

He twisted and turned the hat which seemed unfamiliar somehow, not quite finding the correct spot around his cranium. Suddenly it hit him, and he grabbed a hold of the front. Pulling it, he turned it backwards on his head and as if it was sending signals directly into his brain, he was immediately overcome by even more nostalgia.

Pikablu grit his teeth. Normally he would have intervened and put a stop to the silly display, but something had drastically changed in the trainer before him. His eyes were no longer the weary oculars of a man with one foot in the grave. They were sharp, filled with confidence and frightening competence. His tired expression had been replaced by the cockiness of a prodigy teenager, one that knew he was the best and would gladly show everyone why. The faded being upon the massive legendary was gone, and Red was now exuding such an overwhelming presence that even Raikou dwarfed beneath him. Grabbing a Pokéball from his backpack, he held it in front of himself as his smile turned into a grin.

"Gotta catch 'em all isn't a goal… It's a way of life," Red said as he threw up the Pokéball, letting it spin around in midair before catching it again, "And unfortunately for you, it seems mine has just picked back up."


	89. Crestfallen Legendary Trio

Everything was set. Pikablu had finished packing his bags and checked the stolen wristwatch one final time, knowing full well he had plenty of hours left before meeting up with Kabutops and the Gallade. Still, dawn had already broken he was eager to leave before waking up Anne, quietly slipping out of the front entrance to their humble home.

"Leaving again…?" Anne asked, making the normally stoic Pikachu cringe. He had hoped to make it out of the forest before she realized.

"Y… Yeah," Pikablu replied quietly without turning around, "Urgent call from Celebi. Getting the gang together for something big."

"I really wish you wouldn't," Anne whispered from behind, and he did not have to see her face to tell that she was concerned about him. A rather common scenario as of late.

"Come on… You're still worried?" Pikablu muttered confidently, "I'm practically legendary. What's gonna happen? Who's gonna hurt me?"

The lack of a response told him that the argument was weighing in his favor, but that she would not be convinced that easily.

"Don't wait up," Pikablu said with a shrug, "I'll be back before you know it, with a crazy story to tell everone!"

"Just make sure it has a happy ending," Anne said and moved ahead to give Pikablu a hug. They relished in embrace for a moment before separating, Pikablu disappearing inside the thicket of the forest.

* * *

><p>The pleasant memory faded as Pikablu found it impossible to fully immerse himself within a better time and place in his life. Instead he was forced to focus as Red finally made his move, and he was both eager and afraid to see what masterful tactic the wise trainer would begin his assault with.<p>

"Raikou, shake things up," Red said as he cheerfully patted Raikou's head, "Slam, or… Tackle. Whatever you feel like."

About to point out just how lame that was, the Gallade was interrupted as Raikou violently charged towards them, Kabutops being the main target.

"Main character's over here, doofus!" the Gallade shouted as he erected a wall of psychic force in front of his friend. Raikou's heavy body only lost slight momentum as he crashed through it, but it gave Pikablu enough time to activate 25% and ram into Raikou's side. Kabutops tried to join into the fray as well, but found himself too hampered by the surrounding snow to close the distance fast enough. Raikou and Pikablu ignored the new arrivals and resumed their previous tussle, trading a few blows before breaking off.

"HEY, I didn't summon you two just to get beaten!" Pikablu yelled to his companions with an angry huff, "Stick to the plan!"

"The plan?" Red repeated as he vaguely understood what the yellow Pokémon had said, "I suppose it involves defending that fragile psychic as he prepares a decisive attack?"

Pikablu's ear involuntarily twitched as he froze up, wondering how on earth Red had figured things out so quickly. Keeping his face stone cold, he stopped himself from swallowing his built up saliva and feigned an expression of confusion, not wanting to let the trainer deduct anything more. It did not help.

"I saw your ear wiggle. That means my guess hit a little too close for comfort," Red continued smugly before pointing towards the Gallade, "And you. Before creating that barrier I saw your lower abdomen flex, signaling a defensive pose or retreat despite the fact that the attack was directed towards your ally. Your intentions are all too apparent."

Everything fell quiet as Pikablu muttered a plethora a foul words, Kabutops sighed and the Gallade's eyes flew wide open.

"Wh-What the hell!?" the Gallade burst out in disbelief, their entire plan of attack ruined before it had even begun.

"Doesn't matter! Stop trembling and get started, we've got no time to waste!" Pikablu shouted to the wimpy psychic before defiantly facing Red and Raikou, "Alright, you got us, but can you stop us? Kabutops, something weird thing to catch him off guard!"

Giving off another sigh, Kabutops took a few steps forward. The surrounding blizzard was beginning to dissipate while he lowered his head and crossed his arms, his scythes touching at the base and forming a giant crescent. Pikablu and the Gallade hastily covered their ears, while Kabutops himself was able to use his unusual earlids to achieve the same results. In a rapid motion he lashed out with his scythes while letting them rub against one another, creating a horrible screeching noise. Ready to jump into action, his hopes of surprising the stunned legendary disappeared as he lifted his head and saw that the enormous tiger was unfazed.

Red was leaning forward, covering Raikou's decently sized ears with the palms of his hands. An impressed smile crossed the old trainer's face as he sat back once more.

"Pokémon battles can be so loud," Red spoke with a cool voice as he tapped his right ear, "The fact that I always wear earplugs is the only reason I do not require hearing aid nowadays."

Temporary silence reigned as Pikablu once more growled something evil, Kabutops sighed deeply and the Gallade's mouth fell open.

"OK, so, like, the time to fail?" the Gallade stammered as he realized just how badly they were being trumped and worked harder on preparing for their decisive attack, "Not now!"

"… Be quiet and hurry…" Kabutops muttered with disdain, already fed up with his role to protect the Gallade. He began walking towards the massive Raikou in order to pull aggro, all while tapping into the bravery hidden within the deeper reaches of his mind.

He knew 'bravery' was hardly the right description for it, though. Raikou was huge and fearsome, and anyone with semi-normal instincts would shrink back in an instant. However, Kabutops knew his instincts were far from normal. He came from an era of endless violence, surviving on a day-to-day basis through battle and murder. As he relaxed his inhibitions and flicked the internal switch that commonly instilled morality into his actions, he faced Raikou in a new state of mind.

Readying his scythes, he rushed towards Raikou at a fairly slow and clumsy pace, his sturdy shell weighing him down and the snowy ground hindering him.

"Raikou, Thundershock," Red muttered with a tinge of disappointment. As awesome as the ancient Pokémon looked, he was beginning to realize why their species had gone extinct in the first place, their inefficient movement certainly not helping them in fleeing or hunting. Deciding to finish this quickly in order to focus on stopping the Gallade, Raikou shot out a massive line of thunder.

But as the lightning receded, Kabutops was nowhere to be seen. Red immediately realized what was happening.

"Raikou! Underneath the snow!" he shouted while pointing down to the ground. A faint scuffling sound could be heard as the bed of snow rustled, Kabutops crawling under it like an agitated insect.

"Raikou, use Strength to cause tremors!" Red ordered as he crouched down and held onto Raikou for dear life. Feeling his master secure on top, Raikou lifted his upper body before thrusting down with both forepaws, striking the ground with such power that it caused the ground to shake violently. Searching frantically for the overgrown bug with the intention of pouncing over his stunned form, Raikou was instead caught off guard as something came flying through the air towards his right hind leg. Thinking Pikablu had decided to tackle him again, he moved his leg to the side, but felt a sharp sting as something reached out and slashed through it.

Kabutops withdrew his scythes before crashing down on the ground, not feeling the impact at all thanks to his hard exterior. Looking back at his deed, he saw a gash across one of the legendary's legs, a line of blood trickling down his feet. There was blood stuck on his scythes as well, and he shook it off as he gauged the situation and lamented. His attack had meant to cripple the beast's movement, but due to Raikou's highly developed limbs, even a direct attack wasn't enough to sever anything of relative importance. At worst the legendary would feel a light sting from it.

Red patted Raikou's head to see if he was OK, before turning towards Kabutops with an unimpressed expression.

"Oh, please. Not even a Ground-type attack?" Red chided while shaking his head, "You will not topple an Electric-type like that!"

"Same goes for you!" sounded a voice from behind, and Raikou immediately reacted as Pikablu followed up Kabutops' assault, throwing out a bolt of lightning. Kabutops noted that Raikou was looking away and decided to use his special technique once more. Hopping upwards, he suddenly unleashed a torrent of water behind himself, the pressure propelling his compact body through the air like a thrown rock. Raikou absorbed Pikablu's electricity with ease, and sidestepped as Kabutops flew past him again, this time missing with his scythes completely.

During all of this, Red was busy figuring out what was happening. He too had found himself distracted by Pikablu, but understood that a short, bulky creature like a Kabutops should not be able to move so quickly. Observing the area, he noted two minor trails of melted snow around them, and began to figure things out.

"Raikou, Misty-five maneuver!" Red shouted as Raikou continued trying to hit the two smaller Pokémon constantly chipping away at him. Hearing his trainer's commands, he quickly turned towards the Kabutops and lunged.

"… As you wish…!" Kabutops hissed, waiting until the very last second to fire a beam of water underneath, launching himself upwards. It was one of his a favorite tactics when an enemy would charge at him, as they would find him suddenly gone only to have his body crash down on their heads like a heavy rock. Considering the opponent he was facing, he decided to add a decisive slash from both his arms to the impact, hopefully putting a stop to the legendary once and for all.

"Raikou, Thundershock!" Red yelled as Raikou stuck his paw into the trail of water left behind. Unleashing a mighty burst of electricity, at the blink of an eye it travelled up the pillar of water which did not have time to dissipate before the attack had reached its source. Bypassing his shell, electricity coursed through Kabutops' insides, mercilessly running through vital organs that had not been harmed in years. Kabutops had no idea what was going on as he continued preparing his counterattack, realizing that his body was no longer listening to him. His mind never registered the sensation of falling down as he simply continued floating in a world of darkness.

"Shit!" Pikablu exclaimed as Kabutops fell down on the snow, rendered unconscious before hitting the ground. He did not know how or why, but Red had immediately figured out and countered yet another of their strategies. Looking back at the Gallade, he was relieved to see the psychic locked in deep concentration, showing that their main strategy had yet to fail.

Returning a Pokéball into his backpack, Red eyed the fallen fossil pensively. He had expected a Pokémon that prided itself on high defense to last at least one attack, mad that he had missed his opportunity to catch such a rare thing. He would have to treat the remaining two more carefully, especially the Pikachu who was definitively overexerting himself and prone to lose consciousness at any given moment. Still, even though he was unsure of exactly what manner of decisive attack the Gallade was planning, he knew it would only make it harder for him to hold back, and so he decided to put a stop to it as quickly as possible.

"Fine work, Raikou. Execute Sabrina-two maneuver," Red muttered as he reached out and scratched underneath one of Raikou's ears, "Target the Gallade, brace yourself for minor psychic assaults."

A chill ran through the Gallade, as it always did when he heard his name mentioned. However, this time it was not a chill of pleasure, but one of fear.

"No!" the Gallade burst out as he noticed the huge legendary rushing towards him, "No, no, no!"

"Like I'd let that happen!" Pikablu shouted, already pissed from seeing one of his allies fall in battle. He activated 25% and zipped behind Raikou, attempting to strike at his wounded hind leg. But as Raikou was already heading towards the Gallade, the leg was in constant motion and Pikablu found it difficult to target. Re-adjusting his plan, he used the electricity stored up in his body to fire an arrow of thunder at the bloodied leg. However, just like before the electricity simply sunk into Raikou's body, not even causing a minor stir to the open wound.

"NO NO NO NO NO!" the Gallade continued chanting as he turned around and started running, giving up on preparing for their decisive attack. He made it three steps before feeling something bite into his neck, being violently tugged back and thrown down to the ground.

"AHH!" the Gallade screamed as Raikou suddenly put his forepaws around him, locking him inside a strange hug. Sparks of electricity escaped the enormous tiger's hold as the Gallade's screaming intensified. Pikablu knew attacking the leg wouldn't do much as this point, instead activating 25% again and smashing into Raikou's side. The massive legendary flinched but did not let go, and Pikablu could hear the Gallade's wails of terror and pain from inside weakening. Realizing how badly things were go if his final teammate was taken out, he began to helplessly tug and pull at Raikou's thick limbs, finding them impossible to pry off.

"15 seconds… Yes, I believe he should be about done," Red said confidently, stealing a humorous comment that an onlooker had shouted during some old battle. Raikou eased up and leaped back, leaving behind the unmoving husk of the Gallade. Pikablu felt like immediately chasing Raikou and beating the crap out of him, but decided against it and ran up to the fallen Gallade.

The slender psychic had no visible damage across his body, but was obviously hurt badly. With a panicked expression and staggered movements, he reached up a hand to his face and felt around a bit, giving off a sigh of relief as he realized he had not been disfigured in any way.

"Thank… God…" the Gallade wheezed, "I… Still… Have… So… Much… More… To… Give…"

"No kidding! Get up!" Pikablu yelled as he kicked the Gallade in the side, "You're not done with the attack yet!"

The Gallade flinched slightly, but remained lying down.

"I'm… Done…" the Gallade muttered as his expression fell, "Sorry… I'm… A… Failure… To… The… End…"

After that, he turned his head to the side and closed his eyes, apparently losing consciousness. Raising his hand to smack him awake, Pikablu instead let it fall down in defeat as he realized two thirds of the legendary trio had effortlessly been taken out by the troublesome legendary.

"And so, this is a duel once more," Red spoke with a hint of dismay in his voice, well aware that at this pace the battle would be over before he knew it. He did not even bother capturing the Gallade, assuming him to be unconscious or too weakened to put up a struggle. Pikablu stood up and faced the trainer, his heart pounding so hard it made his chest hurt.

Without saying a word he let the electricity flow through his body, the powers of 25% letting him leap towards his enemy at an alarming speed. Raikou quickly matched both his technique and speed, meeting him halfway there. Knowing his tiny body was no match for that of the legendary, Pikablu discharged his stored up thunder right in his face, watching carefully as it rained over Raikou. Many of the lightning strikes seemed to have little effect, being immediately drawn into the giant dog's body like it was a lightningrod, a few direct hits causing his mask to rattle but not harming the creature in itself.

Raikou kept up his charge and smacked into Pikablu, not even bothering to change his pose into a tackle or ram as he continued running. Groaning from the impact, Pikablu was thrown off to the side.

"Raikou equals your speed, and has you beaten in toughness as well as power of electricity," Red said calmly as Raikou skidded to a halt and turned around. Pikablu slowly got up and brushed some of the snow away from his face, putting on a bitter smile. He knew the time had finally come.

"You picked a baaaaad day to mess with my crew," he spat before carefully rubbing his strained cheeks in anticipation for what was to come, "This is where things gets interesting. Look up."

Red took a few seconds to interpret what the Pikachu had said, suddenly realizing that the blizzard had completely stopped. Turning his gaze upwards, he noticed that the sky was now only lightly clouded, but what caught his attention even more was one very tall cloud stretching high above them.

"That's an Anvil Cloud, if you're wondering," Pikablu continued as he finished his massage of his cheeks, ready to put them to full use, "There's no way I could make something like that. So, I enlisted the help of someone a bit more positive…"

Once again Red felt out of the loop, giving up on trying to understand the Pikachu's crass mumblings and instead piecing things together. In the middle of it all, he simply happened to be looking around when he saw something at the corner of his eyes.

"Raikou, behind!" Red shouted as he tugged at Raikou's mane, but Pikablu knew it was too late. The Gallade flinched as Raikou noticed that the flamboyant psychic was neither dead nor dying, but had already finished reshaping the skies to prepare for the attack.

"Hey, you really thought I was done for, huh?" the Gallade said with a haughty expression before raising his voice and ducking down, "That's what makes me an ACTOR!"

"Raikou-" Red began giving orders, as a cracking boom from above interrupted the trainer. Pikablu derived pleasure from watching the old master jump in surprise, knowing it was not the kind of noise one would normally hear from a thundercloud. Pikablu had used negative lightning many times in the past, only recently having realized that the rare positive lightning could reach powers ten times beyond that of regular lightning, and felt more than happy to show this to his opponents firsthand.

In an instant, the sky was filled with an impossibly bright light. Red hastily crouched as the lightning sought the highest target available, striking down directly into Raikou's forehead. The overgrown dog shrieked in pain and fear as a crack could be heard, his crest snapping in two from the relentless force of the skies. Pikablu stared as Raikou's mask fell off his face, before his vision turned into complete whiteness.

A few moments passed. The lightning had long since receded, but had been of such intense brightness his eyes was taking a long time adjusting back to their normal state.

"Calm down, boy… It's OK…" Red's voice spoke, overcome with worry. Pikablu felt that things were boding well as he could make out the large figure in front of him. Something like a snivel could be heard, but he dismissed it.

"I'm here… You're safe…" Red continued as Pikablu began to see him, no longer sitting on top of the legendary but rather standing in front of him, gently caressing his forehead. The details became clearer to Pikachu, but immediately he wished they weren't. What he saw next made his stomach turn.

What the mask had once covered was a deformed apparition beyond anything Pikablu had ever witnessed before. Above Raikou's eyes, bald cancerous flesh protruded from the otherwise majestic body, uneven lumps forming hills of unnatural shapes. Between his eyes was no flesh at all, his nasal bone visible to everyone while edged with rotten residue of skin. As Pikablu forced himself to stare at the abomination, he noted several small holes all around the forehead, none of which seemed to have healed particularly well. It was a twisted appearance that seemed to be the cause of fire, acid, shunted birth or perhaps all of the above.

"That was a brilliant move, with devastating consequences…" Red spoke with a sullen voice as he faced Pikablu, "I know not why you have challenged me this day, but for the sake of my Pokémon, I am willing to retire from combat. All I ask in return is that you do not speak of what you have seen this day."

Pikablu stood speechless as the Gallade shook his head, also having regained his eyesight.

"Uh… What did we see this day?" the Gallade stammered carefully, surprised that Raikou's regal appearance had hidden such an ugly creature all this time. Red looked back at his Pokémon and sighed.

"Over-production of growth hormones. Unstoppable brain tumor. Lobotomy only solution…" Red repeated what the doctors had told him so many years ago, the words sounding as unreal coming out of his mouth as it had theirs, "… The list of afflictions for being born from the gene pool of the legendaries are endless. Raikou here does not speak much anymore, and has trouble making decisions for himself…"

Trying to hide his face in shame, Raikou squirmed pitifully in Red's grasp. Red made an effort to hold on, knowing he needed to explain things fully to protect his Pokémon.

"Raikou, Suicune, Entei… We were assigned to be their caretakers, to give them a chance at life so ruthlessly bereft by fate," Red continued while thinking of Ethan and Brendan, "But never had I expected my boy to be bested by a wild Pikachu. I do not blame you, it was due to my carelessness as a trainer. Will you allow me to make up for my mistake and return to a Pokécenter in order to treat my loyal friend?"

Pikablu and the Gallade stared in disbelief, unable to think of anything to say about the abrupt end of the battle.

"… What's this…?" Pikablu whispered to himself as his mouth dried up, "… Really…? All this time…?"

He could not understand what he was seeing. In front of him was a fierce beast, an unmatched monster, wiggling and crying like a baby. The books he had read and stories heard about Raikou… So far from the truth…

"Hey, hey…" Pikablu mumbled angrily, "Was kind of expecting something more, here…"

He felt his breath come in harder, more ragged than when he had been in the middle of combat. He felt his anticipation diminish, and before his vision saw all his dreams of besting a true legendary go up in smoke.

"Raikou… The world is in awe of your strength… Words of 'omnipotence' being thrown around…" Pikablu growled while putting on a face of terrifying rage, "Even the likes of Celebi feared getting on your bad side… A walking manifestation of thunder… And all this time… You were a goddamn CRIPPLE!?"

Raikou flinched as Pikablu raised his voice, Red struggling to interpret what was being said. Pikablu bit down hard, pointing accusingly at the two of them.

"… Nothing but a sham… You legendaries are unworthy, EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU!" he continued with his tirade while slapping a hand to his own chest, "I trained! I studied! I fought! I suffered! All you did was get born into a large body, and people revered you!? What makes a pathetic shithead like you better than me!? You're not, and finally I'll prove it to the world!"

A snicker began to build up in his chest, quickly escalating into full laughter.

"Hah… Hahaha! I don't even have to beat you!" Pikablu chuckled menacingly, "I could just knock out your master and leave you here… You'd stumble around like a retard and freeze to death! HELL was the training I went through to kill someone like you, and I could've easily killed when I was a kid! You're like a baby! A harmless infant, needing some old man to keep me from placing a pillow over your face!"

He thought he heard the Gallade say something, but had many years ago learned how to block out the annoyance. Had he listened to that weak yellow-belly, he would never have tortured the Dragonite into revealing Celebi's location, and would never have found the peace of mind he sought back then. He would not be here right now to save all the Pokémon in the world. Why was he the only one to realize that to get things done, sometimes one would have to get rough?

"Brace yourself, fucker. I've waited long enough," Pikablu growled as he walked towards Raikou, charging up a powerful thunderbolt, "Are you scared? Trembling? Don't worry, I'll do what your spineless master couldn't and finally put you out of your misery. No cameras, I'll just say you attacked me and I fried your brain so hard it fucking exploded and made your ugly face retarded!"

Raikou stared back at him with an expression of horror, his entire body shaking. He was not alone; Pikablu was also shaking. The muscles around his neck would not stop flexing in excitement. In the middle of it all, he felt the presence of his loved ones cheering him on, telling him to finally fulfill his ambitions. His sweet little brother, always looking up to him and dreaming of the legendaries… His dear spouse, sticking with him no matter what and eagerly awaiting his triumphant return… His fans, wanting to see him kick some ass… His allies, depending on him to handle Raikou… Indeed, every single Pokémon in the world was behind him on what he was about to do, as he would be the one responsible for saving them from the deadly virus.

"I'll be the legendary people thought you were. I'll be a hero who overcame his species!" Pikablu bellowed while clenching his every muscle to the point of straining, "My name will be spoken for generations to come, FOR I AM THE LEGENDARY PIKAB-"

The name only made it halfway out of his throat before his gut suddenly sucked it back in. A dull ache built up in his neck as he put his arms against it, the rapid pulses running through his body beginning to hurt. Strange sensations had been emanating from his insides for a while, but only now was he recognizing them. The noise all around was drowned out by the pounding of his heart, and it made him feel nausea. He instinctively clutched his chest as a sudden pain shot through it and he felt an immense pressure over him, his lungs refusing his command as he could no longer breathe. Trying to keep his focus, he saw Red and Raikou stare at him, but with each passing moment the surrounding world began to grow hazy.

"Someone…!" Pikablu groaned as it felt as if someone was standing on top of his chest and crushing him, "Anne… Celebi… B-Bro…!"

His senses were diminishing and his eyelids were drooping, refusing to open. He felt his balance waver, as if he was standing by the edge of an abyss. Numbness spread all over him as he fell forward and sunk into the snow, the cold grip of death seizing his being. The last thing he felt was a lifting sensation, his soul finally leaving the reins of the body behind as his mind become lost.

Red clutched Pikablu tightly to his chest, an expression of utter horror plastered across the champion's face. Unable to stop a trauma from long ago from resurfacing, when he had regained his senses he hurriedly examined the Pikachu. The Pokémon was faintly breathing, but had his eyes closed.

"… A stroke…?" Red whispered the word he himself had long feared as he remembered the Pokémon's earlier display, "Why… Why would you risk your life in a fight like this!?"

Hoping his shout would bring back some life into Pikablu, he seemed to have lost the ability to react to outside stimuli. Red knew the Pikachu was dying just like his old partner had, but not in the comfort of their home, but out on a snowy wasteland right in the middle of combat. It seemed unreal.

"You wanted to win… That badly…?" Red asked and felt his previous cheerful mood drop in an instant, remembering how he had urged the Pikachu to keep fighting, "Did I… Make this happen…?"

Pikablu gasped in response, a weak and struggled attempt to draw in the cold air. A strong wind whisked by as Red clutched onto him harder, not wanting to let go. He shook as he remembered the passing of his own Pikachu all too vividly, not sure if he could face the same thing again. Whose fault was this? Why did the Pikachu attack him? Why did he fight back? Red had promised to guard this area, but for the first time he was beginning to question it. To which end had this creature's life been sacrificed?

"… I love Pokémon…" Red whispered as he felt his own heart begin to ache, "… For what reason am I now killing them…!?"

Standing up with a determined expression, he turned towards Raikou. The legendary seemed to have recovered his sanity and stood upright, quietly watching.

"RAIKOU! Can you move!?" Red shouted as he walked towards his Pokémon, Pikablu held in his arms. Raikou nodded as Red placed Pikablu on top of the legendary's back, keeping him out of the snow as he drew a Pokéball from his backpack. Pressing it against the dying Pikablu, the wounded Pokémon did not put up a struggle as the ball swallowed him up and captured him. Red did not even bother watching the capturing process, already having pulled off his jacket and tied it around Raikou's forehead, covering the legendary's disfigured face. Raikou felt relief wash over him as the damaged segment of his body was covered once more, but could not help but feel a bit troubled in the back of his mind, as if someone had just chewed him out for something.

"Pokécenter, full speed!" Red yelled as he fastened his seat and rubbed the side of Raikou's head, the dog immediately taking off into the night. All that remained were several craters in the snow from their wild battle, an unconscious Kabutops and a Gallade pretending to be dead.

The latter remained still for at least a minute before realizing he could have teleported Pikablu to a Pokécenter much faster than even a legendary could run. Scratching his head in embarrassment, he stood up and began to look around the area, wondering if maybe he could still see and catch up with them. The blizzard was beginning to pick up again as he was no longer controlling the clouds overhead, and visibly was predictably poor.

The Gallade could see a silhouette by the horizon. He felt disappointed as it was obviously not Red, the figure floating in midair. Thinking it was Mew or Celebi having finished their battle with Blue, his spirits picked back up and he ran towards it.

By the time he recognized what it was, it was already too late.


	90. Sinister Pokémon Scientist

Lucario sighed. Out of all the possible scenarios and events he had expected out of this mission, "complete and utter tedium" was placed somewhere very low on the list. Following Zoroark they had found their path leading downwards, moving a level or two underneath the Stadium's bottom floor. There was a sense of familiarity to it, and Lucario thought he could occasionally see Zoroark nod in approval of the base's subterranean structure. He knew she thought of it as a strategic boon, but so far it had been the only thing even remotely strategic about this hideout.

Again Lucario sighed. There had been no vanguards to defeat, no trap doors to avoid, no hidden walls to burst through, no clever puzzles to solve and no locked doors save the creaky iron bars at the start. Nothing but endless, undecorated corridors lit up by dull fluorescent lamps. Although the wretched smell of gore ensured a stifling atmosphere, Lucario's demeanor had shifted from being nervous to being bored. Looking over at Zoroark he was certain even she had stopped being on edge, and the fact that he was unable to sense anything ahead made it impossible for him to stay worried about what was to come.

"So… Let's say they're holding the virus in a vial or something," Lucario said, breaking the silence and waving his arms around while painting up a scenario, "Says 'Take one more step and I'll smash it!' What happens?"

"… We celebrate?" Zoroark replied calmly before looking around to make sure their conversation was not alerting anyone to their presence, their voice reaching quite far in the stretching corridor, "The virus is not yet finished and still lacks sustainability. It's… Well, I suppose the two of us would die, but everyone else would be safe."

"… That is a HORRIBLE solution!" Lucario snapped back with a terrified expression, taking note of Zoroark's persistent relaxed demeanor and deciding to copy her, "How about this; I'll stand still, snipe them with an Aura Sphere while you dive in and grab the vial?"

"And not a single step was taken," Zoroark finished his line of thinking, "Great plan, although people have a tendency to not uphold agreements while they are being shot at. Can we refocus on where we are currently at…?"

"… Preferably not…" Lucario muttered, the allure of the eventless passageway beckoning him once more. So far the stench of blood had been the only thing separating this mission from an on-foot tour of the battle subway, and indeed it was stronger than ever before. The air was thick with it, and Lucario was certain he would have to bathe several times before being able to come into contact with Zerobi again. As bored as he was, he realized she was probably worse off, standing by herself at the entrance and imagining all the harrowing experiences he was supposed to be going through right about now.

"… Nothing?" Zoroark suddenly asked, looking at Lucario.

"Not sensing a thing," Lucario responded in assumption of what she meant.

"What about hearing? Anything at all?" Zoroark continued with a concerned voice. Lucario shook his head and she felt a sense of unease. Something was not right, and in a situation as vital as this that was not a good thing. Going over the plan once more, she wondered if she had missed something important, a tiny detail slipping through her tired mind and costing millions of Pokémon their lives.

Both their minds burdened with widely different issues, they continued their trek until they finally reached the end of the corridor. Ahead of them was a simple door standing slightly ajar, leading into a dimly lit room. No sound nor aura present, but Zoroark remembered this to be what her spy had declared to be their destination and decided to reinforce her vigilance.

"Be ready for anything…" Zoroark whispered one last time to Lucario. He nodded, and she quietly pushed the door open while peeking inside.

The stench of decaying flesh hit the two of them like a windstorm. The room was quite a bit larger than the passage that had led them there, but ten times more unpleasant as Lucario felt like following his stomach's example and turning around.

Fresh blood was pooled up on the floor and could be seen splashed against the various computers and monitors, dripping down from the desks and chairs strewn about the room. Lying on top of this river of wasted life were both humans and Pokémon, every one of them a sadder sight than the next. The four humans were neatly arranged at the foot of some complex machinery covering one of the walls, eyes closed and with open gashes across their throats. There were only two Pokémon, but their corpses had been dissected and mutilated to the point where they were now unrecognizable hunks of flesh and internal organs. Zoroark recognized the telltale horn of a Gogoat sticking out from the first cadaver before instinctively covering her nose, the smell seeping inside and coaxing her to vomit.

"K… Keep it together…" Lucario whispered. Zoroark looked at him and quickly straightened herself up.

"Do not underestimate me - I can handle this," Zoroark assured him while strengthening her resolve and reminding herself that this is not the worst thing she has ever seen.

"… Wasn't referring to you…" Lucario muttered, once more trying to comprehend the situation presented to him. He couldn't care less about the massacred Pokémon, but staring at the four dead humans sent a chill up his spine. They were all dressed in white lab coats, blood running down their necks like red ties. Slumped over against the wall with their eyes closed or staring at the floor they appeared almost peaceful, utterly contrasting the butchered Pokémon.

Zoroark exhaled as she forcibly shut down her stirring emotions and relaxed once more. Walking inside she paid no heed to the blood running through her toes as she began examining the crime scene, analyzing the situation.

"H-Hey, this is pretty bad…" Lucario stammered as he swallowed hard, finding it difficult to remove his eyes from the dead humans, "Did someone get here before us?"

"Doesn't seem that way. It does not look like there was a fight," Zoroark responded quietly, stopping herself just short of digging a claw into the second Pokémon carcass as she noticed a thin, broken wing buried under a layer of meat, identifying the being as a Vivillon, Butterfree or similar Bug-type.

Lucario tore his vision away from the grisly scene and took a second glance around the area, realizing why his initial assessment had been wrong. Despite the blood and corpses the room looked strangely well-kept, the chairs standing upright and the computers were still in working order. Moving up to the perished scientists, Zoroark crouched down to examine the wound across their throats. Lucario suddenly held out a hand, noticing it was shaking. Not sure of why he was acting this way, the initial shock finally disappeared as he took a firm grip of reality and forced himself to approach Zoroark and the dead bodies.

"If there really was no fight, they must have been were restrained and executed…" Zoroark whispered as she grabbed and held up one of the dead humans' arms, "… At any rate, it seems they were killed by a method you should be familiar with."

"… Me? Killed?" Lucario repeated, not sure if she was trying to make a joke or actually knew about his previous brush with death at the hands of Deoxys.

"Cut, rather," Zoroark mumbled and checked the corpse's wrists for marks or blemishes, "By human tools."

Lucario's stomach turned once more as he remembered the same words coming from Zoroark's lips back when they had been trapped inside the cage together. He ran a hand through his chest hair, noticing the scars across his body feeling slim and precise while staring at one of the cut throats, noticing the wound to be similar in appearance.

At that moment, Lucario thought he could hear someone snicker. Spinning around, he grabbed Zoroark's shoulder to alert her.

"What?" Zoroark whispered questioningly.

"I hear someone…" Lucario explained, "Further ahead… I think someone's laughing…"

Tensing up, Zoroark realized there was yet another door in the room. Busy with taking in everything else she had initially assumed it to be a supply closet. Moving there and opening it, she found it being a regular door leading into another room.

There she was presented with a sight she recognized all too well. A large, grim surgical table stood in the middle of a sterilized room completely devoid of any traceable details, one she had researched thoroughly ever since first finding the Tape. It felt unreal to be standing where she had seen so many Pokémon be painfully experimented on.

What was even more unexpected was that just like in the Tape, the surgical table was not unoccupied. A man was sitting on the opposite end of it, his back turned towards them. He was slender and wore a lab coat just like the others, but this one was clean of all traces of blood. The scalpel lying next to him was not however, and the man seemingly noticed their arrival as he gave off yet another sinister snicker.

"Zoroark, I presume? You are most welcome," he said with a cold, calculating voice before standing up and turning around. Despite wearing glasses, neither Lucario nor Zoroark had any trouble recognizing him as the scientist from Saffron City. Zoroark kept herself cool, but Lucario felt his fists clench up as he vividly remembered the Dragonair and what he had done with her. The twisted Pokémon professor eyed him for a moment before turning back towards Zoroark.

"You decided to bring someone with you?" the scientist asked quietly as he reached a hand down towards the scalpel, "Is he aware of our cooperation, or shall I handle him before we continue our proceedings?"

As quickly as Lucario had felt his temper rise, he felt his breath taken away. Staring wide-eyed at Zoroark, her calm demeanor through all this suddenly made sense.

"T-Traitor!" Lucario shouted as he took as step back, Zoroark's expression turning into surprise.

"Stop being stupid, he's just trying to trick you!" she said sternly before aggressively pointing towards the human, "And you! You are acting awfully familiar for someone who ended up being stabbed during our last meeting!"

Lucario calmed himself down as the professor's smile vanished, hesitantly retracting his hand.

"Ah, yes. Pardon my rash behavior the last time," he replied with a slightly bothered tone to his voice, "I was under the influence of a very powerful mind-enhancer, courtesy of my loyal Alakazam. Needless to say, it was a requirement for properly extracting the necessary genes from…"

His eyes suddenly turned towards Lucario once more, the Pokémon meeting his gaze with a wry grimace. The professor's smile returned as he snickered quietly to himself.

"… I understand. You came to see the fruits of your labor?" the human asked before holding out his arms as if ready to embrace someone, "Rest easy! Thanks to the experiments you let us perform upon you, we can make sure that all Pokémon in the world-"

"Shut up, asshole!" Lucario yelled out, clearly not at home to having had any part this insanity, "Zoroark, he's stalling us or something, where's that damn virus!?"

"We know you have been working on a virus," Zoroark said with an icy cold stare, hoping the human was as understanding of Pokémon language as he appeared to be, "You have 10 seconds. Give it to us, or we start looking."

The corner of the scientist's mouth twitched as he suddenly gave her a warning glare, as if she had said something very disrespectful. Zoroark refused to be intimidated, and to her surprise the human's fierce expression slowly died off into melancholy.

"Ah, I suppose it is for the best…" he whispered with a far less enthusiastic voice than before, turning towards a freezer in one of the corners, "To tell you the truth, I am quite excited… Yet still a little sad… But for the sake of the world, I know sacrifices have to be made."

Zoroark eyed him carefully, confused to see their foe cooperating so willingly. Keeping herself on edge and ready for a trap, she nearly flinched as he hastily drew out a key from his pocket, unlocking the supply closet and reaching in with a hand.

"Yeah. Trying to kill all Pokémon was really noble of you," Lucario scoffed sarcastically and shook his head.

At that moment, the human's shoulders stiffened. His hand stopped moving as lowered his head and chortled.

"Hehehe… I see… You too fell for the lie?" he sniggered while a sense of relief washed over him, "I was wondering why you were so rude towards me."

"Lie?" Zoroark repeated before crossing her arms in disapproval. She did not like where this was going one bit as the scientist gave up on retrieving the virus and faced her fully, his arms extended in a glorious gesture once more.

"Indeed," he uttered and let escape a breathy sigh, "In order to be given the funding and resources required for the enhancement of Pokérus, I had to convince my superiors and co-workers of false promises, such as this virus being a lethal applicant towards Pokémon… They jumped right on it after the Deoxys fiasco…"

"Wait… The virus…" Lucario muttered before hesitating, wondering if he was being played for a fool, "It's not going to kill all Pokémon?"

"Of course not!" the human replied quickly while showing a surprisingly earnest face, "What fool would have anything to gain from the death of Pokémon? Erasing the foundation of the ecosystem would only lead to the world decaying and being destroyed. What I strive for is the opposite - This virus has been created to save the world, not ruin it."

As he stood there with arms wide open and a face that displayed confidence, both Lucario and Zoroark could not help but suddenly pay note to what he was saying. The whole situation was simply too unusual to ignore. The executed humans and gutted Pokémon in the room before were unaccounted for, and the scientist's chill, almost hopeful demeanor seemed off. Although a complex situation, things were beginning to add up in Zoroark's mind.

One specific thought lit up, accompanied by a rather painful twitch of her heart. A very bad feeling started to grow in the back of her head as she drew in a shallow breath while staring at the human.

"Doctor," Zoroark spoke anxiously, "If released, what will the virus do?"

The scientist smirked and lifted his head once more, as if he had been waiting all his life to say this.

"Is it not obvious?" he replied optimistically, "It will kill the human species."

A moment of silence passed as everything seemed to turn colder around them. Zoroark's eyes widened while Lucario felt the words stir something awake in the pit of his stomach.

"Bullshit!" Lucario shouted while pointing accusingly at the professor, "You're human, you'll be killing yourself!"

A bitter expression suddenly flashed past the human's face, as if he had been insulted by his claim.

"I may be human in body, but I am Pokémon in both mind and soul," the scientist muttered while gently placing a hand to his chest, "Such is what allowed me to see beyond my own needs and do what is best for the world, even at the expense of my own life!"

"Well, I'm Pokémon in body, but human in mind and soul!" Lucario responded angrily while pounding his own chest once, "And I'm telling you, you're stark raving mad!"

The scientist dismissed Lucario with an annoyed sigh and shrug, turning towards Zoroark instead.

"Ah, the barking of your ignorant mutt is quite annoying," he said while reaching a hand towards her in a plea, "Might you put a leash on him so we may discuss the details like mature beings?"

"Yeah, no. You're done," Lucario growled as he quickly stepped between them and made a gesture towards the freezer, "Zoroark, go grab the virus and put it somewhere very safe. I'll kill him up if he tries anything, and I do mean ANYTHING!"

Confidently facing the disgusting human, he was surprised to see that he was paying him no mind. He was looking past him, continuing his eye contact with Zoroark.

"… Will it truly be the end of humanity?" Lucario suddenly heard a whisper coming from behind, "… No struggle, no… Risk of retaliation…?"

Lucario turned around in horror, seeing Zoroark facing the scientist not with repulse but rather curiosity and the same kind of hopeful expression he had shown not long ago.

"Overnight, the nation will belong to Pokémon," the professor sang in a dreamy voice, "In less than a week, the rest of the world will follow…"

"Hey, ignore that asshole!" Lucario shouted while putting his hands on Zoroark's shoulder, on the verge of slapping her awake, "The death of all humans is just as bad as the death of all Pokémon, so let's do what we came here to do!"

Zoroark jumped slightly at his touch, looking up at him with a different expression than before.

Defiance.

In a rapid motion she knocked his arms away from her. Lucario suddenly felt very powerless as he simply let his hands drift downwards and hang at his sides. Through it all, he could hear the agitating snicker of the scientist from behind.

"Hehehe… The Lucario knows not?" the human chided before putting his hands together and gazing at the Dark-type with admiration, "Ah, but you do, Zoroark. I can see it on your face. You have experience that he lacks, knowledge he cannot understand. Just like me, you know what is to come and what has to be done."

Hoping Zoroark would shake her head in response and violently attack the filthy scum, Lucario felt his mouth go dry as she continued saying and doing nothing. Rather, her face was shining in recognition. Taking a few steps away from the two of them, he tried to comprehend what was happening.

"Know… What…?" Lucario wheezed weakly, looking back and forth between Zoroark and the scientist. Zoroark suddenly looked like she was about to say something, but stopped herself at the last second.

"She knows what all educated beings know. The current state of the world… And our inevitable future…" the scientist whispered before raising his voice to a bellow, "… Courtesy of the infallible, unchangeable nature of man!"

His words were meant for Lucario but resounded in Zoroark's ears as well, her inner thoughts finally giving way to echoes from the past…


	91. Deserted Child Zorua

The Desert.

Even on a planet characterized by the abundance of life, this hostile environment shows Earth's relation to the many other dead rocks shooting through outer space. An area abandoned by mother nature, the long dunes of sand and rock marking the world like a bald spot, a scar that refuses to heal. Inside the hottest volcano or outside in the coldest tundra, none can match the desolate wasteland of the desert's rapidly changing climate. Scorching days and frigid nights, it is a region where the strong go to be left alone and the weak go to leave this world.

But like all geographical locations, it serves as home to many resilient critters and is occasionally crossed by travellers. On a hot day nearly two decades before the arrival of Deoxys and creation of No Man's Land, two such travellers could be seen marching over the unforgiving dunes.

The first traveller was a colossal Krookodile, the weight of his footsteps sending sand whirling around. Colored red like bad sunburn with black stripes and dragging with him a heavy tail, the bipedal crocodile would seem to be as far away from his natural habitat as possible, but in truth was the only traveller native to the desert.

The second traveller was a slender Simipour, gracefully stepping through the harsh environment. As a Water-type she was managing fairly well despite the dryness, her long hair having stored vast amounts of water for the difficult trip. Much to her annoyance, the natural moisture of her skin caused sand to get caught between her toes, and she was by far the most eager when it came to leaving the desert as quickly as possible.

However, even there were only two figures, there was in fact a third traveller in their group. The third traveller sat on top of the Simipour's head and hid inside her crown-like hairdo, shaded from the sun and taking advantage of the cool wetness. She was their child, but looked nothing at all like her parents. Although she had inherited the black and red coloration from her father and her mother's soft skin, she was standing on four legs instead of two and had a body completely covered in thick, bushy fur. Lacking the ability to sweat, she constantly rubbed her body over her mother's moist appendages, close to overheating in the blazing sun.

"There, there, Zorua…" the Simipour whispered with a slightly boyish voice while reaching up and cuddling her restless baby. She felt bad for her, children her age should be running around in a forest and playing, not lying on the verge of a merciless heatstroke.

"'Ey, doin' fine wit de water?" the Krookodile asked with a gruff voice, "Dunno when de next oasis'll be comin' up."

"Zorua's fine, but a bath would feel quite nice right about now…" the Simipour replied while stretching. The Krookodile moved next to her, trying to get a better look at the baby nestled inside her hair.

"'Ello dere, cutie," he said while trying to make his voice sound as gentle as possible. It was an impossible task, years of rough sand having taken their toll on his vocal folds. Zorua carefully peeked out, stared at the intimidating Pokémon for a fraction of a moment before eliciting a small gasp and hiding deeper inside the hairdressing.

"Ahh… Kid's scaredy-cat of 'er own dad…" the Krookodile muttered in defeat, scratching the back of his head with one of his thick claws.

"Oh, don't be so hard on yourself," the Simipour said as she grabbed hold of his free hand and leaned in closer, "She just loves her mommy a lot… And hates the hot sun! Don't you, sweetie?"

Zorua nodded and nudged with affection against her mother's hair. The Krookodile could feel the coolness of his wife's hands, contrasting the coarse, heated and leathery skin of his own. He knew little about what lay outside the desert, but could clearly tell his daughter was not suited for this kind of place.

"Ah, lil' Zorah. Tough luck, gettin' stuck wit fur out here," he explained while trying to sneak a peek at his daughter once more, "But don't you worry 'bout nothin', dad's relocatin'! Movin' up in life 'n all that!"

"Yes, you are," the Simipour agreed before bringing his head down and giving him a small kiss, causing the overgrown crocodile to turn even redder. She remembered how reluctant he had initially been to her suggestion of moving back to her old neighborhood. Born and raised in the desert, he complained that leaving the dryness and heat behind would ruin his rough skin and respected image. She knew he was mostly just afraid of having to be with other people too much, seeing how his fearsome appearance had long served to intimidate and scare them off.

Meanwhile, Zorua did her best to keep quiet, having promised not to cry during the harsh journey. It had been difficult to leave her friends and the large oasis behind, but at the same time she felt excited as to where they were heading. Her mother had described it as a fantastic place completely unlike what she had ever known, where it was permanently afternoon and not always so warm or cold. Endless reaches of clustered trees, tiny flowers that smelled nice, enough water to drink and swim around in as much as she wanted and most importantly, no sand or sun. The days were mercilessly hot, but she took refuge in dreaming about the future, unable to even imagine what the future held in store. Being nocturnal and finding sleep to be the most effective way to tolerate the warmth of the day, Zorua dozed off not long after.

She slept far into the night when without warning, she was abruptly thrown out of her little home. Landing on the chilly sand, she peered around in the darkness to find out what was going on.

"ZORAH!" a gruff, scary voice sounded from somewhere, making her flinch in surprise. It was her father's voice, a large and intimidating creature she was not about to come running to any time soon.

"Mom! I fell!" Zorua shouted, twisting her head around and seeing nothing but darkness and sand in every direction.

"RUN, ZORAH!" the fearsome voice boomed again, Zorua noticing that it was coming from behind. Turning her head back, she saw a huge red flash zooming through the sky. It frightened her so much that she jumped back, staring with terror as the redness dissipated into the black night. After that, all that followed was complete silence.

"Mom!" Zorua continued, blinking rapidly as the sudden brightness had hurt her eyes. She waited a few moments, but there was no response. Looking around again, she finally realized that both her parents had disappeared.

"Mom! Dad!" Zorua began to shout again, but there was nothing. Wobbling back and forth while trying to comprehend what had just happened, she found herself beginning to shake from the cold. Immediately thinking to nestle up with her mother, her feelings of cold were overtaken by feelings of loneliness.

"Wh-Where did y-you go…" she sobbed as her eyes began to tear up. Had her parents not noticed it when she fell out? Had they forgotten about her and continued their journey? Zorua had never been alone before and had no idea how to cope with it. She had no idea where she was, where to go or how to find her way back to the oasis. There was nothing but sand in every direction, reaching on for eternity. Not knowing what to do, she lay down on the sands and cried with her eyes closed, waiting for someone to come pick her up.

A long time passed. She ran out of tears and was beginning to feel thirsty and hungry. Even so, she dared not open her eyes even for a moment, scared of what else might appear from behind the darkness of the dunes. As she laid there she thought of her mother, imagining that she was on currently her way back to come pick her up. Even now she could smell the fragrance of her mother in the air, pretending she was still with her.

However, as time went by, the smell of her mother was beginning to diminish. This scared the small Zorua more than anything; all her life that scent has been there, and now that it was disappearing she had no idea what to make of the odorless desert that was taking its place. It felt like emptiness. It felt like death.

It scared her so much that she forced her eyes open and span around, trying one last time to locate her mother. Suddenly, she noticed her mother's fragrance slightly more present in a certain direction, and immediately began to follow it. Running through the sand with her tiny body was no easy task, but she found that she was able to smell more of her mother the further she got and imagined herself getting the closer to her with each step.

The corner of her eyes was the first area to dry out and begin to ache. Her throat soon followed, due to her earlier crying. The sun was beginning to rear its ugly head by the horizon, which only made her speed up more as she could not imagine surviving a day without the Simipour and her precious, life-giving water. Closing her eyes to endure the strain, she continued rushing ahead through the shapeless landscape before bumping her head into something.

Rubbing the newly-formed dent on her forehead, she slowly looked up to see a peculiar stack of rocks standing high above her. She had no idea what she had found, but knew one thing for sure; the smell of her mother was stronger than she had ever sensed! It positively clouded the air, filling her nostrils and mind with vigor and hope.

"Mom…?" Zorua whispered as she walked up to the rocks. They had been laid too solidly to smash down, and she was far too short to jump over them. However, the mortar had been frugally added, so finding a crack to peer through was easy enough. It only took a single glimpse of light blue for both her and her heart to leap up. Finally at the end of this nightmare, Zorua hastily stumbled and shuffled her body around the stack of stones, at long last face to face with her mother again.

"MOM!" Zorua screamed in pure joy as tears flowed down her face. She positively tackled her mother's hair and nuzzled against every inch of it, sucking up the moisture and motherly love like a sponge. Laughing and crying at the same time, she rolled out of the hairdo to give her mother a kiss.

It was then she realized something was wrong. Despite her energetic assault, the Simipour was fast asleep. Her mother did rarely open her eyes, but a tackle had always roused her in the past. Zorua tried again, carefully nudging her mother's face.

"Mom?" Zorua repeated meekly as she nipped lightly at her mother's neck, trying to get a response. When she tugged at it, she noticed her mother had lost an astounding amount of weight, her very thin body dragging itself a full centimeter across the sand as Zorua fell back in shock.

Speechless and stunned, she was beginning to notice some of the details she had missed before. The stack of rocks had been dull and grey on the outside, but in here there patches of red across the walls and even in the sand. The lingering smell was definitively her mother's, but it was mixed in with something so grotesquely repulsive that it was making her nose sting in protest. The most disturbing detail was that despite her mother's perfectly intact head and hair, the rest of her body was had become completely flat.

Zorua tilted her head, wondering why her mother was sleeping halfway submerged in the sand. She knew she would have to ask her after she woke up. She did not have long to ponder this new turn of events as something moved in the corner of her eyes. Turning around, she saw a tall shadow looming over her before something heavy and hard fell down on her head, the echoes of whatever was smashing down on her cranium being the last thing registered by her brain as she lost consciousness.

The dizziness was still present when she woke up, wondering over the strange new world she found herself in. Everything was bright, spinning and looked fuzzy, and there was a throbbing headache overtaking all her other emotions and thoughts.

As she slowly came to, she realized she was someplace new. The color green made her immediately think of an oasis, and her assumption proved to be accurate as she carefully rubbed her eyes. The oasis was small and unfamiliar but had bushes, trees and water, the strong sun reflecting off the latter and making it even more difficult for her to see. While this sight would have made her jump for joy during her earlier trek, for some reason she still felt depressed. In the back of her mind, she knew something was still missing.

Gathering her thoughts while looking around, she noticed she was not alone in the area. There was another creature, a dusty-looking Pokémon sitting underneath a crooked palm tree with his arms crossed. Although quite a bit bigger than she was, he was still only about half the height of her father and had a bit of a stubby appearance. Very many large spines covered his back, and his claws were about the size of her entire head. His dry, cracked skin reminded her of a Sandshrew that had lived by the oasis where she grew up, but this one seemed far more mature.

Still disoriented, she began to approach him as her memories came flooding back. The Sandslash took notice of her approach, but made no attempt to get up.

"It was stupid of you to follow us," the Sandslash spoke with a steady and defined voice, "But between here and the hot desert sands, I suppose the outcome would have been the same."

"… Mom…?" Zorua wheezed weakly, still thinking of what had happened. The Sandslash examined her for a moment before closing his eyes.

"Too late," he said calmly, "They tanned and ate her. Dad too."

"… Tanned…?" Zorua repeated with confusion, not recognizing the word and thinking her mother had been much too thin to have eaten recently, "No, mom… Mom's by the rocks! I saw her!"

"What you saw was her face and skin, stripped from her corpse," the Sandslash explained slowly with a hint of bother in his voice, "Quite soft. It will keep them warm during cold nights."

"Th-they can't do that!" Zorua exclaimed, horrified at the thought of some random stranger using her mother's water-giving hair while she was away, "She's MY mom!"

The Sandslash sighed as he opened his eyes again. He really hated the naïve ones, always pelting him with questions and ruining his siesta. Many years had passed since he gave up on sharing any manner of empathy, and decided to just get it over with.

"Do you even understand the concept of death, kid?" he asked while readjusting his position against the palm tree, "Your mother is gone. They pulled off her hide, chopped the rest into pieces and ate them. You will never see her again."

Zorua continued looking at him with a blank expression. He stared back, not sure of what to make of her reaction. After what seemed like an eternity, the small Pokémon simply turned the other way and began to walk away from him.

"Oi," the Sandslash called out, "They told me to make sure you don't leave. Sit still."

"I-I…" Zorua replied with a shaky voice, "… I need to…"

"SIT STILL!" the Sandslash shouted loudly, hoping it would stop her in her tracks. It seemed to have the opposite effect as instead the small Pokémon took off into a full run.

"MOM!" Zorua screamed as she ran as fast as her four legs could carry her, tears welling up inside her again as she thought of what the big Sandshrew had said. She knew he had to be lying, and tried to pick up her mother's scent once again to return to the stack of rocks as quickly as possible.

Before she knew it, she was pressed down into the scorching sands as the Sandslash stepped down on her, squeezing the breath out of her lungs and causing her to flail about like a pinned down insect.

"I knew you were going to be a troublemaker!" the Sandslash growled angrily and leaned forward, pressing one of his claws to the back of her neck, "Sit still, or I'll chop you up right here and now!"

Still not understanding what was happening, Zorua continued to struggle. The pressure on her back caused her to gasp for air, involuntarily drawing far too many grains of sand into her mouth in desperation. Tears spilled out of her face as she fought the hellish heat, twisting left and right and hysterically throwing her head in every direction, trying anything to find a way out of the unspeakable nightmare.

* * *

><p>The next two days were just as hot and stifling as the ones before. Zorua lay by the edge of the water, gasping faintly with her tongue outstretched. In front of her lay a small plant covered in thorns, which had taken great effort for her to even carry there. It was green, white and slightly red from the blood spilt as she continued peeling off the spikes, trying to make it edible.<p>

There was no fence around the oasis, but she felt too weak even try to escape. The harsh desert climate had quickly sapped her strength and left her a wheezing husk, the Sandslash being no help at all and seemingly quite content with just watching her die. Overcome by thirst she had dived into the water, and now overcome with hunger she had stolen some of the Sandslash's food. She had expected to be beaten again for it, but for some reason he did not seem to care.

As another thorn pierced her ill-suited forepaw, her old life seemed so very distant. How quickly the world had turned from a place of relaxation, opulence and love into one where every moment was a miserable struggle for survival. After hearing the Sandslash's many vivid explanations of the current state of her mother, all she knew about death was that it was the absolutely last thing she wanted to have happen to her.

"… Why me…?" Zorua whispered as she bit down, feeling the disgusting plant prickle the back of her tongue, "Why… Am I here…?"

The Sandslash scoffed, sitting by his favorite tree like usual.

"For sure they're not fattening you up," the Sandslash muttered as he chomped down on some cacti, his tough mouth seemingly unhindered by their thorny exterior, "As you can probably tell, food is scarce here in the desert. They're busy digesting their last meal, so they want me to keep you fresh until it's to kill and eat you too."

Feeling the last piece of cacti slip down her throat, Zorua almost immediately coughed it right back up as her stomach made a nasty turn. The realization hit her as she stared up at the Sandslash with a horrified expression. She was not keeping herself alive; she was only waiting for an inevitable death.

Terror crept up on her again as she forgot all about her exhaustion. As wretched as her life currently was, she did not want to die. Seeing the unblocked vast plains of the desert just over to her left, she decided to once more make a run for it. Dashing away from captivity and enjoying her freedom for nearly five seconds, she was quickly tackled to the ground by the swift Sandslash, just like she had been a few days before. His weight kept her pinned down as he aggressively pushed her face deep down into the sand.

"You dumb bitch!" he shouted furiously, "Where do you think we are? Nowhere, that's where!"

Zoura tried to scream and cry, but only received a mouthful of sand and dirt. The Sandslash eased up on his grip as she began to cough up the vast amounts of grime she had nearly ingested.

"Do you like the sand? Do you like the sun? Even if you were to get past me, that's the only thing you'll find for miles upon miles," the Sandslash said sternly as he pointed ahead of her, "Only the best of the best can survive in the desert. Surely you saw a few pale white bones on the way here? Are you eager to join them?"

"No!" Zoura shouted as she breathed heavily, still attempting to free herself and keep running, "Mom said there's a place with no sand! No sun! I'll keep walking until I get there!"

"Bah! A furry little shit like you won't survive a day of walking with those short, mangy legs," the Sandslash growled as he picked her up by her tail, an extreme pain shooting up her spine, "You'll be face down in the sand before sundown."

Hanging upside down she flailed back and forth, the Sandslash rudely throwing her into the water. Instinct set in as she crashed through the surface, causing her to immediately paddle upwards. However, a sudden stiffness shot through her muscles as the Sandslash's words began to fully sink in. Slowly her efforts to swim up waned.

There was simply no point to it. Even if she was to cross the barrier of the surface once more, the only thing she would be met by was a world of strife and unavoidable death. If that was to be the case, she wondered if maybe it was better to just die right there and then. Dark thoughts clouded her young mind when suddenly her lungs began to scream out for air. Trying to resist it, she kept telling herself it would only be five more seconds. Five more seconds, and then it would be all over.

Her mental fortitude shattered as something grabbed on to her tail again. She panicked as something violently drew her upwards, forcing her back to the surface and back into hell.

* * *

><p>A similar scene presented itself a week later. Zorua had once more tried to drown herself as the Sandslash jumped in and pulled her body out. He dropped her on the sandbank as he crouched down and began to roll around in the sand, trying to get as much moisture off his body as possible.<p>

"Stop doing that, you little shit," he muttered tiredly before walking over to Zorua and kicking her in the gut. A wad of water flew out of her as she entered a coughing fit.

"What good is your body if you die and start rotting before dinnertime?" he continued talking as he walked up next to her, "You are meat, not fish. Act your part."

"Not… Meat…" Zorua whispered quietly as she lamented over another failed suicide attempt, "I'm… Zorua…"

The Sandslash sighed. He felt too tired to keep beating her up, seeing how it was not having much effect with deterring her. Instead, he sat down next to her, eliciting a flinch from the tiny creature.

"Zorua," he repeated with dismay, "What kind of language is that?"

"… That's my name!" Zorua snapped back as she stood up, anger overtaking her as she braced herself for another beating.

"Idiot. You don't get to have a name," the Sandslash growled bitterly while staring at the distant dunes, "I have a name. It's 'Seif'. You do not have a name, because you are a walking piece of food."

"I'm not food! My mom said I was u… Un…" Zorua yelled as she struggled with remembering the word, "… Unique!"

Seif looked down at her with a jaded expression. She had no way of knowing just how many Pokémon he had been guarding at this oasis, only to watch them be turned into strips of flesh and eaten. It suddenly occurred to him what she had been referring to, realizing her black and red fur had seemed unfamiliar for a reason.

"True. Haven't seen one of your species before," he admitted before shaking his head, "But that only means you might taste bad. Then you are not meat, but garbage. If so… Just sit back and wait for your disposal."

Zorua continued staring up at him with defiance. Her matted down fur gave way to the many sores he had inflicted upon her this past week. Despite her beaten figure, Seif could predict what she was about to say.

"I'm not garbage!" she roared meekly before starting to run away. However, just as Seif was about to chase after her again, she made a turn for one of the bushes and disappeared inside, hiding herself. He muttered a few bitter words as he himself returned to his favorite tree and fell asleep.

It was not until the next day that he realized what she had been planning that night. Thinking himself part of yet another hastily improvised attempt at escape, Seif suddenly yelped as he stepped on something sharp while chasing after Zorua. Several thorns were sticking out of the ground, where Zorua had buried and hidden several cacti. The Dark-type smiled to herself as she continued running and evaded the carefully laid out traps, making it a few feet further than usual before the Sandslash popped out of the sand in front, having dug his way underground to avoid the spines.

His wrath was more severe than usual, but even as he trashed her she could not stop thinking about the few extra meters she had reached away from the oasis. Already she was beginning to plan her next escape. Abandoned by her parents and left alone in a world that wanted nothing more than her death, she finally understood that the only way she was getting out of this would be to rely upon her own wit.


	92. Timeline

What's this? An interruption WITHIN AN INTERRUPTION IN THE STORY? Is I smoking crack?

Don't worry, we'll get back to Zoroark and her childhood trauma soon enough. For now, check out this timeline I made over the trilogy! If you ever wondered about the characters' ages or the sequence of events, now's the time to find out!

Dates are marked as B.S. (Before Stadium) and A.S. (After Stadium), the tournament at Pokemon Stadium during Year 0 serving as the marking point. For instance, the current flashback is set in **7 B.S.** while the conflict over the virus is set in **11 A.S.** 18 years later.

Oh, and to easily figure out a character's age at a specific point in the story, just add together the B.S. value of when they were born to the A.S. value of the point in question. For example, Zerobi was born in **13 B.S.**, which should make her 14 years old at the start of Evolution's Gate and 24 years old in **11 A.S.**

If you wish to have a certain unmarked event added, have an event explained in further detail or simply notice an error, send me a message.

* * *

><p><strong>75 B.S.<strong> Giovanni is born

**64 B.S.** Mew (8th generation) dies in childbirth, Mew (9th generation) is born

**58 B.S.** Lugia is born

**50 B.S.** Red and Blue are born

**43 B.S.** Celebi (5th generation) dies in childbirth, Celebi (6th generation) is born

**38 B.S.** Giovanni retires from Team Rocket and the ensuing power struggle causes other criminal branches to form around the world

**37 B.S.** Blue and Red defeat the Elite Four

**29 B.S.** Brendan is born

**27 B.S.** Blue defeats Red in a children's card game and celebrates for 8 months in a row

**22 B.S.** Silver is born, Occult Magazine is founded

**20 B.S.** Ethan and Pikablu are born

**17 B.S.** Snivy is born

**16 B.S.** The Gallade and the Eevee Astrid are born, Ethan meets Chica for the first time

**15 B.S.** Mew (9th generation) dies in childbirth, Mew (10th generation) is born

**14 B.S.** Celebi (6th generation) and Pikablu's brother Pichu are born, Cresselia abandons Mew and disappears

**13 B.S.** Celebi (5th generation) dies in childbirth, Zerobi is born

**12 B.S.** Mew and Celebi begin their teachings under Giratina, Zerobi is given to a foster family

**11 B.S.** Cyon, Rukario and Eve are born

**10 B.S.** Pikablu's brother Pichu encounters Celebi and dies as a result, Zapdos is born, Zerobi's foster family disappears, Ethan sets off on his journey to become the Pokemon champion

**9 B.S.** Zorua and Moltres are born, Eve's mother dies in a forest fire

**8 B.S.** Pikablu begins training to become a legendary, Articuno is born

**7 B.S.** Zorua's mother and father are killed

**6 B.S.** Brendan defeats the Elite Four

**5 B.S.** Ethan enters Kanto for further training, Zerobi begins collecting occult magazines

**4 B.S.** Celebi and Mew finish studying with Giratina and head out into the world on their own, Astrid evolves into a Rock-type Eeveelution

**3 B.S.** The construction of Pokemon Stadium begins, the three legendary dogs are taken into custody by Red, Brendan and Ethan

**2 B.S.** Ethan defeats the Elite Four

**1 B.S.** Tefay dies while giving birth to Azelf, Uxie and Mesprit

* * *

><p><strong>0 A.S.<strong> The tournament of Pokemon Stadium is held where Ethan wins and abandons his life as a trainer, Red goes into retirement, Zerobi and Eve first become friends, Mewtwo is born

* * *

><p><strong>1 A.S.<strong> Occult Magazine: Evolution's Gate begins here. Evolution's Gate is formed, Mew defeats Mewtwo in battle

**2 A.S.** Zerobi evolves into a Weavile, Chica gives birth to her first child

**3 A.S.** Zerobi goes into hiding and has her subscription to Occult Magazine cancelled, Evolution's Gate is disbanded, Pikablu masters his legendary-killing techniques and the Legendary Trio is formed

**4 A.S.** Forever Legendary begins here. Pikablu fights Celebi, Zorua evolves into Zoroark, Zerobi's subscription to Occult Magazine is reinstated

**5 A.S.** Red's Pikachu dies peacefully in his sleep, Kabuto and Kabuta are born, Silver becomes the leader of Team Rocket

**6 A.S.** Chica has her second child, Eve finishes school and enters into a relationship with Snivy, Mew tries to celebrate Christmas

**7 A.S.** Rukario and Cyon become a couple, Mewtwo tries to celebrate Christmas

**8 A.S.** Anne and Pikablu have a miscarriage, Mew and Mewtwo both try one last attempt at celebrating Christmas

**9 A.S.** Deoxys descends upon the world, Ethan and Cyon die while Lucario is born, Acts 112-119 (subjugation of powerful Pokémon) are instated, Zoroark bands together revolutionaries

**10 A.S.** The Humans Species begins here. Lucario is betrayed by Ivy, Red is forced out of retirement and very many other things happen

**11 A.S.** No Man's Land is created, Eve is impregnated and tons of other crazy stuff that he who keeps reading will find out about!


	93. Sinful Guard Seif

Zorua's quest for freedom swiftly became a far more frequent occurrence. Days turned into weeks. Weeks turned into months. The Sandslash did not get a moment of rest as Zorua's escape attempts became more elaborate and clever each time. He did not hesitate in taking out his frustrations on her, but even so she would not give up as it only seemed to reinforce her determination.

Unfortunately, determination could only take her so far and did not let her fully ignore the harsh reality thrust upon her. Without constant pampering and caretaking by her parents, her young body was no match for the unforgiving climate of the desert. Deprived of nutrition and often on the verge of a heat stroke, her movements began to wane ever so slowly until one fateful day when she could no longer run.

Her once regal fur was falling out in patches, presenting a sinewy body similar to a skeleton in appearance if not for her many colorful marks of past abuses. Unable to muster up the strength to put another plan into motion, she wasted the days away doing nothing but lying by the banks of the water. Soon she could not even walk anymore. Slowly but surely she was beginning to give up, preparing herself for the inevitable end while spending the better parts of the day moving in and out of consciousness underneath the scorching sun.

"No good. Completely dehydrated," a strange voice sounded from somewhere, "Seif, keep better tab on this one! If she dies in custody, I'm holding you responsible!"

"Wakey-wakey," a more recognizable voice sounded as Zorua felt herself being lifted by her tail. The immense and quite familiar pain had given her a rather deep loathing for the tail, and had often contemplated cutting it off had she only found something sharp enough. Feeling herself dunked in the water, she was forced back to consciousness and accidentally inhaled a hefty slug of water, coughing and sputtering as she was pulled out of the drink.

As expected, Seif was the one carrying her, but for the first time ever he was not alone. A few feet away stood a tall and lanky being, looking like nothing she had ever seen before. Eyes still hazy, she wondered if this was just a mirage when the creature suddenly spoke in a peculiar language.

"Haahh, I knew I should've checked up on you earlier…" the human spoke with a disappointed expression, "Who'd want to eat a bag of bones like that? There's plenty of stuff growing around here, force some down its throat if you have to."

Although the creature's way of speaking was completely unfamiliar, Zorua was able to distinguish a couple of words. The term "eat" echoed in her head as Seif unceremoniously dropped her down on the sand, but without the strength to make a run for it she went limp and just laid there. For someone able to criticize Seif and not get beaten bloody, she found it odd that the human looked so soft and meek. She saw that he had lengthy limbs and a height advantage, letting her eyes wander upwards to see just how far up his head really was.

How everything changed with that one glance. Having never seen a human before, Zorua did not pay much notice to the fact that his body was blue. Indeed, the tail hanging behind him was in no way unusual to her naïve mind. But passing by the human's head and directing her vision just a little higher, there was absolutely no denying that she was currently staring into the decaying face of her own mother.

"M-Mom!" Zorua exclaimed in utter shock. Seif explained how they had ripped her skin off and was using it for their own benefit, but she had never been able to fully visualize it like this. Her mother's normally gentle expression had turned solemn, frozen in a state devoid of emotion. Although the human obscured most of what she could see, something like an impossibly huge scab could be seen on the inside of what was once her mother. Momentarily forgetting about everything else in the world, Zorua felt herself overcome by anguish, rage and desire all at once.

"AAHHH! MOOOM!" she cried as her broken body exhausted the last of its resources, letting her spring to her feet and charge towards the human. He staggered backwards in surprise as she jumped up, trying to reach her mother to save her from this evil creature, or at the very last feel her soft, beautiful skin one last time.

She did not make it. Her moment of power quickly faded and weakness set in as she could only make a small hop, ramming into the stomach of the human. He lost his breath as he fell back, Zorua barely even touching the ground before someone punched the back of her head, shoving it down into the sand according to the usual routine.

"Kneel, kid," Seif muttered as he pressed down on her head. He found it strange that she was not fighting back like usual, instead just lying there and taking it. Somewhat bored by her lack of enthusiasm, he looked up to see the human rise to his full height again.

"Whew… What a scary little tyke!" the human said with concern as he brushed some dirt away from the Simipour's back, "I, uh, appreciate your eagerness, but I can't put you in my stomach just yet! You need to put things in YOUR stomach first!"

"Seems you need to be informed on the pecking order," Seif growled as he prickled the back of Zorua's neck with one of her claws, trying to elicit a response, "Human, me, you. The chain ends there, unless you can find a Sunkern out here that you want to torture."

His speech was in vain as Zorua had already fainted from exhaustion. Sighing as his master chastised him for letting her almost die, he doused her in the water once more and shoved an unpeeled cactus piece down her throat, making her wake up and cry out in pain at the same time. Although treating her this way was in no way uncommon to him, he was able to distinguish a certain glare in her eyes that was not there before. Wondering what it could mean, he ate his share and quietly went to sleep.

When he woke up, the oasis was empty. He examined the area, not seeing any footprints heading outside, concerned that his sharp hunter's senses had not picked up the small rascal making an escape.

"Kid, stop playing around," Seif muttered, wondering if Zorua was hiding in one of the bushes. A quick search told him that was not the case, and he felt a tinge of worry as he stuck his head into the water. The underwater floor was grimy, but definitively lacking of any sort of body.

"Kid… If you don't come out here right now, I'll cut you bad," Seif growled with a slightly more angry tone. He knew he was going to get into a lot of trouble if she had escaped or offed herself right after his master's earlier lecture, the human probably thinking he had done something as revenge.

Clicking his claws together in rage, he suddenly noticed a set of footprints in the sand he had not seen before. He recognized them as Zorua's and they were on a direct course for the outskirts of the oasis, but what was unusual was that they seemed to suddenly stop a few feet away. Thinking Zorua had somehow retraced her footsteps in order to confuse him, he approached the end of the footsteps.

It was then that he could hear it. A stifled, nervous breathing coming from somewhere. Looking around, he could not see anyone nearby, yet could tell that the noise was coming from where the footsteps had been made. He had no idea what was going on, but did have an idea on how to find out.

"I FOUND YOU!" the Sandslash suddenly yelled with all his might, bluffing in order to lure Zorua out of hiding. Expecting the small Dark-type to pop out of the sand somewhere, his mouth fell open as the footsteps he had been tracing suddenly continued on their way, running away from him. Not a fool in any regard, he chased after them as best he could and managed to catch up after a while. Tackling the invisible creature, he felt the familiar fuzzy sensation against his body and pressed it down as hard as he could, a tuft of black fur appearing in his hand. Not long after, Zorua's entire body appeared out of thin air, pinned down beneath him like so many times before.

"AAAHHHH!" Zorua gave off a panicked cry while struggling to get free, "LET ME GO!"

"I don't know how you did that, but I don't care," Seif growled menacingly with a minute amount of glee in his voice after his triumphant victory, "I don't care if you can turn invisible. I don't even care if you learn how to teleport. As long as I'm alive, you will never, ever escape from here."

"I'LL KILL YOU!" Zorua burst out as she fought harder, trying to bite at the claws holding her down. Securing his grip around her, Seif moved in closer to better intimidate and taunt her.

"Like that'd change anything," he whispered with a sinister scowl, "Think about who's giving the orders around here. If it were up to me, I would have kicked you out of my oasis to die ages ago."

His words fell on deaf ears, and Zorua made good use of her newfound ability to create illusions in the weeks to come. Seif was finding it very difficult to handle, the small Pokémon getting better at using it with every day. He would be chasing a fake copy of her for several seconds, or get lost on the way back as the desert spun wildly around him and the oasis in constant movement. Before long he took to beating Zorua into complete unconsciousness, at which point the mirages abruptly ceased and he could get some peace of mind before she woke up and tried something new.

A full year after Zorua's arrival at the oasis, the human came by for another visit. Seif was just returning from another wild chase, carrying a flailing Zorua in his arms. She quickly stopped as she noticed the human, staring intently at the pelt that had once been her lovely mother. The human did not notice, busy looking at the chaotic state of the area. Small craters in the sand, millions of footsteps heading out in every direction and one visibly worn out Sandslash.

The human sighed to himself as a beeping noise suddenly sounded from his waist. Reaching behind the facial area of the Simipour and sparking a hostile growl from Zorua, he pulled out a cellphone.

"Yeah, what's up? Nah, the black one almost made it off again," the human spoke as Seif dropped Zorua, feeling a bit ticked off and not really caring if she tried to attack him like before. She began planning on what to do about the unexpected visit when the human suddenly broke into a big smile.

"Elite Four challenge? Well, yeah… I suppose that's something we gotta celebrate," the human said as he looked over at Seif and his smile immediately began to fade, "But… The menu doesn't look very tasty, though. Y'know, spines and all that. Can't we…?"

Zorua dropped all her plans as she slowly began to realize what the human and his unseen friend were talking about. She looked at Seif, noticing that the Sandslash had an unusually distressed expression behind his snout. Noticing their reaction, the human hastily scuffled away and lowered his voice.

"… Huh? Nah, it's no problem. We can get another one next time we go into town," the human continued, oblivious of the two Pokémon's highly adapt skills at hearing, "Besides, this one's getting kind of old, can barely even keep up with that black one we caught. Might as well put him out of his misery before he starts embarrassing himself too much."

Seif stopped eavesdropping for a moment to shoot Zorua a vicious glare. However, the Dark-type was completely focused on every word coming from the person so casually carrying her mother around like clothing.

"I suppose… Better to dig in now before he's nothing but skin, sinew and spikes, right?" the human whispered while giving off a nervous laugh, looking over at the two Pokémon. Being met by nothing but hatred and anger, he slowly backed off before turning around and leaving the area. Zorua and Seif stared at him all the way as he became a tiny little dot at the edge of the dunes and finally disappeared.

Completely shaken up by the whole ordeal, Zorua had no idea what to say or do. For the first time in her life, she was feeling sorry for someone who wasn't herself. Overcome by this new, strange sensation, she looked over at Seif with a confused expression.

"What… What are you going to do?" Zorua blurted out. Seif looked back at her for a moment, appearing to be deep in thought. With a few unremarkable steps he made his way back to his favorite spot by the tree and sat down.

"Nothing," he answered callously before crossing his arms and closing his eyes, looking to get some shut-eye like normal.

"What!?" Zorua exclaimed in shock, "They… They're going to eat you!"

"So be it, then," Seif responded calmly, "I've let them eat many Pokémon before, why stop them now? I guess this is what one would refer to as 'karma'."

Zorua felt her breath come in short as something about the Sandslash's cool demeanor rubbed her the wrong way. Something about this whole thing seemed off, but she was not confident that she could define exactly what it is.

"… You can't…!" she shouted and shook her head, "That's not…!"

"… What's the matter?" Seif asked as he opened his eyes to look at her, "Aren't you glad I'll be gone? Now you're free to run out into the desert and die like you've always wanted."

"B-But…" Zorua stuttered. It was true, this past year she had wished for nothing more than for the horrible Sandslash to go away, preferably in a swift and painful manner. Her past self told her to back off, shut up and simply watch it all go down without intervention. However, she could not rid the feeling that something wasn't making sense, and scrounged her face up as she struggled to figure out what it was.

"Don't tell me…" Seif muttered with a sneer, "… You care about me? You've come to like me?"

"… No! I hate you! I HATE YOU!" Zorua burst out while feeling a deep loathing rise to the top of her chest, "But… Don't just go die like this! Why would you give your life for that evil human!?"

The sneer faded from Seif's face as he became completely serious in an instant, staring her down with an intensive gaze.

"Watch your tongue," he said harshly, "That 'evil human' is the only reason I exist."

Losing track of her train of thoughts, Zorua braced herself as she was sure to get a beating for accidentally pissing Seif off. But instead he just sat but the tree and looked at her angrily, not making the effort of reprimanding her.

"I was not born. I was bred," Seif explained after a moment of silence, "My mother and father did not even know each other. They were forced together for the sole purpose of creating me, all so I could help these humans. I am certain one of my brothers or sisters will be here to take over my role once I am gone."

"… That's… That's what you want?" Zorua asked in disbelief.

"Why not? The purpose of life is to spread your genes to the next generation," Seif muttered with a shrug, "My family has thrived, even though we are enslaved and eventually eaten. Because others find use for us and our lives, we will continue to exist, no matter what. Your parents saw the opposite end. Their only use was in death… And soon you will follow. No future… No offspring… No hope."

"But at least I want to live!" Zorua shouted back, not understanding much of what the Sandslash was talking about.

Her statement proved to be far more effective than she had anticipated. Although he did not show it, Seif felt something stir deep inside of him as if he had been shaken to his core. Staring down at Zorua and her defiant gaze, he wondered if she thought of him as little as he did her. The thought that she would continue roaming the oasis after he was dead made him sour, but also brought about a surge of helplessness.

"… No one wants to die, kid," Seif growled, his voice showing chiding qualities, "I don't have a choice. I have a master."

"That's not right!" Zorua continued with her tirade, suddenly realizing that the Sandslash was not cool about his impending death but had simply given up on preventing it, "They're weak, even I could hurt them! You… You're big! Strong! They can't force you to do anything!"

Zorua hesitated a little as she realized she was shouting at the very same monster that had beaten her senseless so many times and was probably very eager to keep that tradition alive. However, unlike any earlier conversation between them, Seif actually seemed to be paying attention to what she was saying.

"It's not that simple, you noisy little brat," Seif argued while raising his head, "They've got Pokéballs, the technology to hold us captive. I rebel; I get beaten down and stuffed into a PC somewhere."

"But… But… Your freedom! Your life!" Zorua said desperately, finally discovering what felt wrong about this whole situation, "Why can a master take that away from you? How can you let that happen!?"

"Life's a bitch," Seif responded calmly, "Don't feel bad, everyone eventually realizes that, kid..."

"… You're wrong!" Zoura yelled in response while shaking her head, "My life… Before all this, my life was great! I was happy, and if I'd never been caught… I'd still be!"

Memories of her mother and even her father flooded her as she felt overcome by nostalgia and a year of pent up rage. In that instant she felt as if she could run across the entire desert in pursuit of vengeance. Seif looked as if he was about to say something, but was interrupted as Zorua deftly jumped in front of him.

"No matter what…" Zorua said with a furious expression, "… I refuse to resign myself to suffering!"

The exertions of that day were starting to pile up on Zorua's back as she collapsed on sand soon after. Awaiting a reply from Seif but getting only silence, she wondered if this is what the rest of her life would be like. Spending it alone and eventually dying a meaningless death.

"… Another way…" Zorua coughed weakly with a hoarse voice, "If we… If we kill the human… He can't kill us if he's dead… Right?"

"Kid…" Seif finally responded, a cold, quiet and somewhat worried tone to his voice, "… You're talking crazy. You're going against the way of the world."

"Then screw the world!" Zorua screamed as her energy spiked once more, suddenly standing up and facing the Sandslash, "What do we have to lose!? If we can just get out of here, there's a chance… There's a chance that life will be good again! I'll do anything…!"

The next day, the human returned to the oasis. Wearing the same grotesque get-up as before, he spotted his Sandslash resting by the usual palm tree. He put on a big smile as Seif eyed him lazily through tiny slits under heavy eyelids. Contrasting the dusty area and dirty carrier, there was a shiny new spray can containing Max Repel sticking out of a bag by the human's side, showing that his expression belied his intentions.

A scornful look crossed Seif's face as the human suddenly reached into the sack. However, instead of grabbing the repel he dug down deeper and pulled out a tiny treat. Holding it in front of him, he slowly approached the Sandslash.

"Whoooo… Whoooo…" the human sang in a calming manner, "… Whooo's a hungry Sandshrew? Who's a hungry little Sandshrew?"

The human walked closer while Seif sat and watched him with a bored expression.

"You are!" the human shouted as he suddenly took one last big step towards his Pokémon. Seif did not react at all as the cheerful guy started petting and rubbing his head.

"Ahh… Not so little anymore, I guess," the human snickered while handing out the small treat, "Remember when I used to do that? Here, by this tree? You were so cute back then!"

Seif did remember. Back when he was just a Sandshrew he had been taken to this oasis and spent a lot of time playing with his master. At some point he had evolved and been given duties, but it occurred to him that he had forgotten to keep track of the passing days, and wondered just how many years the oasis had stolen from him.

"Don't worry, Seif ol' pal, you've been good to us," the human said with dismay as he reached into his bag and pulled out a few more treats, "You can have as many of these as you want before we gotta stop feeding you. Don't let that black one steal 'em all, or she'll have to answer to me!"

The human continued picking things out of the sack when it suddenly rattled. Looking down in surprise, he saw it stop for a moment before starting again, some unseen force pulling at it. Before he had time to react, the bag detached from his wrappings and fell down into the sand, carrying the canister of repel with it.

"Seif, be careful! Something's here!" the human shouted with a terrified expression as he rose to his full height. Thinking he was under attack by a psychic Pokémon, he looked around but could see no one. Bending over to pick up the repel, it suddenly began to move across the sand all on its own.

Staring at the unbelievable scene, he was given a clue as the image of the small, black Pokémon he had captured before flashed by his vision for a second. Knowing that mirages could not occur at such a short distance, he swiftly came to the conclusion that the rare creature had some mysterious powers he had not encountered before.

"The black one!? Seif, what's-" the human exclaimed as Seif got fed up with waiting and tackled him from behind, pushing him down to the ground. The human screamed in protest before Seif calmly shoved his head into the sand with one hand, starting to munch down on one of the treats with his other.

"Suppertime," Seif mumbled as he thoroughly chewed and swallowed down his meal. Zorua deactivated her illusions and stared as the human flailed and fought like she had so many times before. Around this point in time is where she would begin to pass out and he'd forcibly pull her head up for air. Such was not the case now. The human's movements began to weaken as his head remained in the sand before finally stopping altogether.

Seif sat quietly next to him and finished up his food. His face was expressionless as he looked down at the human, lying face down in the sand. The Sandslash was not certain that he was dead, but did not care either way. He walked past the stunned Zorua and emptied out the contents of the bag she had taken from him. A can of repel, a few more treats and a large bottle of water fell into the sand. Shaking the bag a little more, a second bottle of water suddenly fell out, about half as large as the previous one.

"A reserve bottle… He sure wasn't eager to die," Seif muttered while picking up the tiny bottle and holding it out towards Zorua, "Here. I'm bigger, so you can have the smaller one."

However, she was no longer standing where she had been. Instead she was lying down next to the human, violently tackling him and pulling at his lifeless body. Seif sighed, realizing this was the first time she had been given any kind of punching bag and probably had a lot of aggressions to take out on it.

"… Come on, stop that…" Seif said with apprehension, "He might not even be dead. Couldn't check his pulse, my hide's too thick."

Zorua paid his warning no mind as she continued her onslaught. Biting with her teeth, smashing with her head and rolling the human over, showing the world his final expression of frozen anguish. Not really eager to accentuate the grizzly scene, Seif moved to stop her when she suddenly got a hold of what she was looking for. Dragging with all her might, the pelt around the human finally came loose from its last restriction and left his body. Panting heavily as she laid down on the sand, she looked up at Seif with a pleading expression.

"Mom…" she worded breathily, "I wanna be with mom…"

Standing still, Seif finally came to the realization that Zorua had only been trying to free her mother. The Simipour looked worse for wear after a full year of being dead, having shriveled up and seemingly lost all of her previous moisturizing qualities. Zorua nuzzled up against the decomposing head, apparently not noticing just how much her mother had changed.

"Fine. Step back, kid," Seif muttered while keeping his denouncements to himself, bending over to pick up the rotten carcass. Zorua whined as she rolled off the pelt and stared up at him with sorrow and confusion.

"Get on," Seif muttered, holding the flattened Simipour like a hammock between his arms, "I'll carry you. This skin'll protect you from the cold of the night, and shade you from the heat of the day."

"But… What about you?" Zorua asked, wondering why he didn't wrap her around himself like the human had.

"… My spines would rip what's left of her to shreds…" Seif muttered to himself with disdain, "I think I've done enough as is."

Gathering up a small amount of food and safely placing their bottles of water in the bag, they began their long, arduous journey out of the desert. Not sure on which direction to move in, Seif decided they would follow the setting sun as to not end up walking in circles.

As the days passed, they were reminded of the harsh reality outside of their little oasis. Heat and dryness was their breakfast – Cold and wind their dinner. Seif continued stalwart, unhindered despite the extra baggage of two Pokémon. A year prior Zorua had been carried across the desert nestled within the hair of her mother, and such was now the case once more. She thought it weird that the same situation could vary so much in nature.

"Ahh… So hot…" Zorua wheezed. Her bottle of water was already half-empty, and she knew all too well what would happen should it run out before the desert did. Even so, the sands seemed to stretch on for eternity, and she could not help but worry that they were still just somewhere in the middle of it all.

"Stop whining…" Seif muttered back to her, his voice a bit hoarser than usual, "You're the one who suggested the revolution. Accept the consequences."

"R… Evolution…?" Zorua repeated the complicated word, not sure of what it meant but understanding it was something she had wanted. Seif felt torn on whether to explain it or not – So far he had not really taught the small dark-type anything of value, assuming it was a waste were she to be nothing but food in the end. Indeed, what purpose would the knowledge of a word serve should they fall prey to the scorching sun and die in the middle of nowhere? In the end he decided to prioritize, preventing a potential catastrophe from occurring should they manage to get out of this mess.

"Hey, kid… There'll be more humans where we're heading," Seif spoke up, keeping his vision ahead of him. Zorua looked up at him, and in the corner of his eyes he could see a scared expression flare up.

"… W-Will they try to eat us?" Zorua asked with a shaky voice, "We have to kill them too?"

A groan emanated from Seif. He had a feeling this is what she would associate humanity with after all she had been through.

"They won't try to eat us," Seif explained, "But I guess I'd understand if you'd want me to kill them anyway."

"No!" Zorua suddenly burst out in protest, "Why… Why kill them if they don't want to eat us?"

They shared a confused look between one another.

"Don't you hate humans?" Seif asked outright, rattling both Zorua and the Simipour to empathize. Zorua looked down at her dead mother for a moment while trying to muster up whatever bitter emotions she kept stored within. However, all she got out of it was a surge of weakness as she collapsed her head against what was left of her family.

"I-I… Just don't want to die…" she whispered exasperated, "If they don't hurt me… I won't hate them…"

"Guess that leaves out me, then…" Seif mumbled to himself, seeing that the countless cuts and bruises covering Zorua had yet to heal. As more time passed, he found his attention more and more drawn to those wounds as well as the carved up corpse in his arms. There was not a whole lot else to look at out in the desert, and before he knew it those two were the only things his eyes would take in.

Zorua was woken abruptly as she found herself thrown into the air and splayed out across the sand. Receiving a terrifying flashback from the time she had lost her parents, she looked up and felt strangely relieved to see the Sandslash fallen over.

"Stupid… Sand…" he grumbled quietly as he rose to his feet, "C'mon… Get on…"

Wiping her face clean, she jumped back onto Seif and her deceased mother. However, as she did the Sandslash suddenly buckled over for a moment as if struggling with her weight. He did not say anything and resumed his walk, but Zorua found this to be very peculiar. The implacable being that had resisted her most powerful attacks, thrown her several feet with no issue and beaten her day after day with no signs of exhaustion was not one to trip and struggle with carrying a child.

It was the next day that Zorua noticed Seif slowing down his pace. Realizing he had been walking awfully far on his own, she decided to jump off to give him a break. However, as she tried it he suddenly threw his hands out further, catching her in her descent.

"It's OK! I can walk on my own for a while!" Zorua exclaimed while looking up at the Sandslash. His features had always been ragged and weary, but things rapidly seemed to be taking a turn for the worse. His dusty skin was cracked so bad it looked like the aftermath of an earthquake.

"… Shut up…" Seif responded dryly, "Your puny little form would sink in a second…"

Frowning at her nice suggestion being shot down, she laid down as Seif suddenly reached into the bag on his back and pulled out her bottle.

"Here. Drink," he ordered flatly. Zorua stared at the bottle with horror – There was naught but half a round of water remaining. Her lifeline was steadily diminishing, and the desert showed no signs of reaching its end.

"I-I'm fine," Zorua lied, thinking she would save the last bit of water until she was closer to her deathbed, making sure she always one last shot at salvation.

"That wasn't a request," Seif growled, and before Zorua knew it she was being pressed down into the sand, Seif forcibly shoving the bottle down her throat.

"N-MMPH!" Zorua protested as she saw the last sliver of shimmering life trickle down the bottle's opening and disappearing forever into the darkness of her parched throat.

"You'll die if you don't keep yourself hydrated, you stupid bastard," Seif continued as he quietly observed the bottle, making sure every last drop had been spent, "You want to die? Right when you're on the edge of freedom?"

Coughing and sputtering, Zorua immediately regretted trying to be friendly and laid down on her mother while pouting. Silently she prayed that beyond the next dune, the green paradise she had always dreamed of would appear.

Another day went by. Then another. The sun was stronger than usual, cooking Zorua to the point of almost fainting. Longing immensely for a nice shot of cooling water, she wondered how much worse things could possibly get before her body finally caved in and died. She was unsure whether Seif had any water left, but knew he would never share it with her. Planning to steal it, she could never find the opportunity as she could never catch the brutish Sandslash sleeping. Gradually resigning herself to her fate, she took a shred of comfort in that she was able to reunite with her mother one last time.

Despite his familiarity with the desert, Seif was not doing much better. His once proud steps had become shorter, but at the same time more labored. Disoriented, his eyes had taken a lot of damage, every grain of sand another stab against the chink in his armor. His vision was beginning to fade, but no matter how blurry things got, the wounds covering Zorua were as clear as the sun.

Without warning, he suddenly stopped. Right in the middle of nowhere he quit walking, licking his lips once for good measure. Zorua's head perked up, wondering what was going on. Hope sprung up in her chest as she wondered if he could see the end of the desert from his slightly more elevated position.

"Kid… Bag…" Seif wheezed, his voice stale. Slightly crouching over, he placed Zorua and her mother on the hot sand and detached the bag from his back.

"A year since we met…" he continued before handing the bag over to Zorua and sitting down, "I got you a present…"

Her weariness melted away at the strange notion of getting a present at this time and place. Excited to see what it was, she rummaged through the bag and was surprised to find it contained only two items. The first was her bottle of water, now completely depleted with its content rapidly being replaced by sand. The second was Seif's larger bottle, the sight of which made her eyes go wide.

It was not empty. It was not half empty. It was filled to the brim with sweet, life-bringing water.

"That water… I saved it for you…" Seif muttered with a face devoid of expression. Thirsty beyond belief, Zorua removed the cap and drank a hefty gulp of water. Feeling rejuvenated, a thought suddenly hit her.

"Wait…?" Zorua whispered as she slowly looked up from the bottle, "But… Then… What have you been drinking?"

"Desert's my home… Don't need water…" Seif replied as his head subtly wobbled back and forth, "… Well… Not too much… Anyway…"

Blinking a few times to try and focus his vision, he noticed just how tired his body felt. With an inaudible grunt he laid down on the ground, resting his head against the warm sand. He looked at Zorua – She was obviously in shock, staring at him with eyes wide open.

"… Still a long way to go…" Seif explained hazily, "Can't let you ride for free all the way… It's time for you to walk on your own…"

"… No!" Zorua suddenly burst out as she realized what he meant, quickly rolling the bottle of water towards him, "Here, drink some of-"

But as soon as she came within arm's reach of the Sandslash, he lashed out and grabbed a hold of her neck. She choked with fear as his sharp claws cut slightly into her skin, immediately drawing blood.

"Wasting my precious gift… Just like that…?" Seif continued with the same emotionless tone and face as before, "I could easily snip your head off… And take that water for myself… So don't tempt me…"

A drop of blood crawled down his hand as he let go, Zorua falling back and gasping in terror. Carefully she edged forward and drew back the bottle, all while staring at the fallen Sandslash in disbelief.

"But… You wanted to live!" Zorua exclaimed in confusion, "Don't you want to meet your family?"

Seif closed his eyes to think for a moment, in order to properly formulate his motivation. Zorua misinterpreted his action, fearing he had just died like her mother and the human.

"… A piece of shit like me… Deserves no family…" Seif growled after a moment of silence, "The world… Needs less like me… And more… Like you…"

A strong wind blew past the two and caused Zorua to wince as sand came into her eyes. Rubbing them to try to get it out, Seif watched her every move with what little vision he had left.

"… You're just some stupid little girl…" he continued as his dreary eyes examined his sharp claws, "Men like me… Strong, burly men like me should be the ones to stand up for ourselves…"

The blood dripping down his wrist grabbed his attention as he watched it fall towards the sand, giving it a familiar sheen of red.

"But… But I didn't do anything!" Seif wailed and weakly clenched his fists together in anguish, "I just sat there… Did what I was told… Saw to the death of so many… So many…"

Zorua continued staring at him in surprise, completely speechless. She had never seen him like this before, her massive and powerful tormentor lying weak and defeated.

"Why…? A dumb, mangy, pathetic little girl like you…" he grumbled quietly, "… Why were you so much stronger than I was…?"

"Seif…" Zorua whispered to herself. Despite having been together for a year, their only interaction had been fighting. She hated him so for having beaten her and wanted him die, but at the same time felt bad seeing him in this pitiful state and wanted him to live. Overwhelmed by these conflicting emotions, she felt her throat turn even more parched than before as she choked up.

"… What a worthless life…" Seif muttered as he laid on his back and looked up at the sky, "But at least… I'm betting it on a better future. You've got dreams… Hope… Go out into the real world… Make a difference… Make sure a tragedy like this never happens again…"

"I-I will…" Zorua responded with a low tone and shaky voice while turning her head away. After what he had done, she did not want him to think she was in any way sorrowful of his passing. She would not give him the satisfaction of watching her shed any tears for his sake.

"Then get going…" Seif mumbled as he turned to his side, looking at the deceased Pokémon he had brought so far into the desert, "… Mommy stays here with me. You're too small to carry her."

A chill ran through Zorua as she looked at her mother, only slightly more dead in appearance compared to Seif. Indeed, she knew that if she was to make it out alive she would have to abandon her. For much too long she had been without her, and hardly a week after reuniting they would have to go separate ways again. The idea of moving ahead on her own frightened her. No matter what the world outside of the desert was like, she would be forced to face it alone. No mother. No father. No Seif.

"Damn it… Go already…" Seif groaned as he turned his head towards the heavens again, "I don't want to spend my last moments alive with a crying little girl…"

"I-I'm not crying! A-And I'm not a l-little girl!" Zorua suddenly burst out as she faced Seif, tears streaming down her chin, "J-Just w-watch! I w-won't waste the w-water on t-tears…"

Quickly placing the bottle of water inside the bag and picking it up with her mouth, she began steadily marching towards the setting sun. A few steps into her journey she stopped, remembering that she had forgotten to kiss her mother goodbye. No farewell hug, no memento to remember her by. Fearing her confidence would waver, she refused to turn around and continued walking. Before long, all that remained of her was a trace of footsteps and fallen tears.

Many hours passed. Seif repeatedly adjusted himself, unable to find a comfortable position to die in. In the end he simply crawled a bit further and found a miniature hill of sand to lean up against. He pretended that he was at his oasis like usual, sitting by his favorite tree and dreaming the day away. Dizzy from lack of water, delusions began to haunt him in his final moments, feeling and thinking things he had never experienced before. Yet throughout it all, he felt surprisingly peaceful. Looking at where he had left the dead Simipour, it seemed weird that he would soon be joining her. The way she laid there, unmoving and dried up filled him with the urge to say something.

"Sorry… I caught you and got you killed…" Seif wheezed almost inaudibly as he gazed at the skinned Water-type, "But… I just gave your daughter another chance at life… We even…?"

In the hazy turmoil that was his mind, he thought he could see the pelt smiling in return.

"Yeah… We even…" Seif whispered as he cracked a smile of his own. Lowering his head he fell into a deep sleep, slowly becoming one with the dunes of the desert.

The continued trek was unquestionably difficult for the young Zorua. The sand burned her paws and her bushy fur was definitively working in conjunction with hyperthermia against her survival. Many times she had envisioned roaming the desert after a successful escape and had sworn to never give up, but already one day into the journey she felt like she could drop at any second. There was plenty of water left, but her tiny body simply could not take any more.

Finally reaching the top of a particularly steep dune, there was something very colorful by the horizon. It was unlike anything she had ever seen before, but no matter how hard she looked her weary eyes refused to focus. Too tired to try and make sense out of things, she witnessed a couple of shapes heading towards her. In her addled state she was not sure of what was happening, but one of the shapes grabbed a hold of her before she could use any form of illusion to hide her presence. Far too exhausted to resist, she fell unconscious, a voice echoing somewhere around her.

"… Someone… Desert…" it said, "… Water… Unconscious…"

The shapes would bring her into a forest where her life began anew.

But forevermore, the trails of the desert would remain inside her.


	94. Condemned Human Race

Zoroark kept her eyes closed and arms crossed while thinking of the past, subconsciously copying Seif's behavior. She had experienced a great many things outside of the desert, most of it so unlike what the hot sands had shown her that it was seemingly part of an alternate dimension. However, there was a blight that both worlds shared, awoken in one and dormant in the other. Whatever it took, she refused to let anyone else suffer what she had faced.

Slowly opening her eyes, the scientist gazed at her with confidence as Lucario's face was filled with apprehension. She realized the latter would be difficult to win over, but knew it could not be helped.

"The others are still fighting up there," Zoroark finally said, rationalizing her actions while reaching out her hand, "Give me the virus, doctor. We should put an end to this before anyone gets hurt."

"Whoa, hold on there!" Lucario exclaimed as he stepped in front of Zoroark, knocking her arm away, "What're you planning to do with it!? We're gonna destroy it, right!?"

The two of the stared at each other. Lucario's expression was surprised and confused, but Zoroark's was simply bitter and distressed.

"Lucario…" Zoroark whispered as she slowly withdrew her hand, never blinking or breaking eye contact, "… I really do not have the time to explain things right now. Just trust me."

"You will wrap your head around it eventually," the scientist suddenly interrupted as he patted Lucario on the shoulder, "And then you will see that humanity must die!"

"You shut the hell up!" Lucario yelled as she knocked away the human's arm as well and kept his fists clenched, "Zoroark, are you crazy!? You'll kill humanity! Billions of lives!"

"I am not planning to destroy all humans!" Zoroark responded quickly, "I shall only use the virus as a deterrent, so that I can stop them from doing as they please and accidentally killing all life on Earth!"

Lucario mouthed a curse as he looked off to the side for a moment, annoyed to not understand what anyone was talking about. Zoroark kept her face straight, not about to show any weakness when so close to accomplishing something so important.

"… The only one about to kill all life on Earth is you! Use that virus and you'll be halfway done!" Lucario shouted accusingly while pointing at Zoroark, "I was human… No, I AM human! Why the hell would I destroy the world!?"

"I wonder… How much of you is really human?" Zoroark answered calmly before closing her eyes, "Fauna and Pokémon entered divergent paths of evolution eons ago… The ancestors of us Pokémon were peaceful and received sustenance from berries, while the ancestors of you humans killed and ate each other, waging endless wars! If you were still completely human, violence would be too deeply engraved in your nature to hinder."

Smacking his forehead, Lucario heard a snicker from behind and felt like backhanding the scientist for having put him in this difficult situation to begin with.

"What the hell… Those were primitive beings! Bugs and animals!" Lucario argued angrily, "We've evolved since then, stupid, we don't kill each other anymore!"

"Wrong. You hide yourselves behind civilization, but I have seen the true face of humanity…!" Zoroark said with a chilly tone when she sensed her memories bubbling to the surface again, "You are just as bloodthirsty as your ancestors were, and you are taking it out on us Pokémon by forcing us to do battle for your amusement! If we were to disappear, you would be fighting and killing each other instead! Everlasting peace is not possible in a world where you exist!"

She wanted nothing more but to explain her upbringing to elaborate on her actions. However, they had already wasted too much time, and the sooner she could get to the rest of the revolutionaries the sooner she and the virus would be safe.

"They tanned my mother… They ate my father… Do you know why?" Zoroark summarized the source of her anguish while showing a defiant expression, "Because they could. Humanity has dominance over Pokémon, and they abuse it every day. We might have shared more equal ground in the past, but that position has been steadily slipping. Soon we will be nothing but cattle for them to slaughter, our flesh and bones used as food and tools!"

Pushing away the memories of the desert, Zoroark noticed something change in Lucario's stance. His confused expression began to clear up and transformed into hostility, taking a step away from her. The suspenseful atmosphere surrounding them was now anything but friendly, reminding her of the two times they had fought in the past. Lucario could feel it too, but in his case it was mixed in with a strong sense of doubt.

"… I can't believe what I'm hearing!" Lucario shouted in disbelief, "Is this another one of your illusions? Disillusion yourself!"

"The one living in an illusion is you, the illusion that deep down, humanity is good!" Zoroark replied while raising her voice, hoping she could get through to him before things escalate, "You do not understand that in this world, there are people unlike you. Bad people. If you did, you would never hesitate the chance to wipe them out!"

"Damn it, not all humans are bad!" Lucario argued while thinking of his hometown, Lyra and many others he had met on his long journey as a Pokémon trainer, "I could name hundreds that are a whole lot better than you!"

"I know there are exceptions, many of them… But humanity as a whole will eventually destroy everything, even themselves!" Zoroark snapped back while throwing a hand out to her side, setting her long flowing hair into motion, "Nothing can excuse that! Who would not prefer that every human dies instead of the entire world perishing under their foolish rule!?"

"You underestimate the world if you think humanity can do that!" Lucario continued, unsure of how Zoroark could think that a couple of bipedal apes were somehow a bigger threat to the world than enormous hounds that dribble lava or puke thunder.

"Am I?" Zoroark responded while making an effort to calm herself down and get her bearings together, "All that machinery you love so much, and the fumes they spew out… The resources you consume without a second thought… Every second with you on the planet cuts our world's lifespan by another hundred years! How about we take humanity out of the equation? The Earth will remain fertile until the sun vaporizes the oceans in a billion years!"

"Then grab a weapon and go kill everyone!" Lucario yelled while making a cocking motion with his hands, wondering if Zoroark even knew what a gun was, "Sounds really rational when I put it like that, doesn't it!?"

"Do you think I would even consider this if not for the virus!?" Zoroark shouted back before searching the room for the virus, "Can't you even imagine the idea that humanity might be bad for the world? Are you that egotistical? I suppose you wouldn't be alone in that, and at least you'll never have to meet the people and Pokémon to suffer for your foolishness!"

Lucario had heard enough. Clenching his fists, he summoned up all his anger as he felt like rushing Zoroark's face into a nearby wall, not entirely unlike what he had done in the forest outside of No Man's Land. Zoroark noticed his intentions and quickly formulated an illusion that would misdirect his blow and allow her to counterattack.

However, as Lucario continued staring into Zoroark's face he felt his rage wane. Looking at her reminded him of the many things she had told him about herself, her sleeplessness and strife to do what's best for everyone. He hesitated, the frightening idea that he was misjudging her again and making a mistake striking him. Zoroark also felt similar emotions, remembering when they had finally reached an understanding with each other in the cage. Halting her illusion she dropped the idea of fighting back, thinking that maybe she deserved a punch to the face for the unspeakable crime she was about to commit.

In the end they just stood and stared at each other, but a conclusion had been far from reached.

"… And we're the monsters, huh?" Lucario spoke after the long period of silence, "Need I remind you of Deoxys? You Pokémon are far more violent and dangerous than-"

He had barely gotten the full sentence out when another highly annoying snicker sounded from behind. Turning around and seeing the scientist as gleeful as always, he decided it was time to give a stern warning.

"You seem real happy for a guy one lame excuse away from getting his head ripped off!" Lucario roared as loud as he could, but the scientists only kept on laughing.

"Ah, it is quite amusing to hear someone who knows nothing have an opinion on matters," the human said while waving his hand to the side, "Deoxys, for instance."

"I'll have you know, I have more experience with Deoxys than either of you!" Lucario shouted, not really possessing any memories from their climactic battle but recalling everything Mew had explained, "What? You're gonna tell me that psychotic monster was just misunderstood? Confused? That poor widdle Pokémon didn't MEAN to kill all life on earth!"

"Ah, well, yes, he was quite intent on doing that," the scientist replied very quickly while shrugging, "Of course, that was simply because he was not a Pokémon."

His sinister little snicker echoed throughout the facility once more, but this time both Lucario and Zoroark were too focused on what he was saying to call him out on it.

"He was human," the scientist said with a smile, deriving pleasure from having dropped another bombshell on the two gasping Pokémon.

"Asshole, I've had it up to here with your bullshit!" Lucario immediately responded by taking an aggressive step towards him, "Are you really THAT insane that you can't see Deoxys for what he was!?"

"Still your tongue, mutt," the human warned while standing completely still and refusing to be intimidated, "It is you who cannot see him for what he was. I am the one who created him, after all."

"Deoxys appeared from outer space," Zoroark chimed in, a million unanswered questions roaring around her head as she tried to figure out if she was being played for a fool, "Astronomers witnessed his descent. The crater is still present. There is no doubt that's where he came from."

"Indeed, AFTER we launched him there," the scientist clarified as he peeked out from behind Lucario to meet her gaze, "Why did people instantly assume the illogical option while disregarding the logical? The odds of a single extra-terrestrial being zooming through the enormity of space and crash-landing on this tiny rock are far beneath a fraction of a percent. We simply did not send him far enough, and the forces of gravity caused him to come falling back."

Feeling confident in himself, the scientist began to pace around the room. He had many memories of the place, thinking back to the fine experiments conducted there. Each dissected Pokémon one step closer to a solution, all while fooling his subordinates and superiors of his true intentions.

"Deoxys was both a success and a failure. We were tasked with creating the strongest Pokémon in the world through genetic engineering for the use of our benefactors," the human explained while occasionally throwing the two Pokémon a satisfied glance, "Past attempts had shown that altering a clone only led to complications, such as the resulting Pokémon being rebellious and difficult to control. We needed a different component, so our creation's mind would not be entirely pristine…"

Despite Zoroark and Lucario's disgusted faces, the scientist still thought of himself as a bit of an unsung hero. He had dedicated his entire existence to doing something he thought would save the world, even at the cost of his own life. Overcoming his own limitations as a human and playing both sides, all for the good of others.

"… In truth, even then I was planning on using Deoxys to save the world. Combining the forces of a Pokémon with the destructive senses of a human, I was to instruct him to destroy humanity with their own hatred…" he continued before a crude scorn crossed his face, "… But the wretched creature was a failure! He would kill anything! Humans, Pokémon and even inanimate biological structures! The humanity in him had woken his most primal desires, wanting nothing but death and destruction to all!"

Suddenly walking up to Lucario, this time it was the Pokémon's turn to flinch in surprise.

"Not only that, being both human and Pokémon meant we could not trap him, even with what we used against you in Saffron City," the professor said while jabbing a finger into Lucario's chest, "He was powerful beyond our imagination, and we could not risk another Mewtwo. Instead of trying to destroy him and accidentally waking his ire, we sealed him inside a rocket shuttle and sent him far into the reaches of outer space!"

He threw his hands up into the air in a glorious posture as Zoroark and Lucario stared at him. The former was stunned, and the latter was bored.

"Hey Zoroark, this guy sure seems nice," Lucario said with irony, "I'm glad you're betraying me for his sake."

"You still cannot see how the world would have been better off without humans like this?" Zoroark asked while feeling a headache coming on and rubbing her temples, "I believe whatever his employers has in store for him will be punishment enough."

"I am human, after all. Overcoming one's nature is quite difficult," the professor said in his own defense, "By embracing my own shortcomings, I was able to use it to fuel a solution for the world. Ah, if only I had been born a Pokémon…"

"A shame," Zoroark lied before reaching out her hand, "I am ready to accept the virus. Which is it?"

"Cylindrical canister, red markings," the scientist said clearly while pointing towards the cabinet, "One layer of plastic and one of steel, both unsealed easily enough. The virus still needs a few more components that should not be difficult for someone in your position to acquire."

As Zoroark took her first step towards the cabinet, Lucario knew this was it. Riddled by confusion and conflict, he could only do what felt right at the moment. Convinced that this should not under any circumstances be happening, he dashed ahead of Zoroark and straightened his back.

"Stop. I absolutely can't let you do it," Lucario said bluntly and clashed his fists together in hostility. As if having expected this, Zoroark did not bat an eye and only stared at him with an expression of disappointment.

"Lucario… I put so much faith in you, and this is how you repay me?" Zoroark said before pointing her thumb towards the exit, "Pikablu and the others are still up there fighting, we have a responsibility to get back to them as quickly as possible! What if Zerobi falls into danger while we are wasting time here?"

"… While getting the virus is my responsibility to them…" Lucario muttered while cracking his neck, "… Making sure it doesn't end up in your hands is my responsibility to the human species."

After that, he entered a battle pose. Lashing out first had proven to be a faulty strategy in the past, especially when fighting a master of illusions. Having an idea of what kind of assault Zoroark would attempt, Lucario made himself ready to counterattack at the sight or sound of any unexpected movement.

But she did not attack. All she did was make a half-hearted attempt at guarding, all while looking at him with sorrowful eyes.

"So… This is how it ends?" Zoroark asked, not budging from the spot, "After all we've been through, we hit each other until one of us loses consciousness and the other claims righteousness?"

"No surprise here," Lucario lied while trying to justify the feeling of betrayal waking up again, "Ivy tries to kill me, Lugia talk shit, Celebi flips out over Zerobi and now this… You Pokémon are all out of your minds! Why am I the only sane one!?"

"It doesn't have to come to this," Zoroark continued with her persuasion, "If you understood the situation better, you would know something has to be done. We can have a friendly discussion like civilized people once we are out of here."

"Friendly!? Hah!" Lucario spat while throwing an arm out to the side, "Don't make me laugh! Like I'd ever be friends with a mass murderer!"

"I suppose only Zerobi gets a pass for that?" Zoroark muttered before crossing her arms and sighing, "Never mind… What if we leave the virus here? Will you hear me out then?"

Lucario considered it for several moments, her suggestion seeming reasonable. The spirit of battle slowly seeped out of him, again being reminded of their friendship and the fact that he really did not wish to fight her. Incredibly, he forced himself to stay alert, not wanting to take any unnecessary risks. Zoroark noticed this and visibly dropped her guard, thinking the fact that she was not using any illusions was proof enough of her desire to parley.

"This would not be the first of our misunderstandings," Zoroark explained calmly while placing a hand by her chest, "Human or Pokémon, man or woman… Deep down, we are not that different. Let us talk this whole thing over before making any hasty decisions."

"… Forget it!" Lucario yelled while rapidly opening and closing his fists, doing all he could to fire himself again and not lose sight of the battle at hand, "We're not similar at all! Unlike you, I'm not some lazy weakling who takes the easy way out!"

Barely noticing his preparations, Zoroark was instead taken aback by his crude statement. Memories of her hazardous childhood in the desert flashed through her mind, and she quickly withdrew her attempts at kindness.

"The easy way?" Zoroark muttered darkly while baring her fangs, "You know nothing of what I have been through. I have worked myself to the bone… Suffered horrors beyond this world… Given up everything…"

"And now it was all for nothing, wasn't it!?" Lucario suddenly shouted with a powerful voice. It took her by surprise, causing her fiendish behavior to instantly go away.

"I… Beg your pardon?" Zoroark exclaimed with confusion.

"All your work was worthless! Your revolution, your suffering, everything!" Lucario continued while pointing accusingly at the Dark-type he had once respected, "That virus would've handled humanity without you doing a damn thing!"

Zoroark's face scrounged up as Lucario felt that he had finally hit a nerve. For better or worse, he decided to keep pressing.

"You could've been lying on a beach and eaten berries all day, the end results would've been the same!" Lucario elaborated while making wild gestures with his hands, "Your efforts were useless! Your life was pointless! Not to mention, you betrayed those that gave their own lives for the revolution, thinking it was for a worthy cause!"

"… No…" Zoroark whispered in response, her mind going blank as she gained comprehension of what he was saying. What she had struggled and fought for all this time would never come true, in the end all she had done had been to trick whoever she could into following her towards ruin.

"All because you decided to take the easy way out, even when you had gotten so far on your own!" Lucario continued while occasionally looking at the scientist with disgust and rage, "You had your own idea on how to fix things, to establish relations with humanity and make sure they don't do anything stupid! Now you're giving up your dreams, your ambitions just because THIS FUCKING ASSHOLE gives you the lazy man's alternative TO KILL EVERYONE!?"

"… No…!" Zoroark repeated a little louder this time. Slowly but surely, she begun to realize that her entire purpose in life had been thrown out the window the instant the true nature of the virus had been revealed to her.

"Face it! You could've have been the greatest hero, erasing the rift between humanity and Pokémon while establishing a utopia for both species!" Lucario bellowed with all he had, "Now you'll just go down in history as the worst genocidal maniac who ever lived for doing something that would've happened even without you, all because you gave up – You couldn't go the full distance because you were TOO DAMN LAZY!"

"NO!" Zoroark burst out with indignation, causing even the loudmouthed Lucario to flinch and fall silent. Teeth showing behind a snarl and below a fierce set of eyes made her look more like a monster than ever, and Lucario wondered if he had gone too far and stirred awake something terrible.

Her mind a vortex of raging thoughts, Zoroark leaned her head back, closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. When her head returned to its original position, she had reverted to her regular demeanor.

"Doc, you forgot to put me into your calculation," Zoroark said while calmly turning towards the nearby scientist without missing a beat, "We do not need a virus to fix the world. My revolution wil handle it just fine without unnecessary loss of life."

"Hmpf… What a dull conclusion," the human responded disappointedly, but made no attempts at stealing the virus or running away. Lucario had a slightly shell-shocked appearance as Zoroark approached him, not having seen her in such a ferocious state before. Preparing himself for an attack or at least a slap, she instead lowered her head as a sign of respect.

"Sorry. I suppose I am a bit prone to sacrifice at this point," Zoroark said humbly as if her earlier outburst had never even occurred, "I let my emotions get the best of me. Had I been given more time to think about it… I wouldn't have used the virus. Can you forgive me?"

Frozen in surprise and wonder, Lucario's earlier animosity had all but disappeared. His will to fight was gone, and so was his reason to. Although unable to grasp the gravity of what had just happened, a strangely pleasant feeling emanated from his chest. He had actually won the seemingly hopeless argument without resorting to violence.

"… Fine," Lucario answered quietly, still not able to bring himself to sound happy, "Our main goal is to reach an understanding between Pokémon and humanity, right? This is just… Another step along the way."

"If there are more humans like you out there, it will be easier than I'd thought," Zoroark replied with a relaxing smile, apparently feeling the same sense of relief he was. He smiled back, not thinking too much about how close he was to smashing her face to bits, certain that she was doing likewise. Any further apologies would have to wait as Zoroark stepped aside, giving Lucario free access to the human sharing the room with them.

"Alright. How do we destroy the virus?" Lucario asked haughtily while pounding his fists together. He had absolutely no qualms about beating up a psychotic professor or smashing a vial to pieces.

"No need," the scientist replied bluntly with a sneer, "It is not finished yet."

"Handle it carefully, it might still be moderately dangerous," Zoroark warned as Lucario turned and stepped over to the cabinet, "We need to analyze it before we can properly dispose of it. I've prepared a team back in No Man's Land for this."

Picking up the cylindrical canister, Lucario found it strange that such a small thing could potentially eradicate humanity. It was barely half the size of one of his fingers, which of course were fairly large to begin with. Getting a steady grip on it, he nodded towards Zoroark.

"We should hurry," she mentioned while nodding back, hoping their little quarrel had not cost the lives of the fighters upstairs. Picking up the pace, they headed towards the exit, and the silence made Lucario fall deep in thought.

He was eager to see Zerobi again, wondering if she had heard any of their earlier screaming. He also felt really good about himself, having stopped Zoroark from making a huge mistake while successfully retrieving the virus. Probably not able to boast about the former for Zoroark's sake, he looked forward to flaunting the latter as much as possible. Zerobi would be proud, for sure. Even the grumpy Pikablu and Kabutops would have to admit he did well. Celebi would congratulate him and grow him as many mints as he wanted, but the reaction he was most expectant of was Mew's. He had put everything she had taught him about human and Pokémon coexistence to use, and had succeeded in making a huge difference in creating the world of her dreams. She was bound to shower him with praise and maybe even make him an honorary legendary to the dismay of Lugia, Mesprit and all the other jerks that had mistreated him earlier. A satisfied sigh escaped his lips as for the first time in his life, he felt that his long and difficult journey had been worthwhile.

"I believe you both misunderstand," the scientist interrupted his thoughts with a cold voice, "I said… 'It'… Is not finished yet…"

"You've said enough," Lucario replied automatically while eagerly pulling at Zoroark's arm, "Come on, let's get out of here and celebrate!"

**"I think not,"** a disembodied voice sounded throughout the locale. Feeling no aura and knowing that no living creature could possibly produce such a formless sound, Lucario turned his head up to see if there was a loudspeaker anywhere he had missed.

But all he saw was a black shadow descending through the ceiling.


	95. Diabolical Shadow Darkrai

Wrapped in a ragged cloth of deep black, long strips of haunting fabric hung down at the sides like snares and bats. Its dingy hair was long and grey, akin to that of a rotten corpse with a single icy cold eye shining through the base of the dried up thatch. Around its neck hung something red and fleshy, a dreary necklace made out of assorted body parts mashed together in a gruesome fashion.

Whatever this unearthly creature was, it made Lucario feel like he had fallen into a state of destitution, having been sucked into an immeasurable void. If the aura of Celebi filled him with pleasant sensations and the aura of Mewtwo filled him with dread, the aura of this monster made his every cell scream for it to stay away, as if its mere presence was corrupting his body and defiling his mind.

"Who are you!?" Zoroark roared, and just from the poorly disguised fear in her voice Lucario could tell she was feeling as repulsed as he was. The scientist who had already slipped Lucario's mind suddenly took a step forward, and he noticed the human was the only one not completely beside himself by the horrifying specter now occupying the room.

"I strongly suggest that you show more respect for your new master," the scientist spoke up with a touch of annoyance, "Or he will show exactly why thirteen generations have referred to him as 'Darkrai'."

Darkrai made no sound and no movement as he floated still, like a blackened blotch on the inside of one's cornea. When the nihil phantasm finally spoke Lucario wished for silence one more, every syllable sending an involuntary chill through his spine.

**"Zoroark. Long have I indulged in your memories of torment," **Darkrai enunciated without a shred of emotion in his voice, his thin mouth barely moving as words escaped it, **"You will continue to develop the virus."**

Zoroark quickly recomposed herself, despite the crushing presence making the bile move uneasily in her gut. Assessing the situation and thinking quickly, she only knew very little about the legendary Darkrai, but if her instincts were anything to go by crossing him would be a very bad idea. She noted that he had yet to show any hostilities and figured she had a chance to slip away to safer grounds.

"Forgive me. I did not realize I was in the presence of a legendary," Zoroark said as courteously as possible while bowing, hoping the ferocious being would not realize her true intentions, "But I should discuss this further with Mew and Celebi first. You may join us, if you so wish."

A long silence followed, Zoroark unable to interpret if her feint had worked or not. The fact that Darkrai had not protested by immediately killing her was a fairly good sign, and in the corner of her eye she saw the scientist giving his sign of approval. However, there was one aspect to her plan she had forgotten to take into account.

"… Master? Really? Listen, I don't know what kind of deal you two've got worked out…" Lucario said to the human before pointing directly at Darkrai, "… But seriously, this thing looks trustworthy to you!? He'll murder you the instant he feels like it!"

The scientist just snickered in response. Darkrai was as silent and unmoved as always.

"Lucario… Quit asking for it…" Zoroark whispered to Lucario in warning before raising her voice to a normal level again, "Honorable Darkrai, our comrades are locked within dire strife above. We must take our leave with haste to cease this meaningless combat, and with your permission resume this conversation at a later time."

**"A bold request, conjured from flesh that is mine," **Darkrai affirmed as his visible eye flashed in clarity, **"As you desire."**  
><strong><br>**Zoroark turned to Lucario, hoping he caught on to her intentions. A bit confused at first, Lucario could clearly tell that Zoroark was as eager to get out of there as he was and decided to follow her lead.

Together they kept a brisk pace towards the exit, when suddenly Lucario felt the hairs on his back stand on end as something approached. Yelling and falling to the side, he saw Darkrai slowly passing through where he had just been on a course towards Zoroark. She turned and stared haphazardly as he stopped in front of her.

**"No lamentations. Your rebirth is at hand, and your memories of suffering will find their purpose,"** Darkrai proclaimed with a mighty voice, a regal voice of kings and commanders, **"But time ravages. Retention diminishes. As a token of my appreciation and our future reunion, allow me to reinvigorate your past."**

She stood frozen, not sure of how to respond. Through a very controlled and inconspicuous motion, Darkrai's left hand detached from his side and placed itself upon her forehead. It was dry yet smooth to the touch, like flowing sand. A warm sensation ran through her head, a strangely nostalgic wave beginning to fill up her brain, reminding her of the hot desert's sun…

Lucario got back on his feet just in time to see it happen. Eyes opening wide and mouth flying open, Zoroark's expression contorted into one of absolute terror.

"AAAAAAHHHHH!" she screamed desperately while at a point beyond the uncaring Darkrai. The scream was so loud it hurt Lucario's sensitive ears, and it tore his balance asunder as he had never seen her react this way. When they had fought, when she was facing death and even when he had betrayed her only minutes earlier, she had acted rationally and been composed almost to a fault.

"ZOROARK!" Lucario yelled and without thinking, he had tackled her to the ground, separating her from Darkrai's grasp. The instant their contact ceased, so did Zoroark's screaming. Darkrai withdrew his arm and gazed upon Lucario with his eerie eye.

**"Do not interrupt her intimate moment," **Darkrai spoke darkly, **"Are you desirous for the grave?"  
><strong>  
>Reclaiming his senses, Lucario felt his heart beating faster than ever before. There was no denying that Zoroark was in bad shape. Her eyes were so wide it looked painful, her mouth opening and closing slowly in feverish gasps. The air ran out of him as he realized that Darkrai had just successfully broken her mind.<p>

**"No candles. No prayers. But I shall have my sacrifice," **the powerful voice echoed as Lucario felt a looming presence approaching from behind, **"My arrival will be properly recognized."**

Teeth grinding against one another, Lucario did not even bother to check back as he picked up Zoroark's limp body and ran through the exit. Curious as to how far he would make it before getting attacked from behind, he found himself running further and further without intervention. Passing through the gore-filled laboratory while throwing nary a glance at the human corpses, he managed to escape into the long corridor.

Running as fast as he could, the air felt very stale as he panted. Zoroark was surprisingly light, so the idea to drop her never crossed his mind. She was held in a way where he could not see her face, but he felt her body heating up to unnatural levels while hearing her teeth chattering in fear. Seeing her helpless like this felt unreal, wondering if she had felt the same after witnessing him defeated and paralyzed in the past.

The barren corridor lay dismal and dead like a secluded temple. It was to both his relief and dismay when he suddenly saw Zerobi coming to meet him. Her expression lit up when she noticed him, not recognizing the panic across his face from the sizeable distance.

"Lucario! I heard a screa-" Zerobi started, but was interrupted by two things happening simultaneously. The first was Lucario opening his mouth to warn her and get her to turn around. The second was Darkrai appearing in front of her, floating through Lucario like a ghost and immediately silencing the trembling fighting-type while eliciting another wave of shivers through the broken Zoroark.

**"An encounter a long time in the making," **Darkrai promulgated while holding out his long arms, the tatters of his robes waving ominously in the windless environment, **"Behold, Zerobi. Do you recognize your benefactor?"**

"Wh… What…" Zerobi stammered in shock. In an instant Lucario had been switched for a twisted phantom, her happiness replaced by a sickening sensation stirring inside. Lucario understood her disorientation and shook himself free from his relentless shaking.

"Zerobi, don't let him touch you!" he shouted with all his might, "He's danger!"

**"As your mother expired, I bestowed my gift upon you," **Darkrai elaborated as something akin to a devilish smile caressed his thin mouth, **"A penchant for blood, one that would help you comprehend the truth."**

Although greatly confused by the sudden turn of events, something about what ethereal being said brought her attention to its peak. She hardly even noticed Lucario as she realized Darkrai was speaking about her affliction, and seeing the menacing shade made dread grasp her insides like never before.

**"Your existence is ripe, a full growth that yearns to be harvested,"** Darkrai kept going,a creaking noise sounding as he crooked his fingers dangerously,** "I see potential for more, but I grow impatient and fervent. You refuse your own desires and lie to yourself, a stubborn child demanding my attention."**  
><strong><br>**"I… I'm not lying to myself!" Zerobi shouted back almost immediately, just barely understanding what the dark revenant was talking about, "I don't want any more blood! I don't want to kill!"

"Stop arguing and start flee-" Lucario yelled to her which finally made Darkrai react to his presence, putting his arm into motion and slamming Lucario's head up against the wall. Zoroark yelped as she fell down, but Lucario felt himself choke on something and was unable to utter even a single word or even breathe. An inexplicably disgusting sensation ran through his head as he began to struggle, flailing and kicking anything within reach.

**"But you do. You are as you were and have always been," **Darkrai continued, paying no mind to the subjugated fighting-type, **"In your foolish search for redemption you have attempted good deeds, friendship and love… Only lying to yourself further and further each time to feign progress. If you truly have changed, why does blood frighten you so?"**

His words were compelling and intimidating, unlike anything Zerobi had ever heard before. As if spellbound to its meaning she was lost in a trance, not even realizing Lucario's predicament. He fought hard and charged up an Aura Sphere as Darkrai suddenly realigned his grip, pinning his arms to his side where he would be unable to aim it properly.

"It… It controls me…!" Zerobi defended herself while beginning to shake, "Turns me into a killer…!"

**"No. You are a killer," **Darkrai declared in a manner that left no room for questioning, **"The blood only makes you act according to your deepest desires. Never forget this."**

She trembled harder. A waft of a subtle stench reached her nostrils, something like that of an old withering mushroom. A light thump brought her attention to Darkrai's side where she finally saw Lucario stuck against the wall with his body engulfed by a black fog, kicking the steel behind him in a desperate plea for help.

"L-Let him go!" Zerobi stammered as she bared both claw and fang, fearing that it would prove to be a futile effort. Darkrai displayed no reaction, but lifted his head slightly in a demeaning display.

**"Faulty will is deviating you from your true nature,"** he vocalized bitterly while pensively eyeing her,** "Polluting what could pure. Shattering what could be whole. Shall I rid you of these… Distractions…?"**

Lucario suddenly felt the pressure around his neck increase. Unable to scream, he clenched his teeth together and stared towards Zerobi, hoping she would realize what was happening. However, Zerobi was no longer standing where she had just been. The pressure eased up in an instant as something sped by and pierced Darkrai's arm, making Lucario fall down. He landed on his feet with heavy breathing and turned to face his rescuer, surprised to find that it had not been Zerobi after all.

"Celebi!" Lucario shouted in surprise. The corridor filled up with the legendary's presence, and he could see that she bore not a single scratch from her supposed battle with Blue. However, her expression was as far away from calm and confident as it could get as she stared down the impalpable Darkrai, feigning anger in an attempt to stop her weakness from showing.

Zerobi got to her feet, having been pulled away from the danger zone by a vine. She wanted to approach her sister, but did not dare take another step closer to the fearsome Darkrai. Wondering if her sister had heard him speak about her, Celebi turned her head slightly and looked at her from the corner of her eye.

"For god's sake, run…!" she whispered with desperation before raising her voice to a shout, "Run, and never look back!"

Realizing their opportunity, Lucario quickly dove down and snatched up Zoroark's shivering body, throwing it over his shoulder before running past Darkrai. The horrid apparition reached out with the other one of his arms, but it was suddenly blocked by an invisible barrier. Exchanging a quick look of confidence with Celebi, Lucario continued running while grabbing on to Zerobi's arm with his free hand.

"W-Wait! Sis!" Zerobi stuttered in protest as she felt herself dragged away from the scene, her legs moving on their own.

**"My eloquence, wasted. My gift of sensation offered to the numb and naïve," **a dark modulation echoed from behind them, **"So be it."**

"SIS!" Zerobi yelled loudly as she saw both the shadow and her sister engulfed by darkness. Lucario clenched his teeth, trying not to lose focus as Celebi's ferociously powerful aura flared up behind them. Everything was happening too quickly, and he was losing his grasp on things. All he knew was to keep running, lest he and Zerobi meet the same fate as Zoroark.

"What was that!?" Zerobi asked intensely, having even less of clue as to what was happening.

"Darkrai!" Lucario answered with all he knew.

"Sis can handle him, right!?" Zerobi shouted again with worry apparent in her voice. Never had those words been spoken before – After all, Celebi was one of the strongest Pokémon in the world. Lucario's head was spinning with questions and regret. Did he do the right thing? Should he have stood his ground and fought? Where would they run to? If Celebi was here, where was Mew? Did something happen to her?

"Right!?" Zerobi repeated as something suddenly struck Lucario in the stomach. Before he had time to react, it struck him again, harder this time. Almost keeling over, he kept himself upright and continued running as the passenger on his shoulder began to fight more vehemently. Blocking the next attack with his free hand, he saw that Zoroark had just tried to knee him in the gut for the third time. A familiar yet strangely twisted voice sounded from behind his back.

"… Stay… Away…!" Zoroark stammered in fear as she frantically clawed and kicked at him, "Stay away, stay away, stayawaySTAYAWAYSTAYAW-"

Overcome with pain on top of his disorientation, Lucario threw her down on the floor with a slam. Her distressed voice silenced as her head hit the ground hard, rendering her unconscious again as Zerobi gasped.

"Everyone, just shut the fuck up for a goddamn second!" Lucario bellowed in desperation, "I need to think-"

His face dropped and his heart sunk before he could finish his sentence. It was as if the entire world was out to fill him with despair, for just as quickly as Celebi's dominating aura had appeared, it had vanished into nothingness.

"What…? What!?" Zerobi exclaimed with a terrified expression as she looked back and forth between Lucario's sunken features and Zoroark's lifeless body.

"C-Celebi…!" Lucario stuttered breathlessly, "Her aura…! She's been snuffed out…!"

Zerobi's mouth fell open as she copied Lucario's devastated expression. Looking back at the darkness of the corridor, she suddenly started to run back to where they had come from. Lucario instantly lashed out and took a firm grip around her arm.

"No! This way, damn you!" he shouted in anguish while tugging her lithe body towards him. He caught her and violently pushed her in the right direction, causing her to helplessly stumble about.

"We can't! What if she's…!?" Zerobi rasped fearfully as there mere thought sent Lucario's mind into utter denial.

"Stop thinking! We have to run!" Lucario roared in an attempt to keep hold of his sanity, "All we can do is run…!"

He quickly checked Zoroark's pulse, completely forgetting that he had no idea how to do so on a non-human body. A delicate yet very remarkable thumping from around her neck area told him all he needed to know as he carefully picked her up, realizing there was some blood on the ground where her head had been. He regretted his action but quickly shook it from his thoughts. Normally this would set off an alarm in his mind, but considering what was happening, an open head wound or even a blood-crazed Zerobi were neither top priority on his list of concerns.

They continued running in silence, too stunned to even exchange a word. Lucario could not handle it and successfully placed his mind into a dormant state and kept his thoughts at bay, but Zerobi did the opposite. She felt a dark-minded inner hate festering and growing larger, overtaking her previous fear with an unstoppable desire for vengeance. The idea to escape began to take on another far more violent form. Darkrai had claimed that she was a killer, and now she wanted no more but to show him first-hand that he was correct.

"… Got a plan…" Zerobi murmured in a damp and barely audible tone, "Split up… You get out of here… Leave Darkrai to me…"

"He just killed Celebi!" Lucario yelled in aversion, not wanting to see the dusky ghost claim any more of his friends, "You think you've got a chance!?"

Something about Lucario's voice brought her back to her senses, and she shook her head while reconfiguring her idea.

"I'm the one he wants!" she shouted directly to Lucario, "He won't harm me! I'll stall him while you run away!"

"… You don't know what he wants you for! I can't let you face him alone!" Lucario responded hopelessly.

"Just hurry up and get that virus to safety!" Zerobi continued while pointing at his chest, referring to the actual virus as well as the shell-shocked Zoroark, "This can't all have been for nothing! Warn everyone else!"

No valid response lined up, Lucario looked down at Zoroark and the virus he kept safely in his arms. He stared and refused to look away as Zerobi disappeared from his side, hearing her slow down. Unable to face what was happening or tolerate what he had committed himself to, all he could do was hope it was worth it as he left Zerobi behind and continued running.

Constantly keeping his thoughts dormant allowed him to go on, but also kept him on the brink of insanity. Sinister voices whispered from the walls as the previously straight corridor bent and twisted itself before his eyes. If it was due to the effects of asphyxiation or simply his prolonged contact with Darkrai, he felt closer to snapping than ever before.

The exit showed itself a few minutes later. Zoroark had yet to stir and Lucario had not picked up any screams coming from behind. There was no aura either, leaving him in the dark as to the fate of the two sisters. However, as he warily scanned the area he could feel a group of powerful creatures approaching him from the front. He did not deter – Anything was better than turning around to face Darkrai again. Not thinking clearly at all, he made no attempt to hide himself as he ran out into the Stadium and met the new arrivals face to face.

It was a group of strong-looking Pokémon that Lucario immediately recognized from the cave. Realizing they were allies lifted a weight from his mind as he ran towards them. They were covered in snow and looked exhausted, presumably having just gotten there. A lanky amphibian who had earlier introduced himself as a Golduck led the group, and judging by his stunned expression he had no trouble differentiating the red sheen of blood dripping down Zoroark's hair.

"Z-Zoroark! What happened!?" the Golduck stammered in surprise before taking on a fiercer tone, a threatening growl being heard from somewhere among the crowd, "Lucario, unhand our leader!"

"Here you go! Have the virus, too!" Lucario shouted as he threw both the unconscious Zoroark and the vial at the Golduck, absolutely not in the mood for a needless battle due to some stupid misunderstanding. The Golduck was taken aback by Lucario's hasty decision, fumbling about with the two ridiculously important items as the fighting-type swiftly ran past him and everyone else.

"Get out of here now, unless you want to die!" Lucario yelled back at the crowd, knowing Darkrai was to come along at any moment. Unless, of course, Zerobi or Celebi had managed to stop him. Or they were both dead, and the foul spirit had been stated with their corpses. The other Pokémon stood and stared as he disappeared from sight, many of them wondering what had just happened before gathering around the fallen Zoroark.

The blizzard outside had settled down, but the fresh, cold air did little to alleviate Lucario's inner turmoil. He drew it in through exasperated breaths before a familiar figure popped up behind a hill of snow. It was the Gallade, who would normally be invisible against the white background. However, right now the left side of his body was covered in deep red blood.

"H-Hey! Help!" the Gallade shouted as he noticed Lucario, slowly staggering towards him while clutching his left arm, "Do something about Kabutops! He's gone insane!"

"Flee! Go away!" Lucario yelled in response, trying desperately to get his mind into order again, "I've had enough of this shit!"

"Watch out!" the Gallade warned, and as if on cue a skittish clicking preempted a brown figure leaping out of the snow towards Lucario. A sharp slash passed by his throat as Lucario instinctively dodged the attack, stumbling backwards in utter shock. In front of him stood Kabutops, but not in the composed manner he had come to know. He was slouching and twitching, and his wild eyes did not seem to be able to focus on one thing for more than his second. More than that Lucario did not have time to take in, because he had finally just snapped.

"FUCK YOU!" Lucario screamed at the top of his lungs, overcome by hateful fury, "I don't care, stay here and die if you want!"

Before the Gallade had time to stop him, he turned his tail and started running again. He wanted to get away, but no matter how far he ran there only seemed to be more trouble. Overwhelmed by everything that was happening he headed for the snowy wastelands, in a direction where he could sense no aura and finally be left alone.

Horrible thoughts continued wracking his nerves as he ran, clutching his head in an agonized display. Barely even recognizing his actions anymore, he continued doing what he had been told to do. He had been told to run. It was something he was quite adapt at by now. Trudging through the winter's wrath at a high pace reminded him of a time long ago, when he had been on the run from Ivy and the legendary dogs. There had been no Zerobi back then, either. No revolution, no virus, and most importantly, no Darkrai. No matter the cost, Lucario felt an endless sense of relief that he would never have to encounter the latter again. Darkrai had a plethora of important victims to choose from, ranging from scientists and killers to leaders and legendaries. Lucario knew he was not special or notable in any way, just a grunt in the major scheme of things. As long as he kept running, he would avoid what was to come. Free from duty and free from shame, never again to be shackled.

Lucario's paces suddenly became shorter. He stopped completely as his mind finally returned to pristine condition. Slowly everything that had happened began to dawn on him, and the horror he felt was unspeakable. Shame and regret flowed through him as he kneeled down on the snow, wondering what on earth had possessed him to flee and leave so many others behind. He had felt so proud of himself before Darkrai's arrival, the darkened wraith somehow having ruined his mind and filled him with ceaseless fright. How many of his friends had died? How many could he have saved? Alone in the white wasteland without answers, he clenched his fists in frustration and lowered his head.

An ominous wind passed by his crouching form. Feeling like he already knew what was going to happen, he had no choice but to lift his head again. There, he saw Darkrai hovering in front of him.


	96. Forlorn: Epilogue of Episode XIII

A fearsome apparition. An eclipse, defiling the purity of the newly fallen snow. Lucario felt despair and confusion as he forced himself to meet Darkrai's searing gaze. The phantom's arm had regrown from his battle with Celebi, although Lucario imagined it could better be referred to as an execution.

"Why…? Why…!?" Lucario spat as he clenched his fists in an attempt to stop trembling, "Why are you after me!?"

**"I predict you to be the Mind," **Darkrai vocalized clearly as he waved with one of his hands, **"Although unaware of it, you are eager to return, yearning for fulfillment."**

"I'm just a Lucario! You wanted…" Lucario responded as he felt the pressing need to know something of far more importance, "… Damn it! What have you done with Zerobi and Celebi!?"

They stared each other down for a moment, Darkrai's single visible eye never flinching.

**"I killed them," **he declared without an ounce of remorse or hesitation. Lucario's frown faded as something violently twisted and turned inside of him. Any latent hint of sorrow disappeared as he felt an overwhelming urge to attack someone. Forgetting all about his various skills in fighting, he charged towards Darkrai with a roar, his arms almost pulling him forward with the bottomless intent of smashing the horrible monster into a pulp of cloth and gore.

Darkrai did not even bother to dodge as Lucario's elbow sunk through his fog-like body, causing the shaded torso to momentarily disperse from wind pressure before reforming. Being carried by the momentum of his tackle missing, Lucario felt his balance slipping and fell down to his knees.

**"A physical strike. How quaint," **Darkrai expressed while turning around and looking down at his crouching opponent, **"Show me something else."**

Biting down hard, Lucario felt himself shaking in anger as his mitochondria grew restless. Spinning around, he threw an Aura Sphere directly at Darkrai's head, knowing that if physical attacks had no effect he was sure to be broken by something special.

The blue sphere passed right through Darkrai's forehead without leaving a single mark. This time there was not even any wind pressure, as if neither sphere nor revenant was even there to begin with.

**"Cease your childish wailings," **Darkrai insisted with a dangerous tone to his voice, **"I demand that you show me something different!"  
><strong>  
>That Darkrai was somehow making himself invulnerable was obvious, but Lucario did not care. All he wanted was to rip him apart. Make him suffer for what he had done. He did not even notice the burning sensation spreading throughout his legs as he subconsciously prepared for ExtremeSpeed. Before reaching the end of the first second he had already tried punching, kicking and biting Darkrai at supersonic speed, each blow passing through the transparent phantom and making Lucario feel like he was trying to dent a cloud.<p>

**"Feeble," **Darkrai announced while still being attacked, **"Is this all you are? Has fate toyed with me once more?"**

Lucario tried slugging him a few more times, each failure expending his determination and stamina. Before long he felt the power seep out of him as he fell on his arms and knees from exhaustion. Already his muscles were overflowing with lactic acid, and he felt sick to his stomach. Suddenly, something dry yet smooth connect with his forehead. Looking up, he noticed Darkrai had placed his hand there. A few seconds ago he would have tried to fight back, but now it all seemed so hopeless. Zerobi and Celebi were gone, and even with all his might he could not even lay a finger on their killer. There was no point in fighting it. He was undone.

**"I sense an altercation. Your once prominent wisdom, removed by surgery,"** Darkrai claimed as he scanned Lucario's brain for information, **"Arceus is not to interfere, yet what I see in you makes it all too obvious. To be denied the Mind as well as the Body, these coincidences are far too frequent to ignore."**

"Stop talking shit, you insane bastard!" Lucario bellowed as he mustered up the last of his hatred, falling back and away from Darkrai's reach, "Body!? Mind!? Did you kill them over that crap!?"

**"From the Soul, the Body was born. From the Body, the Mind was born," **Darkrai elucidated before floating forward, **"Or so I had assumed. In every way, shape and form you are but a regular Lucario. You are not worthy of conjunction. You are not worthy of my time."**

Lucario did not have long to ponder his statement as Darkrai suddenly lifted his arm, his hand exuding a black glow.

**"Indeed, you were never worthy the air you breathe," **Darkrai enounced with destructive power behind every word, **"Allow me to alleviate you of your meaningless duty."  
><strong>  
>Staring up in horror, Lucario could not understand why everything was so unfair. Fleeing did not work, fighting did not work, how could things possibly have ended differently? He lowered his head and braced himself as a strong force hit him from the front.<p>

In fact, a force so strong it knocked him even further away from Darkrai, pulling him back as he slid through the slippery snow. He came to a stop and hastily wiped the cold sludge away from his head, realizing two things – That he was alive, and that Mew was hovering by his side.

One look told Lucario all he needed to know. Just like Celebi she was in pristine condition, unsurprisingly unharmed from her earlier fight, making Lucario wonder if Blue had even bothered to show up. He also noticed that there was something different about her demeanor. Like always she radiated a shine of purity, but her expression was dangerous and her eyes filled with knives. They were clearly pointed at Darkrai and she kept her head at slightly lower angel than usual, hiding her growing scowl from view.

**"Mew, caretaker of the fauna… Be gone. This does not concern you,"** Darkrai enunciated with a calm, deep voice. This only seemed to agitate Mew more as her tail flicked.  
><strong><br>**"My concern has always been to rid the world of scourges like you!" she said with an uncharacteristically angry tone before she glanced to her side, "Lucario, keep hold of your sanity! Has the virus been secured?"

"… Y-Yeah, but…" Lucario muttered breathlessly as he tried to formulate the unspeakable words, "Zerobi… Celebi… He's killed them both!"

A tremor passed through Mew as her mouth opened slightly in shock. Immediately regaining confidence, she shut it and firmly shook her head.

"No. It is faint, but I can sense Celebi's presence," Mew explained calmly, "Darkrai is a liar and a coward. Fear is the mindkiller – Reject it, and he cannot do anything to you."

The calm lasted only a second as she turned towards Darkrai once more with a glower, and Lucario could tell she was in a very bad mood.

"Yes, Darkrai. I know your secret!" Mew snarled with fires burning in her eyes, "You use fear to manipulate and destroy your prey, but in truth you are not nearly as powerful as you pretend to be. Today, I shall prove it!"

**"Have I wronged you somehow?"** Darkrai inquired, a hint of curiosity slipping through his stoic demeanor, **"What is it you wish?"**

"I wish for you to cease your existence! You robbed me of Cresselia…" Mew said before trailing off and shooting Lucario another look, "… But you shall have no more!"

Lucario returned it, realizing she was angrier than he had ever seen her before. He was not even sure if she was doing this to save him or simply get a chance at destroying Darkrai. In truth, both scenarios suited him just fine, although he was still a bit concerned as to the fates of Zerobi and Celebi and wanted to get done as soon as possible.

**"… Cresselia…"** Darkrai repeated. His lack of an expression made it difficult to tell if he was showing confusion or simply taunting them.

"So, you do remember!" Mew raised her voice with ire, "You will regret what you did to my mother!"

**"The one responsible for your mother's misfortune and death is you," **Darkrai pointed out as he closed one of his hands, **"Alas, I rarely recall the names of the unworthy. I am certain this Cresselia is no reason for you to foolishly throw away your life."**

A period of silence reigned, the snowstorm beginning anew as both Lucario and Darkrai awaited Mew's answer."Lucario… I must request that you stand your ground," Mew said bluntly while staring down Darkrai, snow falling around her as it was repelled by an invisible barrier, "This blight cannot be allowed to flee, or many more will suffer. Will you join me in battle?"

"… I can't, Mew," Lucario responded reluctantly, feeling outclassed and knowing there was nothing he could do about it, "All my attacks just pass through him, even the Aura Sphere…"

"A Ghost-type?" Mew suddenly chimed as her eyes flashed dangerously, "Never mind. This will not take a second."

Darkrai was a monster shrouded in mystery, his true moves and typing unknown to all. Relieved to hear she at least was not facing a Dark-type, Mew focused. Although adapt with using every element, her psychic attacks were well-honed and far more powerful than anything else in her arsenal. Being so smug and secretive, she figured Darkrai rarely took damage and as a result had low defense. Hoping to end the fight before it even begun, she unleashed a Psyshock to exploit that weakness.

Lucario flinched as several purple clouds suddenly materialized around Darkrai, loudly slamming into him from all sides. The dark apparition was completely covered in a single second as the condensed fog combusted with such power that Lucario felt like the air had turned acidic for an instant; worried he might die just from being close enough to witness one of Mew's attacks.

However, she did not have time to note his predicament as the fog dissipated, Darkrai still present within. What truly bothered her was that he seemed completely unscathed.

**"The Mew of six generations ago attempted a similar approach," **Darkrai reminisced as he crossed his arms,** "It seems haughtiness runs in the family. As with her, I shall be forced to teach you a lesson."**

But Mew was undaunted by Darkrai's threat, having trained all her life for a situation like this. Memorizing endless amounts of moves from every elemental type, it was only a question of finding out which weakness her opponent possessed. But with both Fighting and Psychic tested to no avail, she knew exactly what he was.

"Dark and Ghost…" Mew whispered to herself, thinking it obvious that such an annoying creature would possess such an annoying typing. While she could no longer back him into a corner by exploiting his weakness, she could still overwhelm him with something he did not fully resist.

Keeping himself from flinching as Mew lashed out with her tail, Lucario noticed the snow underneath Darkrai melting. In the next instant the hovering specter was engulfed in a pillar of fire spewing from a crack in the earth. Seeing Mew next to a tower of fire felt nostalgic for some reason, and Mew appreciated that Lucario was not as easily spooked as he had been back when he was Ethan. Her inner musings disappeared as the fire faded and Darkrai was still staying in place, unharmed as ever.

"What on earth…!?" Mew exclaimed in shock as she finally lost her cool. What just happened was physically impossible. No Pokémon typing in existence could be immune to Fighting, Psychic and Fire moves at once.

**"Elementary elemental control," **Darkrai expressed as he was clearly fed up with Mew's silly games and began to move towards her, **"How naive of you to think one such as I would be harmed by rudimentary variation moves. Now, suffer."**

Seeing him move to the offensive, Mew quickly surrounded herself with her absolutely most powerful barrier. Still coming to terms with the prospect of fighting an intangible opponent, she felt disoriented and surprised but hoped to maybe realize his nature after blocking one of his attacks. Refusing her instincts to turn tail and escape, she forced herself to remain still as Darkrai came closer and reached one of his long arms towards her.

The filthy appendage easily moved through her barrier, unhindered by the immense Psychic defenses just like a pureblooded Dark-type. Mew blanked out, the impossibilities stacking upon one another until every attempt of resistance felt hopeless. Her barrier fell as she remained frozen in midair, helplessly watching as the first of his fingers grazed against her forehead, sending a shiver of disgust through her body.

Suddenly, Mew's face became flushed, but it was neither from anger nor embarrassment. Something very hot passed in front of her, sending prickles of pain through her face as both she and Darkrai suddenly reared back. The miniscule pain faded in an instant as she looked in front of her, a cloud of smoke billowing from Darkrai's arm, the very arm she had felt upon herself just seconds earlier. Wondering if maybe her holy light had burned the foul creature upon touch, she realized there was a far more logical explanation as she looked down and saw Lucario with his palm reached towards them, faint flickers of blue fire still glowing around his hand.

"Hands off, scumbag!" Lucario chimed with his best one-liner, feeling his bravery return. However, Mew's expression was not one of eternal gratitude like he had expected, but rather one of utter shock.

"L-Lucario!" Mew stammered as the final residue from the Aura Sphere dissipated, "Y-You almost shot me in the head!"

"N… No way! My aim's perfect!" Lucario lied before swiftly changing the subject and pointing towards Darkrai, "Never mind that, look! He took damage!"

Darkrai hovered silently, his solo eye beholding them more warily than before. Following Lucario's suggestion, Mew peered beyond the heavy smoke and noticed the rag around Darkrai's hand looking more torn than before, the arm underneath showing irritated cracks in the previously perfect shade of pitch black. Forgetting how close Lucario had come to accidentally killing her, she composed together the information they had gathered thus far and finally came to a conclusion.

"Of course," Mew whispered as she closed her eyes, "Darkrai is not a Dark and Ghost type, rather a Dark-type that can change into a Ghost-type at will. Not Conversion or Transform, but more like the Multitype spoken of in legends. Trading a weakness to Fighting for an immunity, but no longer fully resisting Psychic attacks… Is my assessment plausible?"

"… The hell should I know!?" Lucario blurted out, thinking the regular type properties were hard enough to remember without switching them around. Mew smiled, strangely happy to see he had not changed much in these past months when they had been separated, and then she looked towards her enemy.

"What say you to this, Darkrai?" Mew asked outright, her confidence having found its way back. Darkrai's face was covered by hair and rags, but she could sense something having changed in his demeanor after taking damage from Lucario's attack. It was not hate, fear or denial.

It was acceptance.  
><strong><br>"Ah, yes. Cresselia," **Darkrai proclaimed with recognition, **"The nuisance foolish enough to choose the path of destruction on her own accord. Shall you pursue to repeat the same mistake?"  
><strong>  
>Surprised by the sudden switch of subject, Mew felt years of suppressed loathing bubble to the surface.<p>

"Mistake? She was fully aware of what had to be done in order to kill you," Mew explained, wanting to make sure Darkrai would not make light of Cresselia's sacrifice, "And so am I! For the sake of your destruction, I have become a fearless being!"

A strong wind full of snowflakes blew past them, setting Darkrai's decaying hair into movement. He took no note of this as his eye was fixed upon Mew, snow whirling and falling all around them. It was subtle, but Lucario could tell that for the first time since the terrible revenant's arrival, he had finally been affected by something.

**"Fearlessness does not exist," **Darkrai stated with a malignant tone, **"Fear invokes a reaction which bypasses the corpus callosum, neither effort nor will can stop it. Everyone was a helpless child at one time, a perfect breeding ground for irrational fears. Perhaps it is something they have forgotten. Perhaps it is something they could not quite understand on their own back then."**

His tattered clothing flapped quietly in the wind as he raised his arms. Even the snowflakes seemed to stray away from him.

**"I am quite versed in the subject of fear. I help them remember, I help them understand,"** Darkrai explained before lashing out with his right arm, **"And you too will soon relinquish your self-appointed title of being fearless!"**

Darkrai's arm stretched an impossible distance, flickering like a disturbed shadow as it flew towards Mew. Overriding her initial reaction of dodging, Mew bravely defied him by remaining completely still, her expression one of contempt as she allowed his hand touch her forehead.

"Mew! No!" Lucario shouted, not having the time to charge up another Aura Sphere. He watched in horror as much like Zoroark, Mew seemed to almost doze off from Darkrai's influence, about to experience a mind-shattering nightmare.

Nervous sensations coursed through Mew as she simply let it happen. She wanted to overcome it, so that for the rest of the battle she would have nothing to fear. Instantly she was struck by powerful nostalgia, feeling weak and infantile. Staring down Darkrai as best she could, images flooded her mind and even obscured her vision as memories from her childhood were brought to life. However, these memories were twisted into a morbid state, filling her with the strange feeling of recognition. The time she had teased Celebi and gotten scolded was now an event of her killing her friend in a gruesome manner and being tortured as a result.

Mew smiled in victory. This is exactly what she had expected would happen. Although being the cause of death for her own mother was hardly a source of joy, there were no genuine traumatic events in her childhood for Darkrai to amplify and exploit. She could sense Darkrai becoming more and more desperate to gain a response from her, the clichés becoming more prominent. Everyone in the world dying in agony. Her friends being skinned alive, their rotting carcasses left to be eaten by maggots. Had she been pampered and protected from the harshness of the world this might have affected her, but her mind had been hardened to withstand worse things. There was nothing there Deoxys had not already shown her. The visions faded as she returned to the real world with a still defiant look, Darkrai's expression predictably unaltered as he withdrew his hand.

**"The Mew of six generations ago did not last seven seconds,"** Darkrai vocalized, and a hint of disdain crept into his shapeless voice, **"Your species should not be capable of complete emotional abandonment."**

"Another one of your many fault assumptions," Mew replied bluntly before looking down to see Lucario, the fighting-type staring up at her with amazement."Lucario, full assault!" she ordered hastily, "Darkrai cannot switch types fast enough to handle us both!"

Following her cue, she lowered her head and closed her eyes. A massive pressure of psychic force suddenly came down on Darkrai, pushing him closer to the ground. Seeing his opportunity but still hesitating, Lucario ran towards him and ignored the chills running up his spine as he made a ferocious tackle. As if he had been trying to bully a fine mist, he sunk through Darkrai's transparent body and appeared on the other side.

"Didn't see that coming…" Lucario muttered as he turned around to see Darkrai reaching out with his hand again, launching a counterattack. However, it was interrupted as Mew came down and used her Psywave, the shapeless force affecting Darkrai as a piece of his cloth ripped off and vanished into a puff of smoke. Wanting to keep the momentum, Mew immediately tried it once more only to find that it had no effect this time.

"Again!" Mew shouted, moving away as Darkrai's hands began to glow, obviously preparing for something very dangerous. Lucario nearly refused due to her gambit not having shown much effect before, but was not one to pass up a chance to beat down Darkrai. Without really planning a strategy, he stepped up to Darkrai and grabbed a hold of his shoulder, surprised to find he could actually feel it this time. The foul specter was nearly liquid to the touch as Lucario spun him around and slugged him in the face as hard as he could. Darkrai remained silent, but dwindled to the ground like a leaf fallen off its stem.

"Ooh, that felt good," Lucario said with a light shudder as he gently rubbed his knuckles, remembering all the wretched phantom had put him through so far. Darkrai spun around before coming into contact with the soil, rapidly throwing out his large, intimidating hands from both sides in an attempt to put Lucario in a chokehold. A smile steadily forming around Lucario's lips, he swiftly held his arms up around his neck and stopped the attack.

"Hehehe… Hey, not bad…" Lucario grinned while Darkrai made a nearly inaudible grunt, "But now we're playing my game!"

He no longer felt afraid of Darkrai, realizing the ghost was just another target for him to beat up. Hands tied up, Lucario head-butted Darkrai, not quite reaching his head and striking his throat instead. Something felt soft and squishy on contact, he wondered if Darkrai like Zoroark was lying about his gender before noticing he had actually hit one of the fleshy organs around Darkrai's neck. It felt a little like punching someone in the kidney, and judging by the looks of the gruesome necklace he was sure it was not too far from the truth.

**"Then, let me introduce you to MY forte!"** Darkrai bellowed, snapping Lucario out of his thoughts by grabbing hold of his forehead. Lucario immediately tried to knock the arm away, only to find his fist passing through the transparent appendage like before.

Before he knew it, the gears in his head came to a halt. It felt as if every fiber of his being was trying to reclaim something that did not exist, his mind turning into an empty void. No matter how hard he tried, he could not remember who or what he was. A strange black shadow seemed to be attached to his head while a smaller pink thing desperately fought it. Not sure of what this meant, he flailed about a bit to try and keep the pink monster from cutting him in two, clamoring loudly as he failed and the shadow disappeared from sight.

The pink thing shouted some manner of gibberish as it flew closer, staring him right in the face in what he assumed was an attempt at mockery of his defeat. About to smack it away like a pestering bug, his senses were beginning to return.

"Lucario! Are you alright!?" Mew repeated as Lucario blinked, feeling like someone had just run a vacuum through his head. He had no idea what had just happened, but looked behind Mew to see Darkrai examining him with an expression that was anything but triumphant.

"I… Wouldn't suggest digging through my past, Darkrai…" Lucario muttered as he smiled to himself, "I hardly remember a damn thing myself."

"… Man or Pokémon, you never fail to disappoint!" Mew burst out happily, realizing he too was immune to Darkrai's most dangerous attack, "Come, Lucario! Together, let us bring order to the world again!"

Without warning, Darkrai suddenly threw his arm towards Lucario once more. His hands were glowing unusually as Lucario quickly blocked, feeling mundane yet frightfully heavy claws cut into his skin. At the same time Mew found herself under attack as well, a purple explosion of raw force igniting on her position and rattling her barrier. Exploiting his two staggering opponents, he clasped his hands together and sent out a heavy shockwave into Lucario's stomach.

"Oof!" Lucario groaned as he was thrown back like a projectile, Mew not reacting fast enough to reconfigure her barrier as he crashed into her, sending both of them sprawled against the ground.

**"Your perception is poor. The world always strives towards chaos," **Darkrai pronounced as he brushed a bit of Lucario's blood away from his hands, **"All things inevitably break and cannot reform on their own. Achieving order is impossible."  
><strong>  
>Lucario slowly rose to his feet as Mew instantly flew up.<p>

"If only there were words to define the evils you have wrought!" she responded with agitation before forcing herself to calm down, "There will be no escaping this encounter. It all ends here."

**"A far too hasty prediction," **Darkrai chided with a display of endless confidence, **"I have existed for eons. You have existed for but a moment."**

"A new eon starts with a single moment," Mew retorted and braced herself for more combat, "In this case, it will be an eon without wretched monsters like you!"

**"Naïve fool. In life, suffering is the only truth," **Darkrai explained solemnly while lowering his arms,** "All else is but an illusion, a temporary absence of pain. Dreams are fleeting, nightmares remain in you forever. Pleasant memories must be summoned, traumas exist perpetually."**

"We don't care!" Lucario shouted, feeling left out and hungry for payback as he activated ExtremeSpeed. Not even Darkrai was able to react quickly enough as Lucario went from standing still to moving at the speed of a charging locomotive in a fraction of a second, lodging an elbow into Darkrai's chest. It barely had time to sink in fully as Lucario withdrew it and unleashed a flurry of punches against his face, smacking him around at the speed of sound as Mew could not help but stare in amazement. After three seconds and somewhere around fifteen successful hits, Lucario felt his attacks begin to pass through Darkrai like before and leaped back, annoyed to not be able to land an impressive finisher.

"Astounding!" Mew burst out with an impressed tone, "Even I cannot do that!"

Although eager to return her compliment with a confident smile and cool expression, Lucario was far too busy staring at Darkrai with disbelief. Impressive finisher or not, the dark specter hovered implacable like always, a quickly fading blemish by his cheeks all to show for Lucario's massive assault. A newfound sense of dread crept up his spine as he moved back to Mew.

"We're, uh… Hurting him, right?" he whispered cautiously.

"Yes. He is hiding his damage in an attempt to intimidate us, but I can tell that he is slowing down," she replied as the scene once more reminded her of Deoxys, "Please do not hold back, I would prefer to finish this before he manages to heal himself."

"Hold back? Nothing about him makes me want to stop punching," Lucario snickered cockily as he raised his voice and pointed towards Darkrai, "He's got so many things sticking out, I don't know what to rip off first!"

His snicker trailed off as something changed in the atmosphere. Even Mew fell quiet, warily watching as Darkrai's unharmed shape seemed to grow more sinister.

**"I provided you both with the merciful option of subjugation through terror," **Darkrai spoke in a manner that showed he was not amused, **"But I see it is my wrath you wish to experience. You will discover many faces of agony until I find what makes you whimper."**

Slashing into the air, a purple explosion was set off behind Lucario and Mew. The recoil caused them to fly towards Darkrai as he stretched out his arms, a massive dark void forming in front of him. Mew sensed danger and halted herself in midair, Lucario still recovering from the blast and falling into the black space.

"GAAAHH!" Lucario screamed as he suddenly felt himself being crushed from all sides. Mew gasped and quickly tried to wrest control from Darkrai with Psychic, but found the ability ineffective. Not thinking clearly due to the sound of Lucario's agonized cries, she flew high up into the air and cupped her hands, preparing her mitochondria for the destructive Aura Storm. With an immeasurably powerful attack, she would instantly eradicate Darkrai so he could never do harm again.

Several thoughts flew through her head at once. She remembered what Lucario had said about Rukario, the ability most likely crippling a far more physically apt specimen forever. She had entered this conflict willing to risk her life, but as she stared down at Darkrai and the compressed Lucario she was beginning to realize there was no reason for her to. Reshaping the attack in the last second, she instead let fly a regular Aura Sphere.

And another. And another. The blue spheres ran through Darkrai without impact, and for a moment she was worried he had changed into a Ghost-type again. However, a subtle flinch from the previously undamaged Darkrai told her to keep going, continuing to shoot as he became engulfed in an inferno of blue fire.

Obviously realizing she was not about to stop anytime soon, Darkrai suddenly ceased the black void and drew back. Predicting his course of action, Mew quickly calmed her mitochondria and gathered up a different energy, firing a Shadow Ball. Darkrai seemed more ferocious than ever as he dodged it, only to find another one running through his stomach. She kept up the raid fire and before she realized it, he was no longer able to hide the heavy damage piling up from the relentless assault, a subdued cry of victory sounding under her voice. In one last attempt to come out victorious, Darkrai shifted his type and flew through the last Shadow Ball, heading towards Lucario with the intention of taking him hostage. However, what he met was not a crippled and crushed mess from his previous attack, but a raging beast charging towards him at the same time.

"That hurt, asshole!" Lucario roared as he thrust his hand forward, throwing an Aura Sphere at Darkrai. Lowering herself to ground level, Mew instantly calculated the trajectory and speed of his attack and sent an Aura Sphere of her own from the other direction. Her projectile was faster, both moving at a speed impossible to dodge. Darkrai fruitlessly tried to move up as both of the spheres ran through him and collided in his body, creating a massive explosion of blue fire, like a newborn sun with azure flames spiraling the impact point.

Without a scream and without a sound, Darkrai stopped. Unable to keep himself floating any longer, his corroded form slowly dwindled down on the bed of snow. His body now left an imprint in the magnificent white, showing that he had run out of what once gave him unearthly attributes. Mew lowered herself towards Darkrai as Lucario exhaled and sat down, feeling a sense of victory well up in his chest. Not wanting to ruin the moment, he decided to keep quiet about the fact that he was not feeling well at all, his leg hurting badly from the earlier attack. It was not broken, but for the time being he decided to lay back and let Mew handle the rest. She stopped just outside of arm's reach of Darkrai just to be sure, and this time was ready to dodge should he try to extend it.

"As I suspected, you are weak. And now, you are outmatched," Mew spoke with disdain, but truthfully had no idea on how to actually finish off something like Darkrai. The beam she used to end Deoxys would take too long to charge up, and such a destructive force might accidentally kill Lucario again in the absolutely least fortunate scenario.

"You must have known this day was coming," Mew said as she closed in a bit on Darkrai, showing that she was not afraid and had the upper hand, "Tell me how to give you a quick death or I will be forced to experiment until I find it; an unpleasant scenario for everyone involved."  
><strong><br>"Death… A meaningless term for one such as me," **Darkrai expressed quietly as he closed his eye, **"I will never die. I am infinite. I am everything."**

"So you think. Outside the depths of your insanity, you are nothing," Mew explained, finally seeing the defeated Darkrai for what he really was, "The world existed before you, and it will carry on without you. You abused others in order to sustain your own pitiful existence… You are nothing but a filthy parasite, sucking nourishment from the people of this world!"

Darkrai opened his single eye and fixed a chilling stare into her.

**"Your beliefs are founded upon ideals of the pampered and spoiled," **Darkrai proclaimed without ever blinking, **"Your life has been sheltered from the true horrors of the world. You live in an imagination; sustaining false ideals imprinted in your mind. You challenge me based on morals, not of your own free will. Even now, if I were to beg for my life, you could not bear to kill me, because it would seem faulty in your illusion of a perfect world!"  
><strong>  
>He raised his upper body from the ground, trying to intimidate her as best he could. However, instead of flying away, Mew moved herself even closer until their faces were almost touching.<p>

"I do not think of the world as perfect… But that is no reason for me to surrender my ideals," Mew hissed, remembering Deoxys and wondering if she would ever find anything else intimidating after that, "I have already been forced to kill something far more dangerous than you. In the story of my life, you will be but a passing mention."

For the first time, Darkrai found himself speechless. Mew could see it in his eye that she had taken him off guard, and that he was just barely comprehending what she had said. Feeling proud of herself for having shocked the self-proclaimed master of fear, she rose up higher and decided to put an end to everything. She would have to use all her might, just to be sure of his demise.

"Move back," Mew warned as Lucario stood up to watch the fireworks. Darkrai's surprised eye followed her and remained motionless as she stopped above him and begun to charge up her attack. Although stunned at first, she could tell that he was slowly changing his demeanor into his calm, former self, finally accepting his own death.

**"I see. It was you," **Darkrai expressed, **"The Body was not completely wasted, then."**

"The Body…" Mew repeated with some curiosity, "… What do you speak of?"

**"I believe you know more of it than myself," **Darkrai answered as he suddenly grabbed onto her forehead, **"Allow me to help you remember!"**

He had moved with a burst of speed previously unseen, catching Mew off guard. Even so, she knew she quite literally had nothing to fear as Darkrai took control of her mind again. However, this time she did not feel like a child again. She felt stronger, more determined than ever to kill Darkrai. This strange course of action on his part confused her as the environment slowly changed, suddenly making her realize his intentions. He was bringing her back to a time and place she had hoped to never revisit.

It was the day she had encountered Deoxys. The sight of mangled bodies making her feel nauseous, the stench of decaying corpses as fresh as it was rotten. It was a perfect replication, and she realized this was Darkrai's last ditch effort to subdue her through terror as he had so many before her. She had to give him credit for indeed having picked out the absolutely worst time in her life, a time that would have successfully broken anyone of lesser stature. It was a spiral of destruction and death, misery and torment with a single figure at the center of it all. She knew all too well who it would be, and prepared herself to once more lay eyes on the nightmarish face of Deoxys.

But the being at the center of it all was not Deoxys.

It was her.

She looked at the image herself, smiling broadly as she carved up the corpse of Ethan. Blood ran like a river as the former Mew continued with glee and the current Mew stared aghast. Her copy dragged out the corpse of Cyon and slammed it into the ground. Mew was trying not to let it get to her, but the scene was too vivid and far too nostalgic. Back then then she had been too out of it to recognize what was happening, but now she was taking in every detail. The feeling of warm blood dripping down her chest like sweat. The funk of hundreds dead filling her nostrils. The gooey sensation as she used her psychic powers to rip and tear, carve and slice, detach and reattach the insides of Cyon and Ethan, all while giggling insanely at her own idea of a masterpiece. Like a clamp fixing itself around her chest, she finally realized why this was affecting her so much. She understood perfectly what Darkrai was trying to show her.

This is who she was. Behind the façade created by indoctrination since birth rests a creature without morals or ethics, doing as she pleases for her own satisfaction. The very root of humans and Pokémon, the animalistic foundation in everyone were not tolerant beings seeking good for everyone, but selfish creatures only seeking their own well-being.

**"The conclusion of an adult, even more terrifying than what a helpless child could interpret…" **Darkrai uttered as he gave her head a gentle caress with his other hand, **"Weep. Blood of the mind, essence of emotion."**

Mew tried to resist, but could feel herself losing. What she truly feared is what she had feared ever since that day; that Deoxys was not the one wearing a mask. She is the one wearing a mask. Everyone wears a mask. Were it ever to be ripped off, their true nature would instantly render everyone she knew into unrecognizable monsters. Language, ethics, laws and the very idea of caring about others were all mental constructs that only served to distract them from their true nature as barbarians. They would deny it as she once had, but only until the day they inevitably break down and snap. Even at the apex of her heroism it slipped out of her, and could potentially affect anyone else when put under enough stress. What others referred to as insanity was, in fact, sanity.

The notion filled her with terror unlike anything before, and Darkrai exploited it to its full worth as he lifted her body high into the air. Through visions and suggestions to the mind, Mew went from still and confident to shaking in fear, weakly twisting back and forth in an obvious attempt to get away. Lucario felt his heart pounding faster as he realized something had gone very wrong. He tried to jump up and save her, but his right leg smarted badly as he bent it gave way under his weight. All he could do was sit and stare up at the graven image of Darkrai, defiling the possibly last bastion of purity in the world.

**"I am impressed that you kept this hidden from me, freely submitting yourself to my mercy. It was an excellent bluff," **Darkrai commended in a chiding manner.  
><strong><br>**"Mew! MEW!" Lucario shouted with all his might, hoping to somehow reach her, "Let her go, Darkrai!"

The praise and warning were all but lost to the nearly catatonic Mew's deaf ears. Realizing she had already been rendered completely harmless, Darkrai decided to comply with Lucario's wishes and released his hold of her. Going from sitting to running in a fraction of a second, Lucario threw himself forward to catch Mew's brittle body before it smashed into pieces against the harder ground. She fell into his arms with a thud, and he rolled around in midair as to not accidentally land on her.

"I've got you!" Lucario said as he hit the soil and looked at her, "It's just an illusion! It's not real! Snap out of it!"**  
><strong>  
>What he feared most had come true. Just like Zoroark, she was gone. She was not screaming or irregularly opening her mouth, or clawing at him like a madman. She had simply frozen up completely. Withdrawn into a shell, put her own mind into stasis to escape whatever torment Darkrai had inflicted upon her. Lucario trembled as he could not believe he had actually let it happen, thinking she would be fine just like after the first time. What had been different?<p>

**"However, I reluctantly accept that your species has indeed become a potential threat to me," **Darkrai stated as he lowered himself closer to the ground, **"I wished to reap your kind for many more generations, but now I must eradicate you."**

Sensing danger, Lucario hastily held Mew closer to his chest while turning his torso away."You're not touching Mew - I won't let you!" Lucario yelled in defiance. He and Darkrai stared down one another, Darkrai clearly winning with his intimidating gaze and fearsome visage. Even so, Lucario refused to back down and held Mew tighter, faintly hoping she would wake up and take care of this whole thing like usual.

**"And so, the role for the sacrifice has been switched once more,"** Darkrai proclaimed, the dark shadow unfazed by the previous battle and speaking with the ominous confidence of an executioner, **"Your intentions are clear, but alone you will never harm me. Your struggle is useless."**

Lucario found himself agreeing with the specter for once. Without Mew's wide array of powers he was powerless to do anything, even protect her as she lay still and defenseless in his arms. His bummed leg made running impossible, not that he had been able to outrun Darkrai before. There was no aura in the near vicinity, so he could not expect a last-minute rescue from anyone capable of handling a fiendish legendary. Indeed, he truly did not know what he had to gain from this bravado, but no matter what could not see himself doing anything else.

"Sacrifice…" Lucario repeated solemnly before baring his teeth and shouting, "… Seems you're getting two, because there's no way I'll just sit back and watch Mew die!"

**"I grow weary of your tired litany," **Darkrai responded immediately, **"Chivalry is the way of the weak. Losing one's life is simple. Changing it is difficult. You lack the willpower to abandon your pride, and so you choose the easy way out by giving up."**

With a flick of his misty wrist, he wrested Mew away from Lucario and pushed him into the snow like a helpless baby.

Lucario protested and cursed as he tried to get up, Darkrai clutching Mew between both his hands. However, instead squeezing her frail form into a broken mess, his hands began to glow in a dark sheen which seeped into Mew's body. Her motionless form was suddenly rocked back to life, her tail standing on end as something very painful was invading her system.

**"I have no intention of killing either of you," **Darkrai explained as Mew's struggles to get away were renewed with previously unseen ferocity, **"But this Mew must be rendered harmless. She will never again utilize her powers."**

Just as Lucario had gotten to his feet again, Mew's struggling stopped once more and Darkrai casually dropped her down on the snow. Overcome with desperation, Lucario lounged and tried punching Darkrai one last time as the evasive phantom simply floated higher up into the sky, staring down at him with an eye more chilling than the coldest winter's night.

**"I will now take my leave, once more proving my endless graciousness by letting two very much alive Pokémon escape despite having defied my will," **Darkrai enounced before suddenly closing his eye, **"However… The elements may not be as forgiving."**

And so, he was gone. As if having vanished into thin air, carried away by a gust of wind, the eclipse had disappeared in a single moment. It took Lucario a few moments to realize what had happened. He slowly staggered over to Mew, relieved to see her chest moving in breathing motions but still somewhat sad. Zoroark had been physically unharmed as well, but the same could not be said for her mind. How long until Mew would come back to her senses? How long would he have to wait to be able to speak to her again? Hours? Years?

"L…" something wheezed, breaking up his inner lamentations. Wondering who would be rude enough to disturb him at a moment like this, he was suddenly struck by the feeling that something like this had happened before. Instinctively he peered down, realizing that Mew's huge eyes were no longer staring into space, but staring at him.  
><strong><br>**"… Mew? Can you hear me?" Lucario asked breathlessly. She did not respond immediately, putting on a confused expression as her eyes looked around the area, her head not moving.

"D-Darkrai? Where is…" Mew stammered quietly, Lucario feeling overwhelmed with relief.

"It's OK, he's gone!" he shouted right in her face, unable to hold back his triumph too see her conscious, "We're safe!"

Mew winced as his loud voice hurt her ears before noticing she could not stop shaking. A very unpleasant feeling was wracking every inch of her body, and it took her a few moments to identify what it was.

"So c-cold…!" she gasped as she tried to raise a protective barrier to no avail, "My… My…!"

Mew's voice sounded of panic and her head moved uneasily, but unlike Zoroark she seemed to have kept her sanity intact. Lucario sighed out in relief and decided to take charge.

"… Yeah, he said something about sealing your powers," Lucario muttered as he kept her close to his chest and began to walk, "Don't worry about it for now, I'll take you someplace warmer first."

Her eyes darted around the area once more before a strong shiver wracked her body, calming her down and forcing her to look up at him.

"P-Please h-h-hurry…" she pleaded, the unfamiliar sensation of extreme cold bothering her greatly. She tried to remember what it was that Darkrai had showed her to make her lose grasp of reality, but could not recall anything but a deep sense of self-loathing.

A few minutes passed as Lucario found the snowy landscape far from easy to traverse. There were a few recognizable sources of aura in the far off distance, letting him know he was heading in the right direction. Even so, the storm had picked up into a full blizzard again, the strong winds and biting cold sapping his strength which was already running low from the trying day. It felt like so long ago that he had been together with Zerobi and Zoroark, storming the facility while worrying over the virus. Their mission had ended in success, but it already seemed like a shallow victory, a thing of the past. Looking back, Lucario could not reclaim the enthusiasm he had felt only moments before the arrival of Darkrai. He felt empty inside.

Mew gradually forgot all about the horrible visions she had revisited. The immediate situation demanded full attention to keep her lungs moving with old fashioned physical prowess. She could feel that her powers were completely gone, but at least she was not at risk of choking to death this time. Even so, she wondered what life held in store for her now, weak as an infant with no special powers whatsoever. She had no intention of accepting it – There had to be some way to dispel the curse Darkrai had placed upon her. No matter what, she would find it.

Several more minutes passed in silence. Still fearing Mew's psyche had been damaged somehow, Lucario really wanted to keep hearing her voice to settle his worries.

"Feels nostalgic, carrying you around," Lucario said, sorely wishing for his cape back, "Do you remember?"

"How… Could I… Forget…?" Mew replied slowly with a bothered expression, "So slow… Took months…"

"Eh, whatever. The legendaries weren't exactly in a rush once we got there," Lucario muttered while shrugging, "I'd say everything ended up for the best."

Mew stayed quiet, and he noticed she was turning as pale as if deep in illness. In truth, even without talking she was finding it more and more trying to draw in breath, the icy winds invading her body and damaging it from the inside.

"T-Too… C-Cold…" Mew coughed weakly and closed her eyes in pain, "L-Lungs… H-Hurt…"

"I guess my presence scared off Mewtwo… But hey, that was hardly my fault," Lucario continued in an attempt to get both their minds off the current situation, "And who knows how he would've reacted to all this? Maybe my presence did a lot more than people imagine?"

Lucario's words did little to stop her teeth from chattering. She felt her body grow weaker with each second, wishing to escape from the debilitating and quite harmful cold. She wished she could still fly. She wished she could start a fire. She even wished she had been able to do something as simple as walk, anything to flee the painful environment.

"Lucario… H-Hurry…" Mew stammered desperately, knowing he was her only hope to find a way out of the blizzard, "… I have to live… I have to get back alive…"

"We're almost there," Lucario lied with an annoyed grunt, "Tons of Fire Pokémon. It'll be a crazy inferno. You'll miss being able to chill out here."

Her mind searched frantically for a solution as the biting freeze continued attacking her, millions of tiny fangs prickling her skin. Pain increasing and breathing becoming more labored, she came to understand that if they did not find shelter soon, she was going to die. The thought set her into panic, helplessly tugging at Lucario's chest with what little strength remained within her.

"… Cannot… Face death… Cannot even… Comprehend…" Mew spoke as clearly as she could muster to make Lucario understand the gravity of the situation, "My life is… M-Meant to last eons… I am not r-ready… Not now… N-Not ever…"

"Damn it, stop talking like an idiot!" Lucario suddenly shouted with rage as his expression turned into a snarl, "Regular Pokémon have to deal with death, not you! You're a legendary and you'll live forever, so count your blessings! Not everyone is that lucky!"

Lucario huffed angrily as Mew fell silent. The very idea felt preposterous, he had been out in the snow far longer than her while wearing nothing but shorts. Unable to regulate her temperature on her own, he figured her first real meeting with a harsh climate was causing her to overreact. He wondered if maybe he should shed his modesty and wrap her up in what little clothing he had, but realized his pants were already icy cold due to being soaked with melted snow, sweat and, to his endless relief, nothing else. Not that it mattered, a borderline omnipotent being was not dying to a brisk winter's morning.

Even so, he could not help but notice that her once otherworldly appearance had turned into that of a tattered kitten. No demanding presence or mysterious glow, Darkrai had transformed her from a goddess to peon in a matter of seconds. He had seen her like this before, when Zoroark had temporarily sealed her powers in No Man's Land. Indeed, he had thought she was dead back then, and been proven wrong not long after. Fooled once, he knew better than to doubt her abilities again. Although he was seeing Mew for what she really was, but in his mind he could still see an image of her once graceful appearance.

Without much else to think about, Mew found her mind drifting towards the great unknown. Death had always seemed so distant, so far ahead in the future that it was nothing worth worrying about. But now, she could feel it creeping up on her. Soon, all could be gone. Forever. Thinking about her life, she wondered what had led her down this diminishing path. Could this all have been avoided? No, she thought, she knew that no matter what she had chosen to do, she would one day be forced to face death. Such is the fate of all living creatures. She could save the world, she could extend her reach beyond the stars or she could remain curled up into a ball forever, it is inevitable that one day she would lose everything before the one obstacle impossible to overcome. It filled her with sadness as she weakly clung on to Lucario, wanting to share her newfound wisdom.

"No matter who we are… Wh-What we do… Where we go… I-It will always… End the same…" she stammered as her voice almost failed her, "… Alone… In endless emptiness… And h-hopeless… Despair…"

Lucario looked down at her with confusion, and the idea that she might be leaving him and everything else in the world felt overwhelming. Filled with sadness, it soon turned into anger as she came to realize the futility of life.

"How are we… Supposed to accept that…!?" she continued with the same stammer but more power behind her words, "Is this the price of living…!? To one day lose everything…!?"

"SHUT UP!" Lucario yelled again while feigning fury, disguising the pit opening up in his stomach from her words, "I told you to stop talking like you're going to die, you stupid little…"

He trailed off and swiftly pushed the idea out of his head. He wondered why he was screaming at her so much. Every time he was about to talk, he thought he could see Mew's eyelids flutter a little further down and would immediately raise his voice in order to keep her awake. His fears settled as although she was looking a bit worse for wear, her trembling was finally beginning to slow down.

"… Not so cold… Anymore…" Mew whispered calmly with a mild sense of euphoria, "Stars… Heating up… Earth…"

"Too cloudy… Can't see any stars…" Lucario muttered with a bothered tone, but not because of the shaded skies. If what Darkrai had said was true, never again would Mew shine like the stars. Robbed of everything that made her special, her dazzling form would fade and become an invisible feature in the darkness of the night, soon to be forgotten by the world she had struggled so hard to save.

Mew lay silently in his arms, feeling her limbs grow turgid and her body go numb. She wondered how she looked in this regressed state, especially to those who had so many times seen her touch the sky and perform miracles with ease. Lugia would be disappointed, and she felt a lump form in her throat when she realized this is exactly what he had warned her about for so many years. At least Celebi would support her for as long as necessary, since the two of them were as close as can be. The other legendaries would simply have to cope with it, and she felt regretful that she could no longer be one of them. She drifted away into a delusion as she continued staring up at the sky, seeing only a grey mist.

"… Artic-uno…? Stop…" Mew spoke dizzily as she thought she could see the mighty bird pass her by high above, "… Too much… Storm… Want to see… Stars… Moon…"

"They're not going anywhere," Lucario replied quickly, "Focus on survival."

Although her speech was becoming more disjointed, it seemed his reply had some manner of effect as she slowly switched her vision from the heavens to him.

"… So I did…" Mew whispered quietly, "… But… Why…?"

Lucario met her gaze as he subconsciously picked up his pace. Mew remained still and her expression was calm, which somehow seemed more distressing than her earlier behavior.

"I… Lived in… Celibacy… To survive…" Mew explained and her lower lip trembled without her noticing, "But… But now… I will… Still die… Leaving… Nothing… Behind…"

She turned her eyes away from him as she looked off to the side.

"Celebi… Told me… I tried it…" she continued as her voice was beginning to crack up again, "Th-Thought it… Would bring… Calmness… And joy… But all it b-brought… Was shame… And I… F-Fled… From you…"

"… Fled…?" Lucario repeated, and it only took a second for his long gone concern to revive again, "Wait, you said… You said you didn't avoid me on purpose! It just kind of… Happened?"

"Forgive… Me… I… Lied…" Mew whispered shamefully before closing her eyes, "So… M-Meaningless… Now… Why… Did… I… Not… Speak…?"

"No! Nothing is meaningless!" Lucario shouted again as he saw her close her eyes all the way, his heart beginning to beat faster in fear, "I forgive you, but you've got to live! I won't question it, just keep fighting!"

For a moment he thought she had fainted, but then she peered back at him through tiny slits behind her eyelids. The sight filled him up with strength and determination, not wanting to see her brush with death ever again.

"Rrrrgh!" Lucario growled as he forced his sprained leg and began marching faster through the snow. The bed was deep so he could not fully run, and after only about ten steps he felt himself exhaust the last of his reserves. However, he refused to slow down or stop, realizing he held Mew's life in his hands. He occasionally looked down at her to see that she was still alive, constantly having to remind himself of what she had once been. There was no longer any brightness emanating from her, but in his mind she was like a brilliant beacon of light radiating the purity of a clear spring. An angel, wings clipped and halo faded. Despite what Darkrai had said, he knew Mew would recover her powers. Wounds heal, it's only natural and nothing special. And even if not, it had never been her status or powers that made him like her. No matter what was to become of her, he would stay by her side.

"… Last… Chance…" Mew struggled to speak, rocking back and forth from Lucario's violent charge.

"I only need one!" Lucario replied instantly and knew it was only natural for her to doubt his abilities, considering his track record.

"… Must… Tell… You…" Mew wheezed with urgency in an attempt to shout down his incessant panting.

"Chew me out later, I've got to focus!" Lucario responded, knowing he was definitely her last choice for a last chance but also realizing he was the only one who could do it.

"… Before…" Mew continued trying to get his attention, "… Listen…"

"Fine!" Lucario exclaimed reluctantly as he braced himself for the worst, "I'm listening, I'm listening! What is it!?"

He saw Mew's mouth move, but the sound was too low for him to make out between the whistling wind and trampled snow. Thinking he had gotten off easy, there was something about her pale and colorless face that suddenly stole his breath away in surprise.

Tears. Lucario did not even realize that he had stopped running as he felt petrified, staring with awe.

A strong wind blew past, Mew feeling the cold sensation overwhelm her senses, but despite it struggled to smile one last time. She was eager to see his reaction, and hear his answer. In the state she was in, they were all she had left.

"… I…" Mew started, Lucario focusing his ears.

"… Love…" Mew continued, Lucario's breath getting caught in his throat.

"… You…" Mew finished. She beheld his face as it remained in perpetual paralysis. Mouth unmoving, eyes never wavering, it felt as if time had stopped. She knew this to not be the case as slowly but surely, she felt her life begin to slip away. Desperately clinging on to it just a little longer to hear his response, her words were too weak.

"What're you saying…?" Lucario whispered, unable to comprehend what he had just heard, "You… What…?"

He gazed at Mew in shock as her lips barely moved, as if trying to say something. In a last attempt to reach him, she lifted her two arms towards him, her vision of Lucario obscured by darkness. Too stunned to properly react, Lucario continued staring at her crying, smiling face as her arms and eyelids slowly fell.

"Mew… D-Don't…" Lucario stammered as he felt himself quiver, "No, you can't…!"

Hoping, begging for any sort of response from Mew, he was left sitting in silence. She was still, only shaking slightly from Lucario's trembling. Mind fogging up with panic, he began shaking her harder, vehement to see her stir again.

"Mew…?" Lucario whispered before screaming, "MEW!"

There was no response. Something sucked the air out of Lucario's lungs as he stared at Mew, her beautiful face lifeless and static. Desperately checking for a pulse, he gripped her brittle wrist so hard it felt like it would break off. Pressing against her chest until her ribcage bent, her lungs refused to reactivate. He had thought her dead before, only now recognizing how wrong he had been. Her body was cold. Her breathing was gone. None of this was a fabrication or an illusion – It was reality. Not a single shred of life remained within the empty husk of the legendary Mew.

His mind went blank. His body went limp, a bottomless depth opening and swallowing his insides. Alone with her remains he sat on his knees, no one hearing his helpless wails echoing through the rage of a hateful blizzard.


	97. Epilogue of Year 11

Words fail me as I attempt to disclose the status of our mission. In regard to our objectives, the mission was a great success. We penetrated the enemy's defenses, acquired the virus and captured the perpetrator. Although the virus in question was not of the nature we had suspected, it is a highly dangerous artifact that must never be used and should remain top secret to everyone without full clearance. We are currently looking into ways of disposing it, taking as much time as we need in order to prevent accidentally releasing it.

However, the toll for victory was steep. Our leader Zoroark was brought back in a panicked state, not recognizing who we were or where he was. He had been dealt a powerful attack to his psyche, something previously thought impossible to inflict upon Dark-types. After several hours in solitude he finally came back to his senses and took charge once more, but was notably weakened. I can personally attest to the fact that in this week to follow, he has not slept once. I worry about his health, but at least he seems to have escaped the ordeal unscathed in terms of persisting physical damage.

The death of Mew was not something any of us had thought possible. Presented with her body, we all just stood and stared, speechless as Celebi cried and cradled her like a sister. Despite repeated efforts from the legendary to bring her friend back to life, a distinct lack of results shows that some things are beyond even their abilities. Rejecting my offer for proper burial, Celebi has taken to isolating herself with the body inside the deepest reaches of this cave system. Unaware of the rites and traditions between legendaries, we are at a loss as to what to do, and will simply have to wait and see what the future brings. I do fret for Celebi's sanity, cooped up with no company but Mew's corpse. It is at times like these that I feel utterly powerless, wishing there was something I could do to ease her burden.

The legendary trio is no more. Pikablu fell in battle against Red, suffering a stroke from stress and exertion. He was captured by Red who then immediately abandoned his post by the stadium, traveling at maximum speed towards the nearest Pokécenter. Eyewitnesses claim that when Raikou collapsed from exhaustion, Red stole a nearby bicycle and rode the last distance with his own two legs, displaying the strength and determination of a man in the prime of his youth. Pikablu was taken to intensive care, and his condition is currently stabilized. However, the damage upon his body is said to be deeply rooted, and it seems unlikely that he will ever be able to leave the hospital or perhaps even walk again.

Cold as it seems, I wish I could say the same for Kabutops. The ancient Pokémon was struck by an attack to his psyche similarly to Zoroark, reverting to his primal instincts of aggression and fear. Zoroark described the attack in question as a forcible retrieval of ones worst memories, meaning Kabutops might currently be reliving his violent past in a world long gone. Showing no hesitation, he attempted to cut down the Gallade and anyone else that dared approach. He was eventually subdued and captured by Blue, but despite our best efforts he has yet to show any signs of recovery. Even going as far as to wildly devour a picture of his family, one shudders to think what would happen should they ever reunite.

Despite having spent more time with him than the other members of the trio, the case of the Gallade eludes me. One would think that the loss of his two friends would dampen his spirits, yet he wanders the caverns as cheerful as always, telling jokes and entertaining anyone open to it. His disposition is most peculiar, but it is nice to see at least one of us who has yet to fall prey to deep depression.

The one that worries me the most is the Lucario, the one without the signature spikes upon his chest and hands. Although he recovered quickly from the effects of hypothermia, he blames himself for the death of Mew and has taken a troublesome liking to the stash of alcoholic beverages we acquired during our initial scouting of the area. He seems to be convinced that his presence brings misfortune to others, and violently dismisses anyone who approaches. The supply of alcohol was quite generous and there is no worry of him running out any time soon, at least not before the inevitable liver failure. Being a Whimsicott with a less than impressive physical stature, my own personal attempts to reach Lucario have been unsuccessful, and it seems his close friend Zerobi is treated likewise.

All things considered, Zerobi seems to be the one least bothered by the catastrophe at Pokémon Stadium, something I attribute to the fact that death and mayhem is something she is all too familiar with. More recently she has begun visiting a nearby town in secrecy, most likely assuming us too busy to notice. As much as I worry and wish to investigate, truth is that we do have far more pressing issues at hand, and lack the resources to even try. All I can do is pray that her words of redemption were not complete fabrications.

We shall be returning to No Man's Land soon, leaving nothing but the original scouting party behind. We have offered means of travel to the Gallade, Celebi and Lucario, but all of them rejected. Although the former is capable of teleportation, the other two seem content on staying until the end of times. Zoroark requests that we leave them to their own devices and treat them with respect, due to their helpful roles in our mission. Although I feel responsible and wish to supply them with some manner of therapy, Zoroark insists that privacy is the best we can give them. Following his enlightened mind is what has led me here thus far, but it is with heavy heart that I write these last words and sorely hope for a better new year.

_- Whimsicott_


	98. Hope: Trust vs Mistrust

It had taken some time, but finally Zerobi was getting accustomed to the layout of the caves, lovingly nicknamed "Nomad's Land" by its slowly departing residents. It reminded her of home, and even more of the Cerulean Cave, right down to the awfully strong Pokémon wandering to and fro. At least unlike that place, they were the ones who were afraid of her. The only thing missing was Astrid, and she felt thankful to find that the less meek of the revolutionaries were happy to share what they remembered about him. It felt very nostalgic to hear of his antics, severe bashfulness and untimely attempt at bravery.

The cool, refreshing air gradually turned stale as she ventured deeper inside the complex. Following the Whimsicott's instructions, finding the fabled "stash" was a cinch. A vertical stretch ending with a small opening leading into a larger room – The similarities with her old execution chambers were uncanny, and she hoped the sight inside would not be nearly as horrifying.

It wasn't. A stack of rather huge crates filled the far end of the room, one of them pried open to reveal its contents: Bottles of neatly packed beer. Alcohol was something she did not have much experience with. One time Basil managed to sneak some into school, but insisted on drinking the full bottle himself to show everyone how cool he was. Most of his classmates were unimpressed, watching as the Bellsprout tried to root himself into his own desk for several minutes before passing out and being carried off to a Pokécenter. Although she had many sorrows to drown and trauma to forget, she never tried any. Rationalized that she needed to stay sharp and could not risk getting drunk, accidentally stumbling into town while blurting out more than a few things that would send her straight to prison, and not just to sober up.

Of course, the beer was not the only thing to catch her eye. Sitting next to a crate while using the open lid as a chair was Lucario, although "slumping" might have been a better description than "sitting". His back was turned to her and his head all but vanished behind his shoulders, slouching to the point where only his drooping ears proved he had not been decapitated. She walked up to him, noticing a somewhat full bottle on top of the crate; his makeshift table.

"Lucario?" Zerobi spoke up, realizing he would not have noticed her arrival due to her lack of an aura. Or his lack of attention. He very slowly turned his head towards her, his eyes bloodshot and his mouth slightly ajar.

"Ze… Ro… Bi…?" he wheezed, a waft of alcohol hitting Zerobi in the face. Finding it to be nowhere near as revolting as what was included in his preferable diet, she tried to grab the bottle only to find it slipping out of her steely hands. She spun it around in place in order to read the label: Berry Brew Bluster, spicy flavor. A beer accustomed to appeal to the palettes of Pokémon enthusiasts, better remembered as the biggest marketing flop since Pokéballs were redesigned in an Electrode motif, causing trainers to carry them upside down by accident.

"Why are you drinking this?" Zerobi asked with a sneer, "You hate berries."

"… Gotta do it…" Lucario grumbled as he snatched up the drink and held it away from her, "… Gotta clear my mind…"

"CLEAR your mind?" Zerobi repeated with irony in her voice, "What, to help you realize that's not how alcohol works?"

Lucario stared at her grumpily for a few moments, trying to think of a reply while swimming through a turbulent ocean of booze in his drunken mind.

"… So it would seem…" he muttered with a secretive tone, "… But such is… Not the case… Thanks to this, I've finally got everything figured out… All of it…"

"What did you figure out?" Zerobi asked to humor him, watching with concern as he took a deep swag from the bottle and almost emptied it out in one go.

"Every… Last… Detail…" Lucario grunted while placing the bottle down on the crate, "See… I used to be under a delusion that I wasn't a useless sack of shit… But no matter how hard I try… No matter how hard I train… Everything always ends up the same. It's not my fault, though… It's fate."

"… You said you don't believe in fate," Zerobi said, surprised to see his normally alert personality take a nosedive.

"After what's happened, how can I not…?" Lucario muttered as he swished around the last contents of his drink, "Life's like a stupid story… All my actions only exist to lead to one inevitable outcome… Doesn't matter how hard I fight or how much I suffer… I can't change the will of the author, and whatever tale he's got planned out…"

Zerobi had never really assumed Lucario to be a happy drunk, but this depressing state was worse than she expected. It had only been a week and he already looked as if he had completely given up at life.

"Come on, this isn't good for you," Zerobi said while trying to pry the bottle out of his hand, "Let's go. Get away from here.""Claws off!" Lucario burst out while knocking her arm away, "You spent 8 years in a cave, and you get on my case after mourning the death of a dear friend for a few days!?"

"That… Was different…" Zerobi explained while thinking back, wondering if Lucario thought she had spent all that time moping, "I didn't do it for my sake, I just didn't want to hurt anyone else!"

"Same as me, then," Lucario growled before stopping for a moment, his expression turning into melancholy, "Mew… Mew will be the last casualty. As long as I stay in here, I can't bring death upon anyone else."

Of course, Zerobi had long since figured out the source of Lucario's depression. She herself had only spent about half a week together with Mew, during which the fabled legendary had either been unconscious or trying to stay away from her as much as possible. Although both Celebi and Lucario spared no breath in singing Mew's praises, Zerobi was not exactly overcome with sorrow regarding her passing.

"Lucario…" Zerobi whispered in an attempt to empathize, "… It wasn't your fault."

"… Like hell, it wasn't!" Lucario shouted as he suddenly sat up straight, "I'm the one who led Darkrai out into the snow! I'm the one whose pathetic hide Mew had to come rescue! I'm the… I'm the one…"

The volume fell lower as he began to slump down again, turning his face away from Zerobi to hide his growing devastation.

"… I'm the one… Who was supposed to… Protect her…" Lucario whispered with dismay while slapping his forehead, "I couldn't even protect her from low temperature! Instead, she… She died because of me…"

Appearing to be entering recluse once more, Lucario instead slammed down the bottle with surprising force, nearly shattering it in the process.

"And for what!? Why was I even there in the first place!?" he yelled with fury and started counting up all the failures in his life, "I sacrificed that small penguin to get away from Suicune, I put you in danger, I screwed up and let Kabuta get her arm ripped off, I sat and watched as the Dragonair's mind shattered, Rukario's probably dead too because of me, Celebi got shot and Zoroark nearly went to the gallows when I wasn't busy beating her up over shit that didn't matter…"

Zerobi stared at him with confusion, but he cared not how much of what he had said was new information to her.

"And now… Even Mew had to give her life to spare mine…" Lucario groaned as he grasped the sides of his head in anguish, "Why…!? What was the point!? My life isn't worth a damn, it's not worth saving! I CAN'T DO ANYTHING!"

The loud shout echoed throughout the cave. Lucario took a moment to catch his breath, Zerobi remaining stunned from his outburst. Constantly boasting in battle and having been the former champion of the world, she never imagined Lucario would have such a poor self-image. She recognized his line of thinking all too well and only now saw the folly of the concept. Did he really consider himself a bother to those around him? Did he not realize how much he meant to her?

"But… You can…" Zerobi whispered as she carefully placed a hand on her chest, "… For me."

Lucario continued drawing in breath while looking away from her, forcing himself to calm down.

"… No, Zerobi… You've worked hard to get your life back…" he replied quietly, "… Don't ruin it. Stick with me, and I can only promise you misery and death."

"Two things I've dealt with before, and would-" Zerobi started, but was interrupted as Lucario lashed out with his arm. The blow was clearly not aimed at her, but the surprise was enough to make her step back.

"I won't let you! Get the hell out of here, or I'll throw you out myself!" Lucario shouted while staring at her. His expression was not of anger or sadness, but something else. Curious as to what would come of it, Zerobi moved closer. In an instant, Lucario thrust his open palm towards her.

"Aura Sphere!" he exclaimed while finding it a little difficult to keep his outstretched arm stable, "Don't think I wouldn't! I'm drunk 'n dangerous! Leave me alone!"

Zerobi flinched, Lucario's gesture reopening her most devastating of old wounds. He watched her as she staggered backwards, not feeling a whole lot better about himself as she gave him one last look before turning around and going through the exit. Still, he knew it was for her own good. When the legendary dogs arrive or when Darkrai comes back to "reap", he wanted her to be as far away from him as possible. If he had to get it done by being a mean asshole, so be it. He withdrew and looked at his open palm for a moment, surprised that it had even worked in scaring her off.

"Like I'd really do it…" Lucario muttered to himself, thinking she did not know him as well as she imagined. With a discontented sigh, he turned his attention back to his drink.

"… Like you'd really do it," Zerobi said under her breath as she leaned up against the wall outside and stifled a snicker. Expecting to feel hurt or concerned, she instead found his feigned abrasiveness to be strangely amusing. Trying to appear threatening after she had seen him cry over a plate of rice and curry - He really was a poor actor. Everyone else had said that he was consumed in anger and sadness, but she could tell that was not the real reason he had pushed her away. She had a feeling he was being prideful, wanting to prove that he could get through this without the help of anyone else. Even so, at least now he knew her feelings and that she was willing to stay by his side. Constantly nagging and tugging at him now seemed like a bad idea, and so she decided to give him some time to himself.

In truth, she had no intention of sitting around and worrying about other people all day. She felt like she could use some time alone as well, having a particular concern of her own to deal with. She had been able to put it off for some time, but with the state Celebi and Lucario was in it seemed unlikely they would help get her mind off her own problems anytime soon. It was not something she had to do, and it was not even a particularly good time to do it. It was an opportunity, nothing more or less. Awaiting the sun's departure, she took a short nap while preparing herself to grab for it once more.

_Can I trust my friends to stay with me?_


	99. Care: Generativity vs Stagnation

Cave. Crate. Bottle. The sight Lucario awoke to should not have been entirely unexpected, but he found himself quite surprised none the less. He had just been dreaming about getting into a pinch and suddenly evolving into a fearsome creature, his hair growing longer with his hands and feet turning red. Several spikes sprouted out all over his body as he gained enough super-powers to turn Darkrai into mincemeat and then following up by dancing a cheerful jig with Mew.

A bothersome headache broke him out of his dreamland, keeping him from getting engulfed completely in the fantasy. Rationalizing, he figured that to have spikes shoot out of him and later retract would probably hurt like hell.

"Lucario, what are you doing!?" a shrill voice behind him echoed, and Lucario slowly came to realize the origin of his unusually happy dream. Looking back with a blank expression, he saw that the legendary Celebi had come to visit. Her eyes were wide open, but the skin underneath them possessed abnormal shades of dark green. Even so, the strangest thing about her was her posture. Although constantly hovering, both she and Mew would always make a point to keep their bodies upright for the sake of being on the same level as everyone else. Now Celebi just kind of hung there like a blanket on a hook, tilting a little to the side while casually spitting in the face of gravity.

"Stop that!" Celebi burst out in shock as Lucario's current appearance was nothing to boast about either, "Steel-type or not, you will destroy your liver!"

Lucario shrugged before putting his head against the wall. Even in a state like this she possessed the aura of positive energy. Normally it would cause Lucario to feel better, but currently it was only able to cancel out the worst of his depression, leaving him with a numb sensation.

"… A liver failure for a living failure…" he muttered, nothing but complete apathy running through him, "… Sounds fitting to me…"

"What kind of reasoning is that?" Celebi asked with genuine concern, "You will contract painful and potentially lethal diseases!"

"Good," Lucario replied bluntly, "I'm getting impatient."

Unable to retain enough pride to stop it, Celebi felt her eyes tear up. To refer to her as a broken shell of her former self would be an understatement. She had been captured. She had been shot. Her sister had turned out to be a serial killer, Pikablu had possibly been paralyzed for life and now her best friend since birth was dead. It was as if the entire universe had come down on her, squeezing out what little spirit she still had after the fateful battle at Hilltop Mountain.

"Stop it… Please…" she whispered while shaking her head in denial, "Don't… Don't you leave me, too…"

She looked at Lucario, his eyes devoid of sympathy.

"Other way around," he answered, "You leave me. Alone."

Lucario's insensitive behavior was beginning to affect her in the worst way. Like a cauldron at boiling temperature, long subdued anger was beginning to bubble to the surface.

"You… You selfish bum!" Celebi exclaimed loudly while pointing at him, "Just sitting here, killing yourself and not caring about how it affects anyone else!"

Lucario's head snapped up, surprised by her sudden change in mood.

"I'll have you know, I still have a sister to take care of!" Celebi fumed, "Duties to perform! Friends to c-comfort! L-Loose ends… T-To…"

Her voice broke up as she failed to uphold her rage. Although she had begun to scream and shout, her tears from earlier had not stopped pouring out. She quieted down while Lucario simply looked at her, expressionless.

"No one… N-Not a single one of you knew Mew like I did…" she sobbed while turning her head away, "Why c-can't I sit around and w-wallow in pity forever…? H-How come I'm not allowed to c-curl up and d-die…?"

Lucario sighed as he leaned back and stared up into the ceiling. No matter how hard he tried, he could not find any words of comfort. He just didn't care about anything anymore.

"Hey… You want to trade places with me?" Lucario asked in a low-key voice, "I can't do anything for anyone without causing misery… You want my body?"

Forcing back her tears, Celebi looked back and stared at Lucario in surprise. So far she had assumed herself to be the only one hurting so bad from Mew's death, thinking the others had barely even gotten to know her.

"I got to spend half a year with Mew before losing her forever… You want my past?" Lucario continued bitterly before giving off a cold snicker, "I'm not even really here. I'm a ghost who's possessed a dead body, shouldn't even exist… You want my life?"

Already lamenting how Lugia, Mesprit and Zapdos would react, Celebi had not anticipated that Lucario had been so close to Mew to begin with. Was he mourning the fact that now there was truly no way for him to become human again? Or was he simply feeling guilty that he could not save her? In her musings, she begun to realize that it did not matter. Neither he nor she was the one that deserved pity.

"Why are we complaining…?" Celebi whispered as she wiped the tears away from her face, "We are still alive… Mew's the one who…"

"… What else can we do?" Lucario replied quietly, "I already miss her. I want to see her again, I need to talk to her…"

"You can come by and visit her later, if you wish," Celebi said as she was immediately met by a confused expression, "… I am doing my best in keeping her body intact. I… Cannot bear to see her wither away."

Not having any gratitude to offer, Lucario simply nodded. Mew was dead; after crying in the snow for what seemed like an eternity he already knew that talking to her corpse does not do a damn thing. Thinking back to that time, he suddenly remembered a certain selection of Mew's final words.

"… I need to get back…" Celebi said in a dismal tone, "… Cerebral necrosis always stalking around the corner…"

"Wait. Out there in the snow…" Lucario mumbled as he looked at her, "Mew said something about you."

"… She did?" Celebi asked, a little agitated that he had not told her about this before.

"She said she'd tried something you told her to do," Lucario explained, every last thing Mew said burned into his mind, "But… She was ashamed."

He decided to leave out the last part about Mew avoiding him on purpose, as it could make the others realize that she had been in love with him. It was not something he was ready to acknowledge, still wondering if the memory had not just been another drunken dream. But even though he purposely left the part out, he realized his cover had been blown as Celebi's face suddenly turned slightly red.

"Oh…" Celebi exclaimed while looking away in embarrassment.

"What… Was it?" Lucario asked slowly, clinging on to the faint hopes that he had not been busted.

"Back at the Seafoam Islands…" Celebi started before finding herself at a loss for words, realizing she was about to give the least fitting eulogy ever, "… No, this is not something you need to know about."

"… It's about me, isn't it?" Lucario admitted while lowering his head, awaiting the inevitable bombardment of questions even he did not know the answer to.

"It has nothing to do with you," Celebi answered with a huff, wishing he would act a bit less self-centered, "In fact… One might say it is none of your concern. At all."

Lucario stared blankly at her for a moment before sighing out in relief, never having felt so glad to have been told off. Soon afterwards, Celebi slipped out of the cave to go tend to her very unhealthy obsession, leaving him to return to his drinking binge. Cracking open another beer with his teeth, Lucario wondered if maybe he should take her up on her offer after all.

_Are there things left for me to do?_


	100. High School Reunion

Zerobi stood in the middle of town, staring at a window while partially hidden by the shadow of a nearby house. Feeling quite foolish, she really hoped no one would see her like this. She had no valid explanation as to what she was doing there, a problem compounded by the fact that her graceful and extremely lethal claws were currently lodged deep inside two snow white pillows. A strange scene that would confuse anyone but exactly two people in this world – Herself, and the person she was meeting.

She knew she could do this. She had stood up to Darkrai. She had revealed her past to the two most important people in her life. Indeed, she had even done the impossibly difficult task of confessing her love to someone. This was not going to be anywhere near as trying or dangerous. Just a simple chat with an old friend, something they had both enjoyed so many times before.

A sigh escaped her lips. At this point she would rather take on two Darkrai than jump up to that window. It was beginning to snow again – Was that an excuse enough to call it off? She could slip and break her neck. The soft buns around her hands would not exactly improve her dexterity or make a fall any less dangerous, either. Going from scissorhands to cushionhands made her look very stupid, but they were necessary apparel to make her out to be as non-threatening as possible. She had only tried it once before, when she evolved and her claws rapidly outgrew their gloves. She hoped the person whose idea it was to use pillows for protection still remembered her clever little scheme.

Zerobi was not the only Pokémon making use of pillows that night. Far from a bustling metropolis, the homely little town nonetheless offered many conveniences such as a Pokécenter, a police station and a hotel, the latter of which was currently housing a very unusual occupant. Like any guests, she and her husband had paid for their stay, causing the surprised manager to give them a room before wondering if providing lodgings for Pokémon might be an overlooked business opportunity. At the moment, the Pokémon's husband was working overtime at the police station while she spent the cold night indoors.

Human beds were nice, she thought. Lying curled up like usual, it was a nice experience to find that her cozy tail was not preferable to the fine bedding and soft headrests. She was not entirely sure on what to make of human TV, though. Movies were one thing, but even Snivy seemed to carry some disdain for what he referred to as "entertainment for the pleb." It seemed to have little to offer but uninteresting reality shows that worked to put her mind to sleep, and any fictional show that idolized a Lucario left a bad aftertaste in her mouth.

But nothing could bring her down right now. In a simple bed, engaged in no special activity, she had temporarily entered a state of fully encompassing comfort. Her insides rocked gently, only adding to the sweetness of the moment. The atmosphere was calm and the room was in perfect temperature thanks to her opening the window and letting in the cool winter's air. Snivy would ceaselessly warn her about leaving it open, asking if she could not simply follow him to work if she was so eager to meet burglars. He was paranoid, but she felt they both had fairly good reasons to be. Still, she was a rational being – What were the odds of the source of their nightmares appearing right now on this very night?

This cold night.

This black night.

A shudder ran through her, ruining the coziness. Something felt off, like someone was staring at her. Someone by the window. Hastily she tapped the remote, muting the TV and hoping to catch the sound of whoever was there, or more preferably, not catching any sound because there was no one there.

All she heard was a small tap, and it grabbed her attention as a terribly familiar figure landed outside the window, crouching on the slate of the roof. The darkness of the night made her wish that her mind was only playing tricks on her, being needlessly scared by a rare black cat only seeking shelter for the night. But there was no denying the creature that swiftly slipped in through the window, the light striking and fully illuminating Zerobi's features.

The temperature in the room dropped to absolute zero as Eve felt like her heart was about to stop. Zerobi looked very elegant, even more so than in her younger days due to her more impish features receding. Yet still, she seemed so much more frightening. Zerobi tried to smile, but all Eve could see were the fangs of a vampiric creature, not in the least bit calming or cute but only a glimmer of her demonic nature. Losing control of her breathing as she panicked, Eve leaped up to her feet in an attempt to flee.

"I come in peace! I just want to talk!" Zerobi interrupted her while flailing around with her wrapped up hands, "See? Gloves and everything! I'll just stand over here, I won't try to come any closer, just don't scream…"

Eve froze up in terror, realizing it was already too late. Nothing but humans in the hotel; they would get sliced to ribbons in a fraction of a second. She could never match up against Zerobi in the past, so fighting or fleeing while carrying an extra passenger was beyond impossible. By the time Snivy and the others arrived at the scene, she would be but a finely carved cadaver. She was trapped.

Amazed that Eve was not screaming hysterically, Zerobi already felt things were going in her favor. Watching her old friend cowering like this was discouraging, and so she summoned up all of her amicability. She could do this.

"I-If you think…" Eve stammered in warning, staring down Zerobi while hoping to evoke enough sympathy that she would come out of this alive. It did not seem very likely. After all, when Zerobi had been on the verge of death and begging for mercy, Eve had left her to die. She trembled, knowing the blooded wraith's revenge upon her and her unborn child would be unimaginable.

"I know. There is no excuse for what I have done, and I would understand perfectly if you would rather I go away and die…" Zerobi explained as she looked around the room awkwardly, finding it more and more difficult to stare into Eve's hateful eyes, "But… I want you to know. At least you should know what really happened, and why. You deserve that much."

Zerobi quickly lifted her hands to her hair, trying to grab the small object she had stored within. Due to the pillows covering her claws, she rummaged around with the finesse of two very soft sledgehammers.

"… Stupid…" Zerobi grunted as she slipped out one hand from the cushion, the shiny metal causing Eve to sharply inhale. Moving quickly as to stop the normal-type from panicking, she withdrew and object and threw it on the ground in front of Eve.

"… Here," Zerobi said as she put her claw into the headrest again, "It's a picture of me and… My sister…"

Eyeing her carefully, Eve threw a glance down towards the ground. It stayed there for only a second before it snapped back up at Zerobi again. However, her expression turned slightly daft as she warily looked down again, staring more intently at the picture this time. After a few moments, she lifted her head with an expression that practically shouted "Are you serious?"

"Yes, I would also consider myself insane if our roles were reversed," Zerobi answered her unspoken question, "Turns out, Celebi and I are family. I could have brought her, but… This is between you and me."

"… And everyone you killed…" Eve said, unable to stop herself. She knew she was in a bad position, but seeing what could be genuine proof that the legendary Celebi was real overwhelmed her. It had to be fake.

Sighing deeply, Zerobi stared off to the side while twiddling the soft cushions around her hands. Any little gesture to ease what she was about to explain.

"… I never meant for it to happen…" she whispered with a hazy, almost dreamy expression, "I never knew I was of legendary heritage. I had no idea on how to shackle myself. My powers… Overtook my being. Controlled me."

Once more examining the picture, Eve realized that even if the picture was fake, Zerobi's inexplicable resurrection was not. She felt eight years of nonsense explanations and futile reasoning vanish in a second. Of course Zerobi survived, she was a bloody legendary. Or perhaps, a legendary of blood? For the first time, Eve looked at Zerobi with curiosity rather than fear, wanting to know more.

"… You know exactly when it happened, don't you?" Zerobi asked while thinking of that one fateful night with the Kadabra, "The day I changed. The time when I evolved…"

She did, in a manner of speaking. Eve had always assumed Zerobi to be a typical serial killer, acting normal around other people until the day she finally snapped. When they founded Evolution's Gate, Zerobi stopped being the cheerful, caring girl she once befriended. However, Eve had come to believe that it had all been a ruse on Zerobi's end, trying to hide her murderous tendencies from the public.

"… It was the blood. The unstoppable lust for blood controlled my mind, and ruined my life," Zerobi continued with a chilling voice, "When I came down from my high and returned to my senses, I had no idea how it had happened. I had been possessed to kill, something I would never even have been able to even imagine before."

Hesitating for a moment, Darkrai's words echoed in her head. The blood did not control her – It simply allowed her to act out her urges. She decided to leave this out of the explanation, thinking it would ruin what little credibility she was gaining with people.

"The following seven years I lived in seclusion, knowing I was too dangerous to ever be with anyone again," Zerobi explained as she clenched her unseen hands, "Every night, I could hear the cries of those I killed… And… Even worse…"

This was it. Forcing herself to look at Eve, Zerobi prepared to say the most difficult thing she had ever said.

"… I knew you hated me," she admitted breathlessly before quickly looking away again, "You were my best friend, Eve. I… No, the other part of me ruined that, and that's why I could never let it control me again."

Eve felt her heart skip a beat, not believing what she was hearing. Mustering up all the knowledge Snivy had given her regarding criminals and their aptitude for lies and trickery, she could not help but take in Zerobi's ridiculously sincere admission. In fact, ever since the Dark-type had entered, Eve had not felt the presence of the murderous swine she had come to fear for so long. It had been exactly like that of her old friend, a presence she had forgotten about ages ago.

"I never wanted to hurt anyone… But especially not you," Zerobi said while suddenly finding it a bit easier to look into Eve's eyes and their diminishing hostility, "If there was anything I could do to make things better, I would."

"If you truly feel that way…" Eve spoke up for the first time in a while, her voice calm if maybe a bit wary, "… You should turn yourself in to the police."

"… A year ago, I might have done so…" Zerobi whispered while thinking of two quietly weeping figures in a cave not far away, "… But now, there are others that need me. I can do a lot more redemption out here than in a cell."

A strange silence followed. It was awkward, but at the same time very comforting and somewhat nostalgic. Eve and Zerobi looked at each other without fear, eight years of frightened memories beginning to melt away.

"I… I would've brought some Leppa Cake for you…" Zerobi said to break the silence, "… But knowing what I did, you'd probably think it was poisoned or something…"

Eve stared at her, speechless. Could this actually be happening? She was talking to Zerobi, the serial killer who had betrayed her. Tried to murder her. So many dead, so many friends back in Cerulean City with their lives ruined, all because of her. Every nightmare. Every session of therapy. Her fault.

"… No…" Eve whispered to herself and fixed a serious gaze into Zerobi. The Weavile suddenly felt a cold sensation take grip of her heart, causing her to freeze up in nervousness.

"Snivy would know if it was poisoned or not," Eve explained calmly while feeling a sudden urge for sweets, "He can smell poison from a mile away."

Zerobi sighed out in relief and smiled. For a moment she thought the conversation was going to head in another direction.

"… He's a good man," Zerobi lied, not really knowing Smugleaf for anything other than what a Leaf Storm feels like, "He protected you well. I hope I did not hurt him and his partner too badly…"

"… Well…" Eve whispered while remembering what Umk had told her about the conclusion of their battle, "Compared to what they did to you…"

"Hey… Remember the days we spent at the river by Bill's House?" Zerobi reminisced while smiling, "Sitting and chatting… Reading magazines… Not a care in the world…"

"Those days are long gone," Eve spoke sternly, wondering if Zerobi honestly thought they could pretend Evolution's Gate never happened, "And they are not coming back."

"I know," Zerobi answered with dismay, but her smile never faded, "Things are different… For both of us."

This was as far as she would get, Zerobi thought. It was a bit unrealistic to try and rekindle their friendship with a past surrounded by murder, betrayal and blood. Just talking to Eve after all this time was enough, and definitively a step up from what could have happened in this meeting. It felt so strange to see Eve looking so grown up, despite still being unevolved. Zerobi attributed part of this due to Eve's lightly sagging belly, still not believing what she was seeing. Wishing she could stay around longer, she felt it was time to retreat before the pleasant encounter had the chance to turn sour.

"Thanks for hearing me out. I'm not sure what to say… Just…" Zerobi said while bowing in respect, "Please… Do not suffer any more for my mistakes."

She turned around to leave, relieved to see no one outside had notice her little intrusion. She wondered how this all seemed to Eve, watching her disappear into the darkness of the night one last time. Was she being too hasty? Should she try to-

"Wait," a voice sounded from behind. Zerobi turned around, shocked to see Eve jumping off the bed and walking towards her.

"I didn't… I mean…" Eve fumbled with her words as she looked up at the surprised Weavile, feeling very weird inside. She had always assumed Zerobi hated her, only acting like her friend to keep together Evolution's Gate. The rise and fall of Evolution's Gate was merely the catalyst that tore them asunder, Zerobi finally showing her true colors. Believing her dead all this time, their brief encounter in Snowpoint City made Eve imagine the malicious Weavile plotting revenge for seven years, not sitting and crying her eyes out over what had happened. Despite being the perpetrator, could the tragedy have affected her nearly as badly as her victims?

"… I hated what you did," Eve admitted as she straightened her legs, "But I never hated… You."

Zerobi's mouth fell open, wondering why Eve would deny something like that. But Eve knew that although they had drifted far and away from one another, their past was intertwined whether they liked it or not. Their friendship had been unbreakable, at least that seemed to be what Zerobi was banking on. They would never have what they had then, but that did not mean they could not share anything.

"If… If you want to come back and talk another time…" Eve said quietly, hoping she was not making a mistake. Zerobi looked at her with a stunned expression before smiling and nodding. Suddenly hesitating with her notion of leaving, Zerobi forced herself back out the window, knowing that her old friend needed time to think things over.

They both spent the rest of the evening mulling their moments together in the good old times, blind to the future and the misfortune it would bring. Dreaming of growing up to be a Vaporeon, or discovering the many secrets of the world. Hugging a doll of a Wigglytuff, or reading the latest issue of Occult Magazine. Exploring caves or lying by the riverside, or even just staying up at night to watch scary movies on Halloween. No Snivy, no Lucario. No police, no legendaries. Just two children, doing insignificant things that left no impact on their lives or the world as a whole whatsoever.

So happy together.


	101. Competence: Industry vs Inferiority

Finally. Applicants from Unova – Verified. Petition for a moat – Rejected. Oh no, what's this? Apartment 151 'renovation'? I suppose that one could wait. Really need a break. Let me work things out while on the way to the stash, I'll feel more relaxed once it's done. Maybe? Hopefully. I need to get some damn sleep.

Stupid Seif. "Hey Zoroark, why are you so tired? Oh, nothing, just being haunted by a ten year old trauma whenever I close my eyes." Fifteen years? Whatever, too long ago. Why can't I forget about it already? Not to mention Darkrai reopening old wounds. I'll never sleep again at this rate. Maybe I should inquire Lucario regarding what he did to cure Celebi's insomnia? What could it possibly be? A drug? A… Hug? Hahaha, no. That's silly.

Let's just get it over with. So… Apartment 151. I wonder if the humans appreciate the irony? They must have cleared out trees and bushes in order to construct that building, and now we are de-constructing it just to get all of that back. A bit worrisome that they needed to contact me all the way out here about how to proceed. They are loyal, but this is not exactly helping my goal to keep No Man's Land functioning without me.

Getting dark outside. What a mysterious atmosphere, feels like anything could take place. A theft or a murder, requiring the full attention of an equally secretive detective, the inquisitive Private Investigator Zoroark… Hmm. Is that the kind of career I could have ended up with, had things been different? With mom and dad still around… Would I ever have turned out the way I did? Had they spoiled me and made me into some airhead bimbo? Now there's a thought. And a scene. Blech.

There we have it. Our… Distillery? Ethanol storage? More like "Ethan storage" as of late… Perhaps some Pokémon would consider a free stack of booze to be an asset. The very same Pokémon lying in a ditch and humming tunes about a saucy Meloetta with overactive ovaries while a trainer gently taps them on the forehead with a Pokéball. And suddenly it's MY concern to set them free!? We do not have the luxury to be drunk and careless - One week in the desert and they would agree.

And there's Lucario. Well, at least the place is tidy. Kind of hoped he wouldn't be lying flat on the floor like that, blacked out… Can he even tell I'm here? I think I saw him blink. Did he blink? Oh, now he's looking at me. Are you going to say something? No? Let's just get this over with quickly, then. Apartment 151 awaits my permission for destruction.

"Before I tell you this, I want you to realize something," I say out loud. Still just staring at me. I think he's listening, but who can tell? Let's hope those big ears of his aren't just for fighting.

"I am not weak," I keep going, "I have survived dangers that would kill a thousand men. I have withstood hardships that would place its mark upon history as catastrophic. I did it all on my own, and what little 'assistance' I was given I could easily have done without."

OK, he gets it. No need to go into details. I'll let him know about my childhood some other time.

"Darkrai would have been no different," I continue and shake my head, "He may have attacked my mind, but my body remained unharmed. No matter what the situation, I would have come out of it alive and stronger than ever."

He's giving me a weird look. I'm not the one passed-out drunk and lying on the floor, you idiot. Does he think I came here to boast, or something? Wait, I guess it does kind of seem like that. Better stop acting so haughty.

"But… It was still… Fairly unpleasant…" I say while lowering my voice and thinking back, "And from what I remember, you pushed me out of Darkrai's reach to shorten the duration of the attack, and carried me away to prevent it from happening again."

Ugh. Darkrai. Hope he doesn't ask me to describe it. Probably the… Second worst thing to ever happen to me. Actually, I should feel a bit insulted. After what I've been through, does that wretched specter think that hell and all the mind-shattering torture within had anything new to show me!?

Slipping from the subject here. Have to hurry. Apartment 151.

"… Again, I did in no way request your help," I elaborate, "It is because of me and my planning that you were there to begin w…"

Oh god, why is this so hard? Just a term. It won't kill me. Just look him in the eyes, focus on the eyes…

"… What I'm trying to say, is…" I continue while swallowing and mustering up willpower, "… Thank you. Thank you for saving me."

There. Did I just shiver? Why would I do that? And no reaction from Lucario, either. Fine, be that way. What a waste of time.

"Get over it or sit here forever, it is up to you," I say while turning around, "I will not judge or force you to do anything. You have earned that much."

Not a single word as I leave. He must think I'm a pretty cold person… Well, don't force me into a monologue, you idiot! I'd get more of a conversation talking to one of those computer-things! Why is he like this? Guess he was more attached to Mew than I imagined.

Can't believe she actually died… If someone like her can be struck down so easily, what chances do I have? And to lose such a valuable ally to our cause so quickly, I sure don't get any breaks. Of course, I bet she could've usurped my position rather easily to take charge of No Man's Land, but I'd like to see her do the daily grind and all the menial paperwork that comes with…

… Paperwork? Oh yeah, apartment 151. Ah, how annoying, can't even spare five minutes to put together a plan to save a friend. At least Zerobi is following the lead I gave her regarding that Eevee and Snivy, and seems to be keeping it together so far. Can I trust her to help out Lucario in my absence? Probably not. But what can be done? Can't get rid of the stash, can't seal it up, can't trust that Gengar to…

Wait.

Aha!

I think I've got it.

_(Can I make a difference in the world?)_


	102. Will: Autonomy vs Shame & Doubt

Another drink, another nap. Lulled to sleep by the sound of his own stomach growling, Lucario was finding the routine a bit tiresome, but still considered it preferable to facing the reality that hated him so. What was reality, anyway? His worries were not tangible, only fragments of his imagination that he himself had created. A few bottles of beer and they were gone, vanished into whatever place they had spawned from and should probably have stayed in.

While not exactly in possession of a license, Lucario was swiftly finding out that drinking and sleeping was another dangerous combination. His dreams would turn more and more surreal, while still bring so vivid that after waking up he could barely tell if something had actually taken place. Was Mew really dead? Did Darkrai even exist? Was Zerobi a real person, or just an imaginary friend?

"Ahh! What do you think you're doing with my liver!?" a voice sounded in Lucario's ears. A voice he did not recognize, yet something about it was so familiar it almost sounded like it had come out of his own mouth.

As it turns out, it did. Although the entire world was currently a dancing blur of colors, before him he could see a literal reflection of himself. A Lucario like him, with no spikes and no lack of yellow chest hair. Thinking someone had dragged a mirror into his resting place to make him realize what a slob he had become, Lucario realized the other Lucario was standing upright in a fashion that looked surprisingly comfortable, a posture he himself had never used. Staring into his own face staring back at him was an unusual feeling, but with his higher brain functions on extended leave due to sleep and alcohol, Lucario had no intention of questioning the situation at hand.

"It's mine now," Lucario replied cockily to the Pokémon whose body he now inhabits, waving around his right arm in a boastful manner. Cyon looked at it almost enviously before turning his gaze back to Lucario's face.

"That doesn't give you the right to ruin it like this!" Cyon pointed out while stomping his foot into the unusually colorful soil, "I already dealt with one trainer to keep my body intact, so don't think I won't treat you the same, Ethan!"

"So, what're you gonna do about it?" Lucario taunted with a quiet snicker, wondering how it would feel to get punched by his own hand.

"Guess I could remind you that you're in the precious body I left behind," Cyon growled while tapping his chest, most likely around the spot where Deoxys had dealt the finishing blow, "Remember how Mew fixed it up for you? You owe it to her to take good care of it!"

Lucario's face drooped. Even in this kind of nonsense scenario he was mercilessly reminded of his greatest failure. If he could not forget about it after drinking himself into mindless oblivion, would he ever be free?

"Hey…" Lucario muttered while laying down his head on the crate, "… I'm done. You can take your body back now."

While Lucario stared off to the side, Cyon appeared before him. The spikeless Lucario had never moved, but simply changed location in a blink.

"… I can't," Cyon answered hesitantly, "I don't even exist anymore. I'm probably just a hallucination brought about by your overconsumption of alcohol."

"Then stop whining, damn it!" Lucario shouted and slammed down his fist. He knew he had fallen far, but he was not about to take any lip or mockery from non-existent phantoms. For a hallucination, Cyon was showing a surprising amount of interest, inspecting Lucario from every angle with an inquisitive look.

"I don't like you…" he said after a few moments, "… But I hate watching you kill yourself even more. Don't forget that you have things left to do."

"No kidding. Plenty of friends left to see die for my sake," Lucario replied before finally noticing that the dream he currently drifted in had been heartless enough to separate him from his precious beer, "I'm saying, it'd be better if that didn't happen."

"Fine…" Cyon said while shrugging and lowering his head, "Just… One thing."

The dead Lucario fastened a vicious stare into the dead Human. This being an encounter deep inside his own mind, Lucario knew exactly what Cyon was referring to.

"… Rukario…" Lucario muttered with disdain, "What, settle down…? Raise a family…?"

"Absolutely not! She's much too good for a dreg like you," Cyon said sharply while pointing at Lucario, "But… I don't want her to suffer anymore. Tell her what happened to me, so that she can move on with her life."

Lucario began flailing his hand around, needing a drink badly and trying to make the bottle reappear. Explaining his past as a human was one thing. Explaining that he was currently talking with the ghost of Rukario's boyfriend inside his head was another. The inevitable stink of alcohol on his breath was sure to make his ridiculous story seem all the more plausible, he thought. Had it been Zerobi or someone, he might at least have given it a try. However, Rukario had suffered enough by his hands. He kept thinking of the time he had punched her in the face for no good reason, and that she not unlike Mew had given everything just to save his unworthy hide. Just the notion of seeing her again filled him with despair.

"… Do I have to…?" Lucario whispered with a frown, "… I'm feeling guilty enough as it is…"

"Then help her out, and maybe some of it will go away," Cyon said while dunking him in the back, expertly avoiding every single invisible scar with his huge hands, "Come on. I'm dead, otherwise I'd do it."

Annoyed by the incessant chatter of the bothersome ghost, Lucario reluctantly nodded and sighed.

"I've died too, you know," he mumbled and wished he could remember his final day as a human.

"Sucks, doesn't it?" Cyon chuckled with recognition. Lucario found himself smiling for some reason as he leaned back.

"Mmm… But I got a few interesting encounters out of it," Lucario said to the imagination of the Pokémon whose body he now inhabits. He was thinking of all the crazy things he had experienced after leaving the shackles of his old body. There had been a lot of pain and little fun, but somehow he looked back at everything with a sense of nostalgia. If he was given the choice to go back and prevent it all from happening, he would find himself stumped on how to proceed.

As addled as he was, Lucario suddenly realized this was a great opportunity to find out a thing or two from Cyon.

"So… Mind telling me what this is?" Lucario asked while running a hand through the hair on his chest, feeling the rigid surface of scar tissue.

"No refunds," Cyon answered sheepishly, thinking Ethan really ungrateful to be complaining about a body he stole.

"I don't want refunds, I want explanations," Lucario continued with a sneer as memories of No Man's Land entered his mind, "And that big guy, Connor… He called me 'Cyon'. Tell me what that's about."

Cyon shrugged.

"How should I know?" he said with a mocking expression, "I'm just a figment of your imagination."

Lucario grunted and shook his head. Turns out Cyon was completely useless, and the dream had long since stepped over the boundaries of what was too confusing for his taste. He'd had enough. Without hands designed for pinching, he opted for biting down on his lower lip, watching with immediate satisfaction as Cyon was pulled away from him. Drunk or not, no one was hijacking his mind while he was still in charge.

"But if you really want answers…" a voice echoed in his head, "… I bet Rukario knows."

Unfitting colors and light-headedness vanished as Lucario woke up. The world was just as dreary as he remembered, sitting alone with a few crates, an empty bottle of beer and a decently sized mirror.

_Is it OK for me to continue being me?_


	103. Grade School Reminiscense

The moon was generous this night. A universal lighthouse that lit up the otherwise pitch black ocean to save countless boats and lives from the remorseless shoals, all while illuminating the surface of the sea and allowing eager Water-Pokémon to stay up a few extra hours without fear of bumping their heads into one another by accident.

Lugia saw it from a different perspective. Safe from shoals and not carefree enough to loaf about after bedtime, the only relevance the bright moon carried was making it easier for others to spot the enormous legendary flying above the ocean's surface. He moved at great speed and all in all was a capable flier, but during shorter journeys he would always prefer swimming underwater. His massive bulk reduced to a tenth of his original weight, he was free to move as fluently and gracefully as he pleased. But to avoid detection from the sea's inhabitants during such a long journey, he was forced to stay out of their watery realm and remain airborne. It was tedious, and he found himself idle of thought in a matter of minutes.

At times like this, he often thought about his wife and children, and as of late, Mew. She was taking surprisingly long to finish up her duties in No Man's Land. He had managed to get rid of the dangerous Lucario fairly quickly, and had not expected her return to delay so. Feelings of unease crept up on him as he feared that something might have happened, that she was trapped and helplessly begging for help which would not come.

Lugia shook his head, dismissing his worries. Mew was not a child anymore. She had defeated Mewtwo, a feat beyond even his capabilities. Now that Lucario was out of the picture, there was not a single thing in this world capable of harming her. However, such had not always been the case, and Lugia found himself thinking of times when the complete opposite had been closer to the truth.

After all, Mew was the daughter of his precious friend. She was to be taken care of by Cresselia after his friend's passing, but the legendary of the moon became obsessed with hunting Darkrai and ended up shunning her assignment. In scarcely a year, the child Lugia had sworn to protect stood alone in the world with no one to supervise or teach her. However, fortune in misfortune, there was another legendary who shared her jinxed fate.

Tefay had been assigned as the original caretaker of Celebi's daughter, but was relieved of duty when Celebi somehow managed to survive. While no one could have predicted that the second child Zerobi would be the end of her, the sudden disappearance of the one who caused the impregnation came as no surprise to Lugia. The new generation's Celebi had neither parents nor caretakers, and a sister with no place among the legendaries.

Overwhelmed and out of options, Lugia sent the non-legendary child to a foster family, leaving her with nothing but a name and hopefully secret heritage. As for the new Mew and Celebi, it was decided that both would be taught by the wise Giratina, one of the very few Pokémon even Lugia might refer to as "old".

Lugia smiled to himself. Even then he had been haunted by needless worries over Mew, thinking Giratina would bite the dust and leave the children to fend for themselves. He frequently went to check up on them in the distant meadow where they resided in peace.

He remembered one time in particular, when he had come there and not seen a sign of any of them. Calling out, one of the rocky hills had begun to rumble, the aged Giratina showing his face. Moss grew over the legendary's large and grey body, letting him lie in camouflage as humans and Pokémon alike passed over him without even realizing it. His once proud clawed wings that were as black as the night now hung down the sides of his body, like long shreds of a grey tattered cloak.

"Where are Mew and Celebi?" Lugia asked while examining the area, seeing no sign of the two children. He could not help but notice that unusual apparel marked Giratina. Endless amounts of tiny doodles covered his face, suggesting that his two juvenile pupils had grown restless and played a prank while he was sleeping. Lugia was unsure whether Giratina realized this or not, figuring the mossy elder had not seen the reflection of a mirror in at least a century.

"I wonder…" Giratina whispered, following Lugia's gaze and looking around while his calm expression never changed.

"… Have I overestimated you?" Lugia asked as he felt a twinge of anger hit him, "Is taking care of two infants too much to ask of an old relic like yourself?"

"Patience," Giratina continued with a heavy sigh, "Exert befits you poorly, young one. Observe."

Lugia felt rather annoyed at being called young, having lived several decades longer than your average Pokémon. Wanting to go out to search for the two, he suddenly saw two small figures moving at the edge of the clearing, zooming through the air towards Giratina at a brisk pace. Lugia felt his worry melt away and forced himself to calm down, not wanting to intimidate the innocent children.

Celebi had grown a little since the last time he had seen her, a pair of feelers beginning to sprout out of her forehead. Perhaps she had even gained a centimeter or two in height, but it was not easy for someone as large as Lugia to determine. A spitting image of her mother, he knew she would not be growing much more in size anyway. She was turning out to be a clever and compassionate legendary, showing promise with her botanical skills and appearing fit to care for the flora of the world. Lugia could only hope that her sister Zerobi was displaying equal excellence among the ranks of regular Pokémon, finding peace and never agonizing over her unknown origins.

Mew came up swiftly from behind, Lugia wincing as she narrowly avoided a branch by ducking her head in the last second. She was just as skilled as Celebi if not more, but Lugia could not help but pay extra note to her flying, ready to swoop in and grab her should she lose focus. Had she even aged at all? Lugia saw her body looking fragile and helpless like always, her fetus-like appearance making her appear to have left the womb too early. Indeed, had her birth been delayed but another year, Lugia might have been able to spend more time with his dear friend…

"Uncle Tina! Uncle Tina!" Celebi screamed with a shrill voice, carrying a small object in her hands with Mew following closely behind. Lugia left his inner musings and felt his departed worries quickly return. Although they both were but a fraction of his size, he was certain he could have pinpointed their ridiculously panicked expressions from miles away. They ignored him and went directly for Giratina, stopping in front of one of his massive eyes.

"Mew killed it!" Celebi yelled, holding up the object in her hands.

"Did not!" Mew protested, soaring up to Celebi and trying to take whatever it was away from her.

"Did too!" Celebi retorted and tightened her grip around it.

"You're the one who plucked it!" Mew yelled while trying to pry Celebi's hands open.

"You're the one who blew it up!" Celebi argued before her hands accidentally dropped the object, making both of them gasp in terror. Lugia squinted as the tiny object slowly dwindled towards the ground, trying to see what it was they were arguing about. In a gentle arcing motion, it suddenly began to drift upwards, its fall reversed by Giratina's telekinesis as he moved it closer to his face.

"Is that…" Giratina said as he examined the object, a thin stalk with a thick knob on the top, "… A dandelion?"

"No!" Celebi huffed before pointing accusingly at Mew, "It was a flower! White and pretty before Mew killed it!"

"I-I'm sorry!" Mew replied with a shaky voice, seemingly on the verge of tears as she gazed at the stringy flower before her, "I-I don't know what I did, I j-just looked at it and… And…"

Lugia felt like he should intervene and do something, remembering himself to be the child's guardian. Even so, he had only promised to protect her, and did not know where to start when it came to comforting her. He knew himself incapable of replacing her mother in every regard, but felt he should at least try.

"Calm down," Giratina said before Lugia had time to act, smiling and speaking with simpler terms than Lugia had come to expect of the ancient being, "A dandelion IS a flower. A very special type of flower."

Inhaling slightly and then gently blowing out, Giratina accidentally conjured up a hurricane for his tiny pupils. Both Mew and Celebi flailed about in surprise, the two inexperienced legendaries having a little trouble stabilizing themselves in midair. As the powerful gust rushed past them, several white fuzzy things tore away from their bodies and soared up into the sky. Giratina used his psychic powers to grab a hold of one of them, patiently waiting for his students to settle down.

"Mew, you did not cause the dandelion any harm," Giratina explained calmly, Mew's head perking up hopefully, "Rather, you fulfilled its purpose in life."

"Ah!" Celebi gasped as Giratina brought the miniature cotton-like thing in front of them, "That's a piece of the daddy lion!"

"Yes… And no," Giratina corrected, "This is a seed. From this, a new dandelion will grow."

"But… But…" Mew stammered with a lump in her throat, "How? They were flying, not… Burrowing…"

"The white segment functions as a parachute, which allows for a safe landing," Giratina explained while slowly turning the seed to the side, "All it needs is to hit the soil. The more scattered it is from its brethren, the better, so even a slight puff of wind is enough to send them on their way."

Celebi and Mew stared at the miniscule piece of the flower, examining it from every angle with amazement. After a few moments, Mew's face suddenly turned into a frown as she pointed at Celebi.

"But… That means YOU killed it!" she accused her friend, realizing their roles had been reversed.

"… What!?" Celebi exclaimed in shock, looking at the ruined flower before gazing at Giratina with pleading eyes, "No! Please, don't die! Uncle Tina, save it!"

"Pay it no mind," Giratina said while slowly shaking his head and letting go of the broken plant, "You only ripped off the stalk. From the roots, several new dandelions will grow to replace that one."

Celebi gasped, and quickly dove down to catch the flower in mid-air as it dwindled down.

"But… But…" she stammered while hugging the stalk close to her chest in protection, "This is my daddy lion! I… I'm the one who…"

"You did not harm it either," Giratine explained while refraining from shooting Mew a dirty look, "Spreading its seeds was the purpose that dandelion had in life. After that, it would have wilted on its own."

Celebi stared up at him with a stubborn expression, refusing to let go of the dead plant. Meanwhile, Mew's expression brightened as she smiled.

"See? I told you we didn't do anything bad!" she said reassuringly while flying up next to Celebi. Knowing that Giratina was not about the break character as the benevolent grandfather any time soon, Lugia realized it was up to him teach the two children about reality.

"You BOTH did bad!" Lugia exclaimed with a strict tone, "Why were you out looking at flowers in the first place? You know you are not supposed to leave this area!"

Mew's smile faded, and Celebi clutched the flower harder, her absolutely non-existent physical strength barely even causing the stalk to bend.

"And that dandelion is not a flower, it is weed!" Lugia continued, needing to set things straight, "An unprofitable, troublesome and noxious growth! All the real flowers would have benefitted had you properly destroyed it!"

Like her mother before her, Celebi was to be the caretaker of flora. For her to be given misinformation at such an early stage in life was unacceptable. Both Mew and Celebi stared off to the side in embarrassment, not willing to face him.

"But… It was so pretty…" Mew whispered in defiance. Lugia muttered quietly, both tiny legendaries developing an attitude he did not approve of. Could the responsibility of the future truly ride on their shoulders? Obviously Giratina felt that enough was enough, interjecting between them with a deep murmur.

"Appearances can be deceiving, my dear," he explained calmly, lifting both legendaries up to his eyes with telekinesis like a sustained gust of wind, "For all you know, it could have been poisonous. If you must ignore my warnings and sneak out again, at least remember to never touch… And stay far away from anything that moves."

"But if they can't fly-" Celebi started as Mew's tail suddenly jumped into action, the thick end covering the front of her mouth.

"Shh!" Mew hushed her friend with a meaningful expression. Not knowing what else this behavior could be about, Lugia figured the younger of the mischievous duo had almost spilled the secret of their little prank against Giratina. However, this proved to be a faulty assumption as the two girls looked at each other for a moment before nodding in agreement.

"We found a monster!" Mew revealed with an excited voice. Giratina and Lugia stared in awe as both Mew and Celebi's faces broke into endless amazement.

"It was big! Really big!" Celebi shouted while reaching out with her arms, the itty bitty sprout failing to properly represent anything of large proportions, "It had a tailbone-"

"But no tail!" Mew interrupted as she wiggled her toes, "And so many toes! It can probably carry things with its feet! We saw that it had an extra eyelid, and when it looked at us-"

"It saw you!?" Lugia suddenly burst out with a terrified voice.

"N-No!" Mew immediately responded, her eyes opening wide. Seeing that his sudden yell had scared her, Lugia sighed and tried changing his tone.

"It saw you," he said calmly. Mew stared at him for a second before reluctantly looking down at the ground.

"… Yes," she admitted before lifting her head again, "B-But it couldn't fly or anything! It couldn't reach us!"

The tiny legendaries continued chatting delightfully about the peculiar being, the two elders exchanging a quiet look of disdain as it slowly became clear that Mew and Celebi had just had their very first encounter with the human species. It seemed the time had come to stop trying to preserve the children's innocence, and finally begin to instruct them about the dangers of the real world.

**BLORP**

The sound from out of a nightmare awoke Lugia from out of his daydream, no longer finding himself in a grassy meadow but hovering above the sea at night. The sound emanated from a massive bubble of air that had crawled up from the depths and burst by the surface. The size of the bubble told him that he had reached his target… Quite a bit sooner than expected. Had his reminiscing made him lose track of time? It was the most reasonable explanation, as the notion that she had moved this far away from her usual habitat carried far too many unfortunate implications.

"… Foolishness…" Lugia muttered to himself. He would forever be burdened by paranoia and worries of the worst kind. Even now, he wanted nothing more but to race for land to find out if everything was still alright with his family, friends and Mew. Still, they were all legendaries, not only powerful but also revered. Lugia knew that should misfortune befall Mew, one of the Earth's many other creatures would protect their savior now that he was not there. Like always, he was worrying over something he could do nothing about. But perhaps that was enough? Mew was the world's most powerful psychic, after all. If he wished hard enough, she might sense just how much he thought of her, praying that she would be safe.

Feeling recharged with determination for the task at hand, Lugia took a deep breath and dove into the black ocean. Darkness covered his being as he disappeared into a reflection of the moon, the waves scattering the solemn picture.


	104. Fidelity: Identity vs Role Confusion

It was a shoddy mirror, for sure. Dirty, bent and cracked in the corner. Lucario didn't know why he expected better, being out in the wilderness and all. Of course, the biggest issue was that the mirror was somehow broken enough to be reflecting the wrong thing. In it he saw a hunching Pokémon with a bottle of beer in his freakishly overgrown paw, instead of a confident human in the prime of his youth, carrying a Pokéball in one hand and a delicious sandwich in the other.

He could picture it now. A confident smirk, worn only by men that knew neither fear nor defeat. A red jacket for protection from the elements, and shorts for perfect mobility. In the case of the latter he did not have to stretch his imagination too far, again remembering he had yet to replace Cyon's old trousers or even give them a more thorough cleaning than what could be offered by the river and a good, solid rock. Were he still human he would have a washing machine, not to mention bedding and food. How he longed for those days.

"Hey, stupid," a voice sounded, "Look at me when I'm talking to you."

Lucario had no intention of lifting his head to greet whoever was coming to forcibly drag him out of his misery. Arguing with Zerobi and Celebi had only brought him down even more. Hopefully whoever this was would leave faster if he ignored them, like with Zoroark. He stared into the mirror while feigning unawareness, only to realize the inconspicuous apparatus for reflection had finally started working. In the mirror was not a sulking Lucario, but a healthy human being he recognized all too well.

"That's better," Ethan said while gesturing towards Lucario, whose mouth fell open.

"… The hell?" was all Lucario could say to the peculiar yet nostalgic sight.

"I could say the same," Ethan replied with an uncaring shrug, "But if Cyon gets a round with you, that means I do too."

"But… You're me," Lucario mumbled breathlessly. Ethan's voice was definitively his own from before he transformed, sounding a bit off as if coming out of a recording. First Cyon, and now this. Was the mirror magical? It would not be the most implausible thing he had encountered so far. Or maybe was someone playing a prank on him? Idly observing the room and realizing the amount of empty bottles were about to reach three digits, he felt that if the second impossible illusion wasn't enough to get him to stop drinking, nothing would be.

Deciding that things weren't strange enough already, Ethan stepped out of the mirror and sat down next to Lucario. Although normally somewhat shorter, their heads ended up on the same level thanks to Ethan keeping his back straight while Lucario was still hunching over.

"Listen. What are you doing?" Ethan asked while looking at him, "You're going to lose all your friends if you keep this up."

"Big talk, coming from a guy who gave away all his Pokémon…" Lucario muttered slowly and stared into the wall, not really in the mood to humor his own restless brain. Ethan followed his stare and sighed.

"Seems I have a tendency for that," he muttered, "You know. Being an idiot."

"What, so we're idiots now? Just because we can't take all this shit?" Lucario exclaimed while raising his voice, "You were fed up with being a trainer. I'm fed up with being a punching bag. Heck, mom was fed up with being a mom! I'm just carrying on the family tradition!"

They looked at each other following the outburst, both human and Pokémon sharing the same expression of defiance.

"… Am I really this stubborn?" Ethan said after a moment of silence, placing his elbows on the crate while gesturing with his hands, "Alright, let me try to explain – Stubbornness will only last you so long."

"Stubbornness is the only thing keeping me going…" Lucario grumbled, wondering if this Ethan even knew about the brutal fights he had been through.

"Precisely," Ethan said before leaning in close, "You can sit here and drink… Being alone and sad… But eventually, you won't be able to take it anymore, and by then it'll be too late to go back to the way things were. Everyone will have abandoned you, because you abandoned them first."

"YOU'RE the one who abandoned your Pokémon!" Lucario shouted, wondering what gave his past the right to lecture his present.

"And every day of my life, I regretted it!" Ethan shouted back. Both of them displayed the same dumbfounded expression, despite being of two completely different species.

"It's true. I came to hate being a trainer, but it was ingrained in my blood… I was addicted to it…" Ethan elaborated as he shrugged, "I knew that to quit, there could be nothing for me to go back to. I released all my Pokémon and stepped down at the peak of my triumph, ruining everything I had spent the past decade building up…"

"It worked," Lucario replied. No one heard anything about Ethan ever again, not even when he died nine years later.

"Yeah, but…" Ethan started, but trailed off as he glanced to the side.

"You missed the exciting lifestyle?" Lucario tried to fill in, being the same person after all.

"No…" Ethan replied while looking a bit unsure of himself.

"You… Had to get a real job and realized being a trainer wasn't so bad after all?" Lucario continued predicting.

"No…" Ethan repeated.

"Then…?" Lucario kept prying as Ethan finally looked back at him, obviously about to admit something he never had any intention of telling anyone.

"… I missed my Pokémon!" Ethan shouted, but for some reason it did not harm Lucario's ears. This being part of a dream had something to do with it, he figured.

"I was a goddamn idiot who traded his friends for a new start at life!" Ethan continued rambling as he grit his teeth, "The ones I had been with since they hatched, like Misdreavus… The ones that had been with me since I was a kid, like Chica… I couldn't stop thinking about them! It haunted me every second of my life!"

"You could've just gone to see them," Lucario said, finding it very strange to be seeing the world from a trainer's viewpoint for once.

"Don't you think I wanted to!? Don't you think…" Ethan burst out as he grabbed a hold of Lucario's head… Or at least tried to, his hands not even bending a single hair on the Pokémon's poorly groomed face. He let go and sunk down in his seat.

"I was… Ashamed," Ethan whispered, realizing his role was merely to talk and never again act, "I couldn't find the life or peace I abandoned my ambitions for. What the hell was I going to say…? Hey, remember me? Former champion, current drifter? Spare some change?"

"You…" Lucario muttered as he suddenly gave off a disgusted expression, "… We begged for cash?"

"Hell no! We were loaded after winning so much!" Ethan exclaimed before raising his voice further, "That's not the point! The point is that I was supposed to be the one who found a new life… But everyone moved on but me! I couldn't stop thinking about my former life… The friends I gave up… And… And…"

Ethan suddenly fell quiet, showing a bemused expression. He clenched his fists and stood up on the makeshift barstool.

"… Wait, that's not the point either! I don't exist anymore!" he yelled while pointing down at the drooping Lucario, "This is about you, Lucario! Don't make the same mistake I did!"

"… So, don't make the same mistake that I already made in a former life and completely forgot about…" Lucario said with a hint of amusement, "… Why worry?"

"Don't kid yourself thinking you're better off being lazy!" Ethan kept going as he leaped off the crate and smiled, "The traveling, the fighting, the constantly rising challenge… It's not easy, but you love it! I went nine years without directing a Pokémon, but the second I teamed up with Mew, a fire lit up inside me!"

A similar fire suddenly lit up inside Lucario as well, his eyes shooting wide open as he lifted his head.

"Oh! Wait!" he exclaimed hopefully, "You mean… The reason why Mew was so important to me… Is because of that? I somehow remembered something that happened to you two?"

The smile was beginning to diminish as Ethan crossed his arms, thinking to himself for a few seconds.

"Don't count on it," the former trainer said quietly, "You didn't even remember a single thing about Chica. Compared to her and the rest, Mew was nothing…"

Lucario exhaled as he fell back on the crate, relishing in the familiar sensation of having gotten excited over something, even if only for a moment. He was not sure what other name Ethan had said, since right now his mind was entirely on Mew again. As a result of that, Ethan's presence in the room seemed to drift away.

"Time's up for old times, I guess," Ethan said reluctantly as his voice steadily became weaker, "Which reminds me, say hi to Celebi for me… Ask her to make you that thing she made me… Tasted really good…"

Ethan's disappearance went unnoticed by Lucario, who was now focusing on a new desire roaring in chest. It was true – He had been acting lazy. For too long had he been sitting on his ass, not doing anything to improve his situation in life. No one was going to come help him, he would have to take matters into his own hands. He was not about to surrender to such a menial task. Today was a day of change.

Taking hold of the large mirror, Lucario mustered up all his powers and carried it outside the cave where he leaned it up against one of the walls.

And so, the deed was done. Somehow he always knew there was still immeasurable willpower resting within him. With this, he would no longer be bugged by restless phantoms of guilt. Feeling proud over his long day of hard work, he went back inside and cracked open another beer.

_Who am I? What can I be?_


	105. Purpose: Initiative vs Guilt

"Get up, you drunken fool," a sinister and dry voice roused Lucario from his sleep. Something slender wrapped around his ears and pulled up his head from the crate, the pain heavily dulled by his inebriated state. Looking around to see who was being so rude, it took him a few moments to realize the Pokémon in question was a few feet shorter than he had expected.

"I am authorized to book you for six different crimes," Snivy said as he withdrew his vines from Lucario's ears, "I am also authorized to break your legs, if you would prefer that. I know I would."

The small snake-like Pokémon stared up at him with an ill-tempered expression. Lucario only faintly recalled their brief encounter back in Snowpoint City, and failed to be intimidated by the pint-sized Pokémon's threats.

"… You seem grumpy…" Lucario mumbled while flashing a sardonic smile, "… You know you deserved that kick to the face, right?"

"No, I didn't," Snivy replied bluntly, "And my wife sure as hell didn't, either."

The lizard jumped up on the crate Lucario was sitting next to, leveling their eyes despite his diminished stature. Lucario got the feeling Snivy wanted to say something to him, but could not fathom what.

"What do you want?" Lucario asked grouchily, "Here to 'comfort' me like everyone else?"

"Not a chance," Snivy answered while angling his head backwards to be able to look down on the Fighting-type, "Nothing pleases me more than your miserable hide finally getting what it deserves. Like expensive wine and a good movie, it is."

He let his attention stray from the fugitive as he peered around the room, locating a semi-opened crate a few feet away. Sending out a long vine, he reached into it and pulled out a fresh new bottle of booze, opening it with a flick of a razor-sharp leaf in his hands.

"No, I have a demand," Snivy muttered as he sniffed the drink, "Tell your girlfriend to stay away from my wife."

"My girlfriend…?" Lucario repeated with confusion, "… Your wife?"

Snivy eyed him with disdain before taking a swig from the comparatively large beer.

"Tell… Zerobi…" he elaborated, mouthing the words as if he had just tasted something terrible, "Tell her that if she does not leave Eve alone, I will make life very miserable for the both of you."

"Waaay too late for that, I'm afraid," Lucario responded, not entirely sure what he was talking about, "You think I have any control over what Zerobi's up to? If you're so worried, go 'protect' your wife and leave us alone."

"… While I was away, she was ambushed by… Zerobi…" Snivy explained while once more fumbling with the name, "… And coerced into thinking they were friends once, or something… And that they would have trouble reconciling if I were there…"

Silence reigned for a few moments as Lucario successfully put two and two together.

"… They threw you out?" Lucario asked before starting to laugh, "Hahaha! You're in the doghouse, man!"

"Shut up!" Snivy warned loudly while pointing a finger at the end of Lucario's long nose, "I will not be judged by a drunkard hobo like you!"

Giving off a snarky huff, Snivy sat down on the crate Lucario was leaning up against. He muttered to himself and wondered how he had found himself in such a strange situation, trying to ask a criminal for a favor while a serial killer occupied his place at home, happily chatting with his wife.

"Eight years of therapy… Eight years of nightmares…" Snivy whispered with a harrowed expression, "And Eve just… 'Gets over it'…? Impossible…"

Thinking back to the endless misery Evolution's Gate had caused their community, there was no other way of putting it. Eve had shown time and again to be just as much of a recluse as he was, but for her to cling on to a friendship with a literal murderer was absurd.

"If so, then how come…" Snivy continued and swallowed hard, "… How come I can't get over it? My child's about to enter this world, and I am still clinging on to what happened almost a decade ago…"

"Kid's gonna turn out to be a wimp," Lucario replied, wondering how rude he could be without actually punching the police officer, "Just like his dad."

Snivy sneered in his direction, obviously not unused to insults thrown his way.

"You bark like a rabid wilder," he grumbled in response while showing enviable restraint, "I shudder to think what manner of illegal activities was wrought upon the world by you and that… Zerobi…"

They sat there together for several minutes without saying a thing, lost in their own thoughts. Snivy continued sipping his drink, swishing the bland drink around his mouth in order to detect some manner of flavor. Lucario just swept down whatever he could, finding what little he could taste to be quite disgusting. The one to finally break the silence was Lucario's stomach, once again reminding him of his inevitable starvation.

"… Women, huh?" Snivy suddenly whispered with a dreamy expression, "Mysterious and unpredictable… But spend enough time with them, and you might even come to love 'em…"

"… Mmm…" Lucario mumbled in agreement. For some reason, the vision of Mew was the first to pop into his mind.

"Sometimes, I think…" Snivy continued as his face turned sour, "… That just makes them even harder to handle."

Thoughts about the future clouded his mind as Lucario continued thinking about the past. Feeling like he had spent enough time away from the hotel he was paying for, Snivy put his empty glass down.

"So, are you ready for prison?" he asked with a surprisingly amicable tone to his voice. Lucario twitched and swallowed, realizing he was in no shape to put up a fight. Should he call for help? Who would hear him out here? Snivy examined Lucario from head to toe before sighing and shaking his head.

"No, you are not," he said bitterly, "I know that look. The way you are now, there is nothing I could do to you. You would just sit there like a zombie all day and mutter about the cold."

Lucario raised his head, then lowered it again. Why risk his freedom by saying anything in response? Snivy seemed a little disappointed, having expected some manner of reaction from the fallen Pokémon.

"… Try mixing that with a slug of water," Snivy muttered before jumping down from the crate, "Makes it go down easier."

The small snake walked out of there without saying another word, realizing it was useless to reason with Lucario and already trying to figure out how to talk to his wife about Zerobi. Her pregnancy was supposed to be a beautiful time of their lives, not the resurgence of their most horrible trauma. As Snivy pondered his relationship and situation in life, Lucario found himself aware of the cause behind his previous hallucinations and was occupied with remembering the last time he actually had a source of clear water.

_Am I still allowed to do, move and act?_


	106. Love: Intimacy vs Isolation

A shiver ran through Lucario as he poured the contents of yet another bottle down his throat. It had not even emptied out before he got up and staggered over to the next crate, fumbling about with another beer in his pursuit to get drunk as quickly as possible. He drank until he gagged, but the alcohol did nothing to keep his inner turmoil at bay.

It wasn't working. No matter how much alcohol he consumed, the visions of Mew would not go away. Her meek voice echoed between the walls, blaming him for what had happened and trapping him in guilt like so many others before. But even compared to the penguin and Dragonair, Zubat and Rukario, Mew was completely merciless in her hauntings, as if the afterlife had assigned her with the sole purpose of torturing him. Slumping down by the crate as her figure danced in the corner of his eyes, his only consolation that at least dead girls don't cry.

"Yo, what's up?" a cheerful voice echoed in Lucario's head and roused him from his solitude. It was the kind of voice you'd hear when running into an old friend standing in line for ice cream, not inside a dank cave filled with booze and various unpleasant odors. Next to him he noticed a slender yet far from imposing figure, detecting the colors green and white. He lifted his head to see who it was, regretting his action as he identified the thin man who immediately broke into a big smile.

"You might think you look cool, sitting here and drinking…" the Gallade said before playfully slapping his well-toned abs, "… But keep it up and you'll get out of shape, and then you'll just look pathetic!"

"What the hell…" Lucario exclaimed in confusion, "You, of all people… What're you doing here?"

"I'm glad you asked!" the Gallade replied while clapping his curiously shaped hands together, "You see, I'm the only guy in the world who knows why you're depressed!"

Lucario remained still for a moment before letting his head fall on the crate again. As if it could possibly be any more obvious. He had always taken the Gallade for a bit of an airhead, but taking weeks to figure out that losing a friend might make people depressed was nothing short of sad.

"You were in love with Mew, weren't you?" the Gallade asked.

The question hit Lucario on the head like a brick. It took him completely by surprise, which was impressive considering the recent visitation of two dead people. Not able to stop himself, he lifted himself up again and stared at the Gallade like the overly cheerful psychic had just casually mentioned the meaning of life or something of equal importance. In return, the Gallade just started laughing.

"Hahaha! Your expression and your reaction…" he chuckled while pointing at Lucario's scrounged up facial features, "I recognize them! Believe it or not, but I've had my heart broken, too!"

"I-It's not like that…" Lucario tried to defend himself, still startled by the question.

"Sure it is! You loved her and now you feel like dying, don't you?" the Gallade said as he lowered his voice, very obviously feigning sorrow, "Now, that's not what she would've wanted, is it? What would she think if she could see you like this?"

Desperately wanting to come up with some kind of retort, Lucario found himself constantly bashed over the head by the Gallade's well-placed questions. He could not stop himself from imagining what Mew would think had she still been able to judge him, realizing she would never have tolerated his behavior. Whatever respect he had garnished would disappear in a moment, and she would stop caring about him, just like everyone still alive was in the process of doing.

The Gallade continued chuckling and dunked him in the back.

"Hey, don't forget that there's more to life than women… And there are more women in life!" the Gallade cheered, quietly wondering if Zerobi was ready to start a new relationship yet, "Why give up now? Maybe the best has yet to come?"

An unstoppable process of enlightenment ran through Lucario, a breeze of wisdom and understanding. In the world as he had come to know it, getting the most accurate assessment and vital life lectures from a playboy who literally did ballet in battle to record it for his blog was simply not a possibility. Then again, it was no more impossible than the death of a legendary like Mew.

It seemed life was not as complicated as he had assumed. Everyone dies eventually, and although Mew's demise happened far too early, it was a perfectly natural occurrence. Lucario suddenly began to wonder if he was overreacting, needlessly agonizing over the fact that he was not living in a perfect fantasy world where everyone is safe and happy. He had known that was not the case for a long time, so it made no sense for him to suddenly reject reality just because something he didn't care for happened. What made him go on after Ivy? Why didn't he give up as soon as the legendary dogs came after him? Millions of fresh thoughts ran through his head as he slowly stared at the Gallade with admiration.

"You're… WAY smarter than you look…" Lucario mumbled breathlessly.

"Thanks!" the Gallade hastily chimed, misinterpreting his hidden insult, "Well, cheer up! Bye!"

Lucario watched as the Gallade eagerly slipped outside, glad to see the rousing speech for his next feature presentation had worked out perfectly. Who needed test audiences when you could test it on the real thing? If Lucario's reaction was anything to go by, the real audience would be completely captivated and the critics deeply impressed… And in future interviews, he could say that the speech was inspired by "a close friend" and look even cooler. The Gallade snickered to himself – His career was about to enter its finest hour.

His mouth slightly ajar, Lucario sat up straight. A somewhat unappealing waft of alcohol made him push the half-finished bottle aside. For the first time in weeks, he knew he needed to be sober in order to figure things out. Thoughts of the people and Pokémon he had encountered flashed through his mind, and he remembered the words of all who had come to talk to him after Mew's death. At long last, he felt he was on the verge of a breakthrough.

_Can I love?_


	107. Wisdom: Ego Integrity vs Despair

Despite not being legless anymore, Lucario was still far from making progress. The Gallade's words echoed in his mind as he felt confused, trying his best not to come to terms with the absolutely last thing he wished to think about. In one final attempt to escape his worries, he had managed to completely zone out, glaciating his brain while waiting for the afternoon to unravel. He almost made it until nightfall, had it not been for someone else entering the storage dugout.

Lucario turned his head and saw a specter floating in through the wall, barely even batting an eye in surprise. He took some pride in the fact that he had finally adapted to all the nonsense he was constantly subjected to. The phantom was covered by a veil of purple mist, bearing a structure similar to Darkrai but without the malignant presence. As the fog slowly dissipated, Lucario identified the new arrival as the Gengar he had met back when he was chatting with Zoroark, and even earlier in No Man's Land.

"What do you want?" Lucario asked warily, instantly straightening himself up. He remembered all too well the sensation of being run through by someone, and that their first encounter had nearly ended with a battle.

"A drink," the Gengar answered bluntly. Lucario stared him down before waving his hand towards the crates.

"Go ahead," he muttered quietly, "Plenty to go around."

"Hmm… Your manners ain't so bad, after all," the Gengar said in response, a compliment Lucario knew for certain was a ruse as he braced himself for a fright or a fight. However, all the Gengar did was calmly reach into one of the open crates, pull out a beer and somehow open it by engulfing the cap with a wisp of black smoke. Stepping beside Lucario, he gestured for the reluctant Fighting-type to shuffle over and sat down next to him. Lucario looked at him with annoyance, while all the Gengar did was to stare at the wall in front of them.

"Tell me about her…" the Gengar said after a few moments of silence, "Tell me about Mew…"

"… What are you, fucking Paparazzi or something?" Lucario asked while suddenly standing up in rage, "Here for the hot scoop on the legendary? If you think I'm about to spill my guts-"

"Cool it, kid," the Gengar interrupted while holding up a hand, "Just here for the woes of a drunk who's not me, for once."

Ceasing his short-lived tirade, Lucario fell back in his seat. As much as he wanted to lash out at someone other than himself for once, the Gengar was clearly not looking for trouble. Observing the Ghost-type's weary eyes, he felt a strange sensation of calmness run through him.

"Maybe I don't look the part, but I lived your future out," the Gengar muttered as he turned back towards his drink, "I was where you're at now."

Lucario huffed at the prospect of being analyzed and judged by someone worse off than he was. There was no need to hold back - This was just some stranger, not a friend or police officer or someone he might regret losing face to.

"Listen, I don't know who you lost, but I guarantee she doesn't even compare to Mew," Lucario explained before feeling the need to elaborate, "… Mew was… She was not of this world. She was too good. Wherever she was, everything else looked like filth!"

"… Radiating purity…" the Gengar added quietly, "… Not just physically, either…"

"Of course! She was gentle," Lucario answered as he thought back to the first time he met Mew, how overjoyed she was to see Ethan return, "She had every right to treat me like a piece of shit, but she… She was understanding, and really, honestly seemed to care…"

"… Passionate…" the Gengar mumbled with an exasperated sigh, "… Both in good and bad… Disagreements could lead to heated fights…"

"We had a few issues, but that's just because I cared about her so much," Lucario replied quickly, remembering how a single dog almost tore them apart and suddenly realizing what he had said, "Her opinions, I mean! After all, with someone like her, odds are a bonehead like me was the one in the wrong…"

"… Mature and intelligent…" the Gengar continued without paying heed to Lucario's slip of the tongue, "… But momentarily, she would partake in a manner of childlike innocence…"

"Yeah, that's true. She was powerful enough to reshape the world," Lucario responded confidently, but could only summon up the visage of a frozen Mew and a sting puncturing his heart, "But beyond her psychic abilities, she would seem so weak and helpless… I just wanted to be with her, to protect her from harm…"

No. Lucario suddenly realized something felt off about what he had just said. Since day one he saw Mew as a nearly omnipotent being, and knew she did not need anyone to protect her. It was the other way around.

"I mean… I'm weak, so I wanted her to protect me…" Lucario corrected himself. Again, something seemed off about his assessment. He never thought of himself as weak, and he definitively never willingly relied on anyone else for protection. Had he sought protection, he would have stayed with Lugia and the rest of the legendaries. If so, then why did he so desperately chase her around?

"I…" Lucario stammered as he shook his head. The hole inside his chest was beginning to widen, a deep longing overtaking his senses. He wanted to see Mew again. There was so much he wanted to tell her. There was so much he wanted to do with her. But most of all, he only wished to hear her speak again, enlightening him with her gentle words as she had done so many times before.

But it was impossible. Claimed by the cold winter's night, she had died. With the still light of dawn's arrival, she was dead. No amount of time would change that. A month of drinking or thirty years, even after his own passing they would not reunite. Mew was gone forever.

It was then that Lucario noticed the tears running down his face. It had happened so suddenly he had not even felt them coming out, as if they had been lying in wait, ready to spring into action at his first sign of weakness. Feeling like a fool to be crying over settled matters, he simply could not accept that he had been denied the company of Mew forevermore. He still refused to understand why she meant so much to him, but the truth was becoming more and more obvious no matter how he tried to ignore it.

"Let it out, kid," Gengar said calmly as he patted Lucario's back, "I'd join in, but my tears ran dry so long ago I don't remember much of what it's like."

Raising his head, Lucario was suddenly reminded that the Gengar was there. He tried wiping his tears away, but they kept coming and ruined whatever dignity he still wished to maintain. It was the Gengar who had made him like this, knowing exactly what Mew was like and forcing memories of her to resurface within him.

"Y-You… Your guesses are too good…" Lucario choked through the tears, "Who… Who are you…?"

The Gengar looked at him for a moment before sighing. He then stood up, putting down his empty bottle as he began to head for the wall on the left.

"… Just another stranger…" he muttered, leaving a trail of purple mist behind him, "… Someone who's loved and lost."

Lucario sat frozen and followed the Gengar with his eyes as the shadow began to float rather than walk, but still moved at the same sluggish pace.

"Someone…" the Gengar continued, "… Who also loved and lost a Mew."

Having reached the wall, the Gengar soundlessly disappeared through it, once more covered by a veil of dim fog.

He moved unhindered through walls and low ceilings, not feeling the shift in temperature as he occasionally passed through the snowy outdoors. Those that saw him pass by would flinch in surprise, but ultimately decide to leave him be. It was bad luck to tangle with Ghost-types, lest one was willing to continue their day affected by Curse, Spite or a similarly nasty affliction. Zoroark would probably have asked him why he had shrugged his duty for so long, but there was no need for him to pass by the Dark-type's quarters now anyway. The location he was heading for was far-off, secluded and populated by only one being.

"Wh-Who are you?" Celebi exclaimed with a startled expression as the Gengar entered the chambers. It was an unusually large area, but indistinguishable from every other room the caverns had to offer. The only thing to bring uniqueness to it was an enormous flower sprouting out of the ground in the middle with a thick stem, yellow petals and a soft head made out of hundreds of tightly grown florets.

Upon the flower laid a figure. A frail creature, still and harmless even when compared to the plant beneath it. The Gengar ignored Celebi as he moved forward, keeping his focus on the botanical pedestal.

"Stop, don't you touch her!" Celebi shouted as she flew in front of the Gengar, the once fern-like legendary looking pale and giving the impression of something wilting, "What are you doing here!? Go away, or I will throw you out myself!"

"Celebi…" the Gengar muttered while throwing her an icy glance, "Be quiet. Excelebi would not approve of you being so tactless."

The Gengar put extra effort into pronouncing the strange name, causing Celebi to slap her hands against her mouth in utter surprise. Excelebi was the nickname her mother had been given by Mew's mother, casually mentioned in one of her father's memoirs. All three of them having been dead for decades, it was not a name anyone left in this world should know anything about. She stared in shock as the Gengar settled down in front of the flower, examining Mew from head to toe with a very sad gaze.

"I abandoned you to force the Deadly Enervation Sustenance onto Cresselia…" he whispered so quietly that not even Celebi could hear him, thinking back to days long bygone, "And… I could not bear to watch your mother die because of me. But now…"

He stared at Mew for a few moments, realizing how young and weak she looked compared to the Mew he had known. Even as he stood there and beheld her corpse, he did not feel regret or sadness. He felt nothing except for maybe a slight tinge of nostalgia. It had been too long. Too many years of shame, too many years of drinking. He wanted to touch her, but knew he had no right to. Instead, he leaned in as close as he could get without touching, focusing on the meek, paralyzed face in front of him.

"One day, soon… I will follow you to your mother…" the Gengar whispered almost inaudibly, "Perhaps then… We can finally be a real family."

Without another word he turned around, passing by the confused Celebi on his way out. She stared as he disappeared through one of the walls, leaving the empty husk of his daughter behind.

_Was it OK for me to have done what I did?_


	108. Prologue of Year 12

Celebi stirred awake, the large flower she was lying on moving in response to the arrival of another day beyond the cavern's walls. She stretched out her arms as she flew up, grimacing as she was feeling stiff all over. A strong urge to go outside and lap up as much sun as possible struck her, the cold and darkness having taken a toll on her floral body. A few days earlier she would not even have noticed the passage of time, but the Gengar's unprecedented visit had reminded her that there was a world outside of where she currently was, tending to the leftovers of her murdered friend. She had never shied away from everything like this before. Although she had been raised to live in secrecy and seclusion, she had always been curious enough to get herself and those like the unfortunate Pichu in trouble. She couldn't help it - The vast world had so much to offer, and nothing disgusted her more than the idea of sitting alone in a cave.

But that was before her world broke into pieces. It had not caught her off guard completely, because she had feared that even if they managed to retrieve the virus successfully, there might be causalities. She could have coped with seeing Zoroark or some of the revolutionaries die. Losing Pikablu, Lucario and the others would have been painful, but she could have handled it. Even Zerobi's death was something she believed she would eventually overcome, but instead it was the most important person in her life who fell. Mew deserved to live more than anyone.

Celebi sighed in dismay while moving down to the flower again, placing a hand on Mew's forehead. Was she really wishing for the demise of her own sister? She knew she had to cherish those she had left, and could tell that spending so much time with a corpse was not doing wonders to her sanity. Even if she were to preserve Mew's body for all eternity, her friend would never wake up. Mew had always been there, and she felt safe in knowing that no matter what came to pass they would experience it together. They would greet joy and sadness together. Live and overcome hardships together. Indeed, the very first hardship after losing Mew seemed insurmountable as Celebi found her way of life shattered.

It was then that she felt herself enter the chambers. Or at least her aura did, the familiar presence by the room's only entrance telling her that another visitor had come, and this one was not as unexpected as the last one. Quickly running a hand across her face to dispose of any visible tears, she turned to face the new arrival.

Lucario looked around the area for a moment before casually examining Celebi. He had failed to pick up too many nuances when she came to visit him earlier due to being dead drunk, but now he could see that she was in surprisingly poor shape. She looked even smaller and thinner than usual, her skin was losing color because of diminishing chlorophyll, and the lines under her huge sunken eyes were like ravines. If it was due to sorrow, negligence or simply lack of sunlight he had no idea, but the cadaver of Mew on the flower seemed a thousand times more radiant than the wilting Celebi. He felt bad for her, realizing she was honoring the memory of Mew at the cost of her own health, but he was in no position to reprimand her, considering she was still keeping things together a lot better than he was.

"Celebi… May I have some time alone with Mew?" Lucario asked humbly, turning his attention towards the pedestal plant in the middle of the room. Still feeling broken down, Celebi thought to herself for a few moments, not too keen on leaving and no longer having either Mew or Lucario as company. She figured she could use some fresh air at least, hoping she did not look as much of a wreck as the recently sober Lucario. She nodded and began to float away, keeping in mind how long she could be gone before Mew's flesh stared decaying again.

"Don't… Listen in," Lucario requested, trying to think of a good explanation as to why. It was going to be sappy? He was about to reveal something he didn't want her or anyone else knowing? At any rate, Celebi decided not to question it as she simply nodded again and left the cave. He waited until he sensed her aura at an adequate distance away before slowly approaching where Mew was.

Instantly he realized why Celebi was spending so much time in there. Mew looked more alive than ever, shining brightly as if still in life. Her eyes were closed and her tail was hanging by the side of the flower she laid on, giving the illusion that the fabulous legendary was just resting, taking a short nap to cure her weariness before getting ready to face another day.

But Lucario knew better. Mew rarely slept, and when she did she was always hovering in midair. A quick scan with his aura told him that the beaming radiance was the work of Celebi and did not contain a trace of Mew's presence. She was not about to face another day. She was not breathing, moving or dreaming. She was dead.

"Hello… Mew…" Lucario said out loud as he sat down next to the colorful plant, his shoulders on the same level as her unmoving face, "Thought you might be bored, hanging around here with no one but Celebi, so I came to visit."

Lucario faked a smile before groaning to himself. That kind of corny behavior was not the reason he was there.

"No… That's not it…" he whispered, hoping she would not object to starting the conversation over from scratch, "I came to… Talk about things. Things that need to be said."

Already he was having trouble getting the words out. Mew did not seem nearly as dead as when she had been on her last legs out in the snow, and he felt stupid to be choking up with no one actually hearing him. Mew was in front of him, but never again would she listen to him or speak to him. Her life was over, but it was not for her sake that he had decided to do this.

"Listen… I'm sorry for being a useless piece of shit who let you die…" Lucario muttered while imagining that on some level she could understand him, "But come on… You know me. I screw up all the time; it couldn't have been that much of a surprise. I can't compete with the likes of Zoroark or Celebi, I'm just not that competent."

He sighed and placed his large palm on Mew's head. She used to hate it when he did that back at the start of their journey, proclaiming to despise all invasion of personal space. A few months of clinging onto his back cured her of that ailment, and she eventually grew to at the very least be indifferent to his touches.

"I couldn't save you… But I never claimed I could, either," Lucario explained while shaking the pleasant memory from his mind and looking off at a wall in nervousness, "I tried my best against unfavorable odds, so of course I failed. Had the requirements been to beat up that Torana again or something, I would've saved you for sure…"

It was an implausible scenario, but the idea of Fire-types bugged him. Had he been one, he could have easily saved Mew from the merciless cold. As he was now, aside from hugging her close there was not much else he could have done.

"And… I'm not the reason you fought Darkrai," Lucario continued as he scratched the back of his head, "That was your fight. We could have fled, but you wanted revenge for Cresselia… Wanted to rid the world of Darkrai… I don't blame you, not even a little, but I just want you to know… I'm not the reason you're dead."

A heavy exhale followed as Lucario withdrew his hand and leaned back on his arms. Although circumstances brought him, Darkrai and Mew to the same place, it was Mew who insisted there be a conflict. Even Darkrai seemed keen on letting things be after her appearance. Escaping the unimaginably speedy Deoxys was one thing, but even Lucario was able to outrun Darkrai for a good while. They could easily have made it away, and she would still be alive.

Lucario looked at Mew, wishing she would look back. Laying the guilt on her felt cowardly, but in life she had never been one to dodge blame. In fact, the only thing she seemed quite willing to dodge was him. He thought back to her final words, about how she really had avoided him on purpose, and the very obvious reason why.

"… Anyway, I've been thinking…" Lucario whispered as he shuffled a bit closer to the flower, "… About your feelings for me… How you said you love me, and all that…"

This time he stared directly at Mew instead of looking away. It was difficult as he had not anticipated her to be so beautiful still, but decided not to back down.

"… COMPLETELY ignoring the fact that I told you countless times that I don't care for Pokémon," Lucario growled with a harsh tone and a frown, "All while placing me in the awkward position of withholding what you said from everyone else, not to mention proving that old asshole Lugia right and making me look like a goddamn villain in the end even though I didn't do anything!"

Letting his voice grow to a shout, Lucario huffed as Mew was predictably showing no reaction whatsoever. Had she not had the convenient excuse of being dead, it would have irritated him even more.

"You're right. It _was_ meaningless, and if I might add, rather stupid of you," he scoffed while showing a scornful sneer, "Avoiding me on purpose, like I'd actually do anything to harm you. I know you know I suck, but give me some credit. I would never knowingly kill someone I…"

Lucario noticed his speech sounding a bit hoarse. The raspy effect remained even as he lowered his voice. He swallowed to try and clear it up, but to no avail.

"… Forget what I just said…" Lucario whispered while running a palm across his eyes, "What I really meant to say was… The reason I chased you all over the place…"

He detected a hint of something wet in his palm as he looked at Mew, fixating on her still shape.

"A-And… Why I'm crying like wimp right now…" he stammered before taking a deep breath, "I think… I think I might've loved you, too…"

The words fell out of him with ease, but almost immediately he wished he could take them back. Words unheard but not unspoken, he was finally coming to terms with what had been bothering him so much all this time. His desperation in chasing her and sorrow of losing her was too powerful to stem from a simple friendship. It had been love, and he had been too inexperienced to recognize it until it was too late. Even now he felt confused, unsure of what to do or how to cope with the unfamiliar sensations, not to mention the concept of letting go forever, considering he never even had time to get started.

"That is why… This… Is our last meeting…" Lucario muttered as he stood up, his eyes never breaking contact with Mew's closed eyelids, "It's easier to just forget about it, stop dreaming of what could've been… I mean, I've got things left to do, people who have need of even an idiot like me…"

A vision of Zerobi flashed by his mind, and suddenly he felt guilty for some reason. Like it was up to him to decide who to love, or something. He still figured it would probably be best not to tell her or anybody else anything about this, considering he was trying to forget about it himself. He would have to take this unconventional break-up one step at a time and see what future held in store for his previously barren love life.

"Ahh… What could've been…" he repeated slowly as he looked over Mew one last time. If only he had realized it earlier. If only she had told him sooner. Would it even have worked out, or were they simply abandoning reason for emotion? She was a legendary, one with a million ideas on how to improve the world and the means to do it. She could not have stayed shackled to a regular Lucario like him forever, and unless he was able to keep up, he would have been forced to spend most of his life alone anyway. Children were out of the question and as were the means to create them, Lucario thinking that a relationship with Mew would probably be any man's nightmare.

So, why could he not stop staring at her? Even when dead, why did she shine so brightly? Starting to regret his decision to make this their final goodbye, Lucario moved closer to the flower, his stomach rubbing up against the leafy petals. Mew did not talk or think, yet still he was drawn to her like a bee to the pollen, making him fret that he had unknowingly been hexed by a spell of love or something of equal paranoia. But at this moment, it did not matter. No amount of pain in the world could ever erase the innocence of her face, even as it lay blank and still. Minutes passed as he simply looked at her, too weak of a man to turn around and leave. Surely he could not just let her go like this?

Conflicted as to what to do, he was reminded of an old story so much like theirs, the man giving his perished love one final kiss before taking his own life. The horrible scenario instantly broke Lucario out of the romantic atmosphere and brought him back to reality. As bad as his first kiss with Zerobi was, it was probably not as unpleasant as locking lips with an overly ripe corpse. And killing himself was the absolutely last thing on his mind, now that he had finally overcome the most devastating trauma of his life. Realizing he was leaning ever closer to Mew and breathing all over her, he quickly retracted himself.

"Sorry, sorry!" he squabbled as he stepped back, shaking his head in disapproval of what he had almost done, "I know, this is our last moment together. At least this I won't screw up."

Scarcely a moment away from breaking into tears again, he decided to wrap things up and give a respectful goodbye he would not come to regret when thinking back to this. Straightening his back, he placed a paw by his forehead in a salute.

"You are the greatest being I've ever known," he spoke with a voice carrying sympathy rather than authority, "If I run into Darkrai again, I'll send him to where you are so you can pay him back in person."

Sighing out, Lucario gazed over Mew one last time with a deep longing emerging in his chest. Carefully looking behind himself while making sure there was no aura nearby, he walked up to Mew one last time, hunching over and sneaking in a very quick kiss on her cheek.

"Farewell, Mew…" he whispered and closed his eyes, relishing in the overwhelming emotions, "Rest in peace."

* * *

><p>Lucario felt usually good about himself as he walked through the complicated cave system. It seemed like a cheap move to receive forgiveness from a dead person, but he knew there was no guilt that could affect him if he denied responsibility. The sorrow of losing a loved one would linger, but he felt he could handle it. After all, fully encompassing happiness had not been his lot in life for many years.<p>

Scanning the area for familiar presences, Lucario felt like he wanted to share his triumphant return with someone. Celebi was still gone though, there was no way for him to sense neither Zerobi nor Zoroark, and the occasional Pokémon he passed by seemed busy going somewhere else. Actually, as he came to realize, a lot of them seemed to be running away from the direction he was heading in, and the few whose expressions he could determine seemed frightened. Although most of them were too occupied with getting away from whatever laid ahead, the fifth Pokémon trying to move past suddenly noticed him and stopped in its tracks.

"L-Lucario!? There you are!" the Pokémon stammered in unexpected triumph mixed with fear. She was a Lilligant, her verdant body a familiar sight to Lucario who could not stop himself from slipping back to the past, experiencing the same flashback with Ivy that he had revisited two years earlier.

The Lilligant stared at him with confusion as his eyes rolled to the back of his head, a dreamy expression crossing his face. Wondering if she was exuding Sweet Scent or Aromatherapy by mistake, she knew there was no time for a relaxing break and hastily tried to slap him back to his senses. However, her weak leafy arms only brought about a gentle caress which allowed him to slip further into a coma, and in desperation she swiftly gave him a headbutt instead.

"They're calling for you! What did you do!?" she yelled right in his face as he recoiled from her attack, charging up a punch to counter in reflex. It was not until the very last moment that he recognized the soft, harmless face graced by innocent, pleading eyes about to be crushed by his fist, and managed to halt himself. The flashback was gone, and he was back in reality again.

"… Nothing?" Lucario mumbled with a dazed expression, "What's going on?"

She wanted to sigh out in relief after not having accidentally been punched into oblivion, but the looming threats behind kept her on edge.

"You have, um… Visitors!" the Lilligant exclaimed while pointing behind her, trying to hide her fear, "Go greet them! Fast!"

"Who?" Lucario asked in confusion, wondering just how many more people were seeking his audience, "Where?"

"You can't miss 'em! Go, or they'll come in here!" the Lilligant insisted as she ran past Lucario and suddenly pushed him in the direction she had come from.

"Wait, hold on!" Lucario shouted in surprise, not sure if he was ready to handle action so soon after such a tearful goodbye, "Can't you tell me anything!?"

"I'll tell you this - You picked the wrong day to stop drinking!" she responded quickly before letting go and running further into the cave, away from whatever was scaring away all the Pokémon. Wondering if this was some kind of prank, Lucario focused and suddenly detected the aura of two beings he recognized all too well.

His face drooped. The first thought to hit him was that he had an unusual knack to jump from one problem to the next. He had occasionally contemplated drinking for the rest of his days, only now realizing there were those in this world that would simply not allow it.

He kept walking. Might as well face it like a man and get it over with, he thought. This problem wasn't going away any time soon, and he wasn't going to feel nearly as suicidal later. He could not sense Celebi, but hoped she had not decided to go on an all-around the world tour as he would be finding himself in grave peril very soon. Not that it mattered, not even she could save him from the fate that lay ahead. No one could.

Seeing the exit, the outside lands were covered by snow and bright daylight. Not nearly a hostile as his last venture outside, but somehow the sight was even more troubling than Darkrai. Fangs and claws, thick limbs and manes, waiting patiently outside Nomad's Land were Raikou and Suicune, carrying Red and Brendan. Blue was also there, clinging on to his Skarmory which in truth was a rather pitiful sight compared to the two legendary dogs sandwiching it.

"Yo, Lucario!" Brendan shouted cheerfully while eagerly waving his hand, "We got sick of hunting you down all the time, so we decided to team up and kill you right now!"


	109. Three Pokémon Champions

"Quit being an ass, Brendan," Blue muttered with chide, sneering at his fellow champion.

"It's six in the goddamn morning, twenty degrees below minus ten with wind freaking fucking my face and you expect me to be NICE!?" Brendan burst out while ferociously slapping his steed, "Let's see action! Fire! Blood!"

The Suicune beneath him yawned and blinked a few times, looking more than ready to curl up in a warm bed somewhere.

"Problem is, this Lucario totally understands everything you're saying," Blue said and turned towards Lucario, greeting him with a big smile, "Hey, spikeless Lucario! You want to know about that shiny Lucario, right? Pick me!"

Lucario stood still with a blank expression, not really sure what was going on. Red noticed his confusion, the old master crossing his arms.

"It seems all three of us have unfinished business with you," Red explained as Raikou gave off a short huff, his newly forged mask fogging up from the heated exhale, "Worry not. All jokes aside, we only wish to talk and have no intention of hurting or capturing you."

"Of course not!" Blue exclaimed while raising a hand, "A loss is a loss, no need for rematches!"

Red slowly turned his head and stared at Blue in disbelief, the same rival who had fought him at least a thousand times in the past five decades demanding revenge for anything and everything. Lucario was busy keeping his eyes fixed at Brendan's malignant grin, not too surprised a death threat would qualify as a joke to that wildcard.

"And so, we felt it would only be fair for you to decide which one of us to go with first," Red said before bowing his head in a display of respect, "We hand ourselves over to your judgment."

The words resonated through Lucario's ears, though he could not let himself break eye contact with Brendan, not wanting to take any risks in case he decided to sic Suicune on him. Brendan noticed this and snickered, rummaging through the pockets inside his jacket.

"You know who's in here, don't you?" Brendan asked with a singsong voice while holding up a purple Pokéball, "What can I say? She's been DYING to see you."

Lucario flinched, recognizing the unusual coloration of the Pokéball. Back then he had not realized there was anything strange about it, but the deep single color clearly distinguished it from the other Pokéballs he had the misfortune of encountering.

He remembered the small penguin, the thought of whom had filled him with guilt on more than one occasion. He had met her right after Ivy's betrayal, a period of time when he had been convinced that Pokémon were nothing but bad news, which was not long before Zerobi saved his life and proved to him differently. Dreadfully used to being attacked by random wild Pokémon, he had seen no problem with leaving the tiny penguin to whatever fate held in store for her, even if it meant being captured by the unjustly powerful trainer tracking him. While making amends by saving her had not exactly been a priority in his mind, in some ways he could not shake the feeling that it was his responsibility to alleviate her of the maniacal Brendan's control.

Bored by his pondering, Blue tapped his Skarmory on the head and caused the steely bird to fly a bit closer to Lucario.

"Couldn't bring the shiny with me, she's still too hurt to leave the Pokécenter…" Blue explained, trying to play on his sympathies, "… But if you don't mind the trip, I'm sure she would appreciate the company. She's all alone, you know. Waiting for someone to come visit her."

The elderly Blue could not hide his expression of excitement, but was still met with seriousness from Lucario. He knew all too well the reason why Rukario was in the hospital, and that it was high time to finish his business with her. It was not going to be easy – She had sacrificed herself to save his life, putting her in a very good bargaining position and making it a whole lot harder to justifiably smack her around like before. She had been right about him being Cyon, but considering how clingy she had been before, even alluding to that fact might bring about unwanted consequences. Lucario still had no idea how to handle the complicated scenario, but knew he had to deal with her sooner or later.

Red sat still on Raikou, shrugging lightly.

"No agenda. I simply wish to talk," he spoke short and concise while fixing his eyes into Lucario's, "Man to man."

"That's it? That's it! Time to choose, you get to decide which one of us to go with first!" Blue said loudly before directing the Skarmory to move back to the others, "Just walk up to the one you pick. Who will it be?"

Blue was smiling, Red looked tranquil and Brendan had a mischievous expression. Lucario was still recovering from the idea that he was not about to be murdered, and began to wonder what to do. Reuniting with the frail penguin he had abandoned, who had haunted him with guilt for the past two years. Checking up to see if Rukario was doing fine, thanking her for saving him and telling her about Cyon's fate. Or simply having a peaceful chat with Red, the god of Pokémon trainers who despite what he said probably had some agenda in mind. The more he thought about it, the obvious path became clearer. It was not as complicated as it had first seemed, and he swiftly made his decision.

Spitting on the ground in disgust, Lucario turned around and chose to head back inside the cave to get a drink. Blue's mouth fell open, Red sighing out loud as Brendan started laughing.

"Eyahahaha! First Ethan, now this! That's the second time we've been stood up!" Brendan cackled as Blue scratched the top of his head.

"Fine. It seems we must decide amongst ourselves!" Blue exclaimed while pounding his chest, "Obviously, I want to go first. Do I sense an approaching conflict?"

"I can wait for my turn," Red mentioned, apparently indifferent to this turn of events. Brendan's words had set his mind wandering, leading him back to the day over ten years ago when he was crowned eternal champion, a scene so similar to this one. It had been cold back then too, though there had been no snow. He had just gone up on stage with a much younger Blue and Brendan, both of them soaking up as much love from the audience as possible. Red personally had trouble greeting the thousands of unfamiliar faces admiring his status and achievements. Child prodigy, reigning undefeated champion until retirement, it was a success story that inspired a whole new generation and created an icon for people to look up to.

It felt a bit sad to let it all go. Even though they were mostly strangers, he knew they must have been disappointment in him when they realized that he was no longer the champ. The announcer once more reminded them of the results of the final battle at Pokémon Stadium, how Ethan had defeated the legendary Red in fair combat. It did not bother him as much as they probably thought, as he felt this was the perfect end to his legend. Finally being surpassed by the second generation, proving that the best trainers are not aging men but inspired youngsters. Hopefully Ethan would go through the same ritual, eventually defeated to continue the cycle Red had set into motion and thereby let his legacy remain.

And so, the crowning ceremony began. The crowd fell silent, holding their breaths while awaiting the arrival of the eternal champion Ethan. And they waited. And waited.

Murmurs could be heard as Red realized something was wrong. He had not seen Ethan since the aftermath of their battle, and tried his best to keep a straight face as the stage workers behind him erupted in chaos. He looked to his side, noticing Blue appeared just as confused as he was. Brendan, on the other hand, was smiling. A broad smile that only seemed to widen as time passed. The vicious champion noticed his stare and gave one right back.

"Hehehe…" Brendan snickered, "Don't you get it?"

Both my rival and I faced Brendan, the crowd too busy talking amongst themselves about this fiasco to hear him speak.

"Not even you, Blue?" Brendan continued as he lifted an eyebrow, "Hah! It's so obvious, so bleedin' obvious why he's not here!"

Straightening his trademark jacket, Brendan pointed out over the oblivious audience, letting his arms sweep the area.

"This extravagant ceremony… That precious title of 'eternal champion'… It doesn't mean shit to him!" Brendan burst out, grinning so hard it almost looked painful, "The fight was all he cared about! And because he won, this nonsense… It's all beneath him! To him, we're nothing!"

Brendan's smile remained unchanged as he let his arms stretch out wider. His head fell back to meet the skies with a fervent gaze. Immediately, he erupted into laughter.

"… Hah! Hahaha! Eyahahahahaha!" Brendan cackled as his voice echoed around the area, "He really became the very best!"

While Red was deep in the world of days bygone, Lucario found himself getting bored watching Brendan and Blue bicker back and forth as to who was going to manhandle him first. But every second was another second closer to Celebi returning to bail him out, unless they had already captured her. He could not sense her aura, and the idea of them handing her a snack and letting her off on her merry way seemed unlikely.

"Such meaningless arguments! We shall solve this through battle!" Brendan yelled while pulling out a Pokéball from his jacket, the red and white proving it was different from the one he had displayed before.

"That takes too long… I say we settle this with the foundation of all Pokémon battles!" Blue replied before holding up an open palm, "Rock-Paper-Scissors!"

Far too jaded to allow this to go on, Lucario decided that this was his best chance to escape and get drunk again. He had barely started walking towards the cave before a triumphant shout filled the air.

"I win!" Brendan's overly happy voice sounded, halting Lucario in his steps. He turned around and saw the big Suicune approaching him with graceful steps.

"So, Lucario! Here, climb up and…" Brendan said as he patted an empty spot on Suicune's back, before stopping himself and shrugging, "… Nah, that's just boring! Suicune, Ice Beam!"

Suicune had no intention of leaving his somber state to use such a strenuous attack and instead opened his mouth, spitting a large gob of saliva at Lucario. Turning around and stepping back in disgust, Lucario's lower body was drenched by saliva and he suddenly felt a chilling cold take grip of his legs. He lost his balance and fell over, his feet covered by a thin yet sturdy film of ice.

"Ahh! Hey!" Lucario yelped as he tried to get up, everything below his waist literally frozen in place, "I thought you were going to let me choose!"

"Come on, it'll be fun!" Brendan chimed as he dismounted and bent down next to Lucario, "It's like a playdate! Let's play pretend, you know, pretending this is a playdate and not a kidnapping!"

He picked up Lucario and hoisted him up on Suicune's back, showing a bit of difficulty due to the Pokémon's weight.

"No! Wait!" Lucario shouted in desperation, flailing about as much as possible in an attempt to escape what was clearly the worst case scenario, "I choose Blue! Red, save me!"

He mustered up his most harmless and innocent face as he stared over at Red, whose mind was still on Ethan. However, he met Lucario's gaze for a moment and it seemed to snap him out of his thoughts.

"Brendan, if that Lucario is not in pristine shape by the time my turn arrives…" Red said with a dangerous tone to his voice as Brendan energetically leaped back up on Suicune.

"Relax, I couldn't break a physical specimen like this even if I wanted to!" he joked before looking back at Lucario and scratching his chin, "Actually, I think I could. Hmm… I should at least try before making erroneous conclusions!"

"This is bullshit!" Lucario yelled one last time, suddenly realizing what a fool he was for thinking he had a choice in the first place. Brendan kicked Suicune's sides, and the somewhat sleepy dog set off into the morning's sunrise.

They traveled for a few minutes, the alcoholic content of Lucario's stomach shaking nauseously against Suicune's galloping. Lucario sensed the aura of those in Nomad's Land trail off together with Raikou's and Skarmory's, but considering the situation he was now he, he paid little mind to their current well-being. Brendan continued muttering to himself and did not seem to understand anything Lucario said, and Suicune himself was as quiet as a razed mausoleum. The ice around his legs eventually melted and he could have used a burst of aura at any moment for one last spiteful blow, but knew that pissing off Suicune and Brendan at this point was probably akin to signing his own death warrant, which sounded a whole lot worse now than it did two years prior. His sadness over Mew's passing seemed so far away, aware that his own life was at stake again.

"Perfect!" Brendan suddenly said, the word going unnoticed by Lucario until he received a sharp kick to his gut, threatening to unload it as he tumbled off Suicune's rear and fell into the snow. Standing up and wondering what hellish destination he had been brought to, all he could see was an endless expanse of snowfields.

"There's nothing here, so we need to make something happen!" Brendan continued with glee, "Get it?"

Lucario clutched his stomach and stifled a sour burp, filling his mouth with the taste of stale beer and bile. The horrible flavor reminded him of his first kiss, an association he knew would haunt him for the rest of his life. Reminded of his recent decadent lifestyle, he was definitively not in the mood for a battle. Beseeching Brendan's better judgment, he quietly nodded in response. The champion looked disappointed by his compliance for a moment before reaching into his jacket.

"Well, let's get the dull part over with first," Brendan muttered as he suddenly pulled out a purple Pokéball. Immediately the portable containment facility clicked open and a red light shot out, crashing down in front of Lucario and taking on the familiar shape of a certain penguin he had not seen in what seemed like a hundred chapters.


	110. Neglected Partner Prinplup

The air was still and solemn as Lucario regarded the creature in front of him, quite a bit bigger than what he had expected. She was almost as tall as he was, and considerably wider. Irreversibly changed by time, yet Lucario had no trouble recognizing the maturing penguin. Her orange beak and glossy eyes were still in place, her navy flippers covered in sleek hair just like before and her white nipples had somehow multiplied by two.

"Lucario?" she whispered with a meek voice as she stared into his eyes with an expression just as stunned as his own. Two long years had passed since their brief meeting, and only now did Lucario realize they didn't really have much to talk about.

"Hey," was all he could think of to say, the bland phrase not doing much to dispel the tense atmosphere.

"Lucario…" she whispered again, closing her eyes halfway as she began to stumble towards him with flippers outstretched. Instantly reminded of how the penguin would incessantly chase him around trying to kiss him, this time Lucario simply did not have the heart to coldly keep her away. He welcomed her with open arms, but would soon regret his lenience. The penguin fell into his arms with a hazy expression, but immediately pushed her open beak towards his face, making Lucario forget about the cold and begin to sweat profusely.

"Ah, eh," Lucario stammered nervously, his pride and tastebuds demanding that he headbutt her and immediately run for the hills. But having seen her weakened walk and distraught expression, he once more gave way to empathy and could not ruin what she had obviously been dreaming of for so long. Just one, he figured, and however horrible it would be, it couldn't be worse than getting bossed around by Brendan for two whole years. That, and he found himself completely out of options that did not involve breaking his own neck.

He closed his eyes and shut his lips as hard as possible to prevent any unwanted intrusion. Loathing every part of his conscience, he braced himself and prayed that his extended nose would finally prove itself useful as one last line of defense from the approaching penguin.

It did. The cartilage of his overgrown snout bent easily, but still managed to absorb the brunt of the impact together with minor assistance from his eyelids. His mouth filled up with an all too recognizable taste, not that of stale berries but warm blood. Indeed, their intimate reunion was less like a waltz between tongues and more like being smashed in the face by a solid block of ice. Strangely preferring this to the former scenario, Lucario reeled back several steps as the Prinplup kept her head in place after the unexpected headbutt.

"… LUCARIO…" she growled once more, her voice sounding less meek and more ravenous as Lucario stumbled to regain his footing on the slippery snow.

"Wait! Y-You're not here to kiss me!?" Lucario exclaimed while clutching the tip of his bloodied nose.

"Ki... I-I..." the tall bird responded, mishearing him while her face turned red in anger, "... I'd LOVE to kill you!"

She jumped towards him, landing on her belly and gliding across the snow. Lucario sidestepped the telegraphed attack with little effort.

"Lonesome Wanderer Lucario? A hero? What a joke!" the Prinplup shouted as she came to a stop and turned around, "I bet you don't even remember me!"

"Of course I remember you, you crazy thing!" Lucario shouted back while pointing towards the heavily amused Brendan, "That's why I've followed you all the way here, to save you from this guy!"

The medium-sized penguin crossed her flippers in front of her face and spat out a white beam, covering her arms in an icy mist which quickly froze solid.

"Two years too late!" she yelled while running towards him, "You left me! I was your biggest fan and you left me to die, not lifting a finger to help!"

Trying to step away from her charge, Lucario realized his footing against the slippery snow was nowhere near as good as hers. He was forced to block as her previously harmless flippers quickly swung his way, now reinforced by a not-entirely intimidating cover of ice. It was a decent hit with the coldness biting into his skin, but hardly anything compared to what he regularly endured.

"I told you to run like fifty-" Lucario responded, being cut off as her wing-like fin poked past his block and nearly struck his eye, "STOP HITTING ME! Can't we talk this over like civilized people!? I can get you fish!"

"I don't eat fish, filthy cannibal!" she replied angrily, "And I don't want to be your sidekick! In fact…"

She stepped closer as Lucario protected his face and especially his eye. But the attack appeared lower than that, as she kicked him in the left side with a surprisingly sturdy foot.

"B-Bastard! You've got rabies, or something!?" Lucario coughed, not able to hide the sharp pain as his terribly brittle liver shook in fear, "I worried so much about you, and this is how you repay me!?"

"Repaying you with payback! You preyed on me because I was young, but I'm not that weak anymore!" the Prinplup roared with a defiant gaze as she leaned forward and held out her flippers, "Come on! Hit me with your Aura Sphere or Aura Storm! I dare you!"

Finally she realized he wasn't fighting back, Lucario thought. Progress.

"Who the hell do you take me for!? I came here to save you, not singe you!" Lucario yelled while shaking his head. The Prinplup remained silent and continued giving off an opening, obviously baiting him into attacking her. He knew this was his best chance to resolve this peacefully.

"Fine, I get it. Berserk until you tire out. I won't retaliate, I'm better than that," Lucario explained quietly as he lowered his arms and closed his eyes. As different as she was from before, the penguin he remembered had been a decent being merely two years ago. She was clearly angry with him, but would probably not have the heart to beat down someone unwilling to even defend themselves.

Lucario was once again amazed by the sturdiness of her left foot as it struck with the force of a thousand Aura Spheres right between his legs. His unprotected organ proved a poor defense against her battering ram of a foot, the sensation overwhelming Lucario as he groaned, coughed and nearly fell over. Hunching over and clutching his damaged pride as if that would somehow make it hurt less or heal faster, it took a number of seconds before the worst pain diminished and left a mere lingering urge to undo his breakfast.

"Heh…" Lucario whispered as he straightened himself up, facing the pouting Prinplup with a deceptively calm smile before jumping towards her with a scream, "… I'll RIP YOUR FUCKING HEAD OFF!"

Eyes flying open in fear, the Prinplup finally slipped on the snow and fell back. Lucario's hands were just about to wrap around her neck as her body flashed red and shrank, slipping between his huge fingers and back into the Pokéball in Brendan's hand.

"You know what? I take it back, that was great," Brendan said cheerfully as he regarded the Pokéball with amusement, "Here's her Pokéball. You want it?"

"Yeah, at the bottom of the ocean!" Lucario yelled while finding it difficult to stay upright as a result of his smashed pride, "Seriously! Nail that thing shut and never open it again!"

"Wasn't planning on giving it to you, anyway," Brendan muttered and moved the Pokéball back under his jacket, "She's shaping up to be a good fighter. Three, four years and she'll be top class."

Lucario huffed, this time hoping Brendan normally kept his Pokémon on a tight leash to prevent the Prinplup from getting free, or he could look forward to getting assassinated by an icicle sometime in the future.

"Alright, so, we're done here?" Lucario asked with a shrug and a pained expression, "I can go? You're not going to suddenly attack me, right?"

"Of course, she's not the real reason I called you here," Brendan said and pointed at Lucario with his left arm, "Rejoice! You, Lucario, is about to become the third most famous fighting legend in existence!"

"… I knew it," Lucario groaned, having no idea what Brendan was talking about but certain it would end up with him getting hurt by something. The notion that Brendan would let him escape relatively unharmed seemed ridiculous. The champion pressed down on his left elbow, the familiar action causing a red light to shoot out like a laser and bring an even more familiar being into existence.

The snow immediately melted as Torana's talons came down on it. The icy winds turned visible as her heated body caused a massive condensation all around her, like an eruption of steam at the top of a bubbling pot. The muscular avian hadn't changed much, tall and imposing just like before, an uninterested expression belying her undying desire for battle.

"Oh my god! I knew it! I KNEW it!" Lucario shouted loudly in disbelief, not at all surprised by Brendan going back on his word but startled that he didn't even have anything sporting in mind, simply fine with destroying him in the absolutely most obvious manner. He clenched his fists and struck a battle pose, eliciting a confused expression from Blaziken, Brendan and even Suicune.

"Hmpf. Yes, I did come here without the intention of harming you," Brendan muttered before he stepped off Suicune and walked towards Lucario as his voice took on a dangerous tone, "But rest assured that should you BUDGE an INCH during what I am about to do, you WILL, and I repeat, WILL die in a manner so gruesome it will referred to as certain proof of the non-existence of any benevolent higher power, simply for having allowed it to happen."

Lucario froze up as Torana approached him in a manner similar to her master. He was in absolutely no shape to deal with or even escape someone like her, and could only inch back slightly while fighting the urge to run. Brendan decreased the tension slightly by slapping Lucario's shoulder in a friendly manner.

"So, just bear with me. Torana, take the left," Brendan said while never letting his hand leave his shoulder, flashing Lucario a grin. Lucario returned it with a very strained and insincere smile, as if trying to crumble a pebble between his teeth. Suddenly, Brendan dropped his kind facade and started to run his hand down Lucario's arm, feeling and gripping his overarm. Surprised by this creepy development, Lucario suddenly felt Torana start to do the same with his left side, thankfully not using her claws as she poked and prodded.

"D… Does complaining count as budging?" Lucario stammered, shivering from the unwanted attention.

"Passable biceps, but damaged flexor carpi radialis. Torana?" Brendan asked, ignoring Lucario while looking over at Torana. She nodded and gave him thumbs up, or what might pass for it with a three-fingered hand.

"Good. Legs next," Brendan said and crouched down, continuing his inspection with Lucario's lower body. Lucario felt like he was at the doctor's office, with a mad scientist replacing the certified PhD. It took all available self-restraint to keep himself from lashing out, especially as Torana's warm leathery hands passed over certain very sensitive and badly aching places they probably should have been staying away from.

"Far from sturdy, but supple and gamey enough to withstand blunt trauma," Brendan said as he sighed and stood up.

"I disagree. I could break them with one strike," the Blaziken responded as she stepped away from Lucario, who opened his mouth as if to urge her not to. Brendan started laughing, somehow understanding Torana as he extracted a fairly large plastic bottle from his jacket.

"Torana, use Non-Violence and Converse!" Brendan shouted as he moved away and put down the bottle on the ground, "I've got shit to mix, so I'll let you two be alone for a moment."

Brendan edged further and further away, still within earshot but hardly able to understand them anyway. Vision straying from trainer to Pokémon, Lucario saw a slightly uncomfortable expression pass Torana's face as she looked at him and slowly opened her beak.

"Nice weather," she said unironically. Lucario reflexively slapped his forehead.

"It's a goddamn blizzard!" he burst out in response, "You're a Fire-type! Aren't you cold?"

"No," Torana answered, and then fell quiet. Many seconds passed. Feeling the levels of awkwardness reach critical, Lucario hastily thought about something to talk about.

"So, uh… You healed up OK after our fight?" he asked, remembering how torn up they had both been. He probably had it worse, but at least he had Mew to patch him up afterwards. Torana tilted her head slightly to the side, regarding him from a slightly different angle before responding.

"Have we met?" she asked. Lucario opened his mouth, and then let it close. Had he mixed up two different Blaziken? Didn't seem too unlikely, but he could clearly sense that her aura was the same as before.

"It's me, Lucario!" he shouted while pointing to himself. Torana let her neck return to its former position, scratching her forehead in disinterest.

"ExtremeSpeed? Blue fiery explosion?" Lucario continued, trying to nudge her memory. It apparently worked as Torana's eyes suddenly lit up in recognition.

"Ah," she said before swiftly returning to her detached expression, "Did you come here for revenge?"

"Revenge!?" Lucario repeated in pure annoyance, "Hey, I was the one who beat YOU, not the other way around!"

The Blaziken suddenly lowered her head and gave off a very serious expression.

"That was just sparring," she spoke with an equally serious tone, "Protect, Flare Blitz… A real match would have ended with my victory in two turns."

"Sparring!?" Lucario exclaimed with disbelief, remembering how intense it had been, "My eyes nearly melted out of my sockets!"

"Yes. That was stupid of you," Torana responded as bluntly as usual, obviously referring to his last attack. Suddenly a rematch did not seem like such a bad idea in Lucario's eyes, Torana's alien behavior and unwillingness to admit his victory starting to tick him off.

"I… Remember you being more talkative when we fought," Lucario pointed out, although even in silence her demeaning personality was as present as ever.

"Because we fought," Torana replied quickly, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, "No point in talking otherwise."

Lucario fixed his gaze at her, defiantly testing her theory. Surprisingly, Torana was the one to break the silence, Lucario's expression telling her he had misunderstood.

"Talk is for the weak. Diplomacy for the oppressed, relying on the mercy of others to achieve something," she said as she took a step closer to Lucario, "If you want something, really want something and absolutely can't take 'no' for an answer… Then force is the only way."

She leaned forward to make her head level with his, and Lucario quickly stepped back several paces from her imposing form. He was not about to repeat the Prinplup fiasco by needlessly holding his ground, because he was certain the Blaziken could mess him up a whole lot worse whether she wanted to kill him or kiss him.

"I have built up large amounts of force. I can have anything I want," Torana continued as she rose to her full height, "Even you."

Before he knew it, Lucario had struck a battle pose, once more ready to defend himself from the powerful firebird. But nothing came of it, as Brendan casually strode up behind her.

"So glad to see you two hitting it off!" he said with a snicker before throwing something towards Lucario, "Here, drink this."

The same reflexes that had let Lucario dodge fire blasts and great swords made grabbing the object in midair an easy task. It was the bottle Brendan had been working with earlier, a closed lid on top with a thick, very suspicious-looking concoction resting within.

"No," Lucario immediately responded while looking up.

"It will make you stronger. It's a customized mixture of calcium, protein, iron, zinc and carbon!" Brendan counted up while casually dropping an empty pouch into the snow next to him, "All vitamins designed to make you strong! Very expensive!"

"Do you think I was born yesterday!?" Lucario shouted with rage, discarding the bottle in a similar manner, "You probably poisoned it. Or spat in it. I know you!"

Brendan sighed and pressed down on his elbow, Torana barely reacting as she turned bright red and disappeared inside her trainer's sleeve. As the billowing condensation from her steaming body dissipated, Lucario took the opportunity to reconsider his decision – Getting stronger was always a good thing, and Brendan had proven himself capable of making some seriously powerful adversaries. He plucked the bottle from the ground, swearing to himself that he would let someone like Celebi scan its contents THOROUGLY before even considering a swig.

"So… What do you think of Torana? Strong, isn't she?" Brendan asked with an unusually calm voice as he walked back to his other Pokémon, leaning up against Suicune. Lucario had to agree, considering there weren't many other positive attribute he could give her. And considering their conversation earlier, to him her strength was not a good thing at all.

"My masterwork. Every muscle toned to perfection, every move executed without fail," Brendan said while waving his hand around, "The pinnacle of physique."

"You sure?" Lucario asked, thinking the pinnacle of physique was something more akin to a mountain of muscle like Connor, or a literal mountain of something like Lugia. Not to say Torana was not impressive, every part of her body from fist to breast seemingly tough enough to crack rocks. Brendan ignored him, or simply couldn't understand him.

"The only thing lacking… Is passion," Brendan muttered and sighed again, looking up at the sky, "Determination is not the issue. She fights at my command until unconsciousness, but you showed me that is simply not enough. I need someone ready to DIE to win. Someone capable of flying into a blind rage so severe they would not even care if their entire body was on fire."

Brendan stared at Lucario, examining his body one more time. Lucario figured he was searching for burns after the disastrous finale to his fight with Torana, and knew he would find none too severe thanks to Mew's care.

"It just so happens that your build nicely compliments hers," Brendan explained with a smile as he stopped leaning against Suicune, "Terrific individual values. Fitting ability. Perfect nature, and I've got Everstones coming out of my ass."

Pointing towards Lucario, the trainer's eyes were once again burning with the same spirit that had led him to become such a successful champion in the first place. A constant struggle for improvement, an endless desire for challenge and brilliant creativity opening yet another path to traverse.

"Combine that with both your speed-related moves and the result will be the strongest Pokémon in the world!" Brendan shouted before bashing his chest, "I have trained Pokémon from childhood. I have trained Pokémon from birth… But never before have I trained one pre-conception!"

"Conception…?" Lucario repeated, looking down at the bottle once more. Individual values and Everstones were one thing, but the last word was something he recognized. His heart began to beat faster as he realized what Brendan was implying, the snickering trainer leaping up on Suicune's back once more.

"So get stronger, or I can't guarantee you'll even survive the wedding night!" Brendan yelled before slapping Suicune's rear for absolutely no reason, "Farewell, Lucario! We will meet again, and then you shall enter legend as the father of the strongest Pokémon in the world!"

"Wait!" Lucario screamed with his arm outstretched as Brendan and his steed ran away, the mane of Suicune glittering in the morning sunlight. Lucario was left alone with a million troubling thoughts, but felt relieved that he remained relatively unharmed by the encounter.

"Can I at least… Get a ride back…?" Lucario mumbled to himself, sighing as he began his hour-long trek back to the caves of Nomad's Land and the life-saving alcohol stored within. If he was fast enough, he figured he could drink this terrifying development between him and Torana into complete oblivion.


	111. Deadly Demonic Entity

Reading, writing, signing. Zoroark was getting rather skilled at her daily work routine by now, keeping a secure grip on the pencil with claws designed for far more primal purposes than bureaucracy. It was not just her physiology either - The whole scenery screamed of absurdity. A rock with a cushion for a seat. An even more oversized slate for a desk. No electricity or even a lantern, the cave walls themselves glowing eerily after usage of Flash, turning them luminescent for a few days at a time, making it even harder for her to sleep than usual. Zoroark found herself missing the comfort of No Man's Land, the closest thing she had to a home.

Suddenly, she heard rapid footsteps outside, heading towards her. From the growing sound, she determined that it was a biped with padded feet and minimum weight, someone very fast. An assassin? Or just an eager aide with urgent news? One situation called for her to turn invisible and hide, the other urging her presence. Compromising, she created an illusion of herself sitting by the desk while silently moving to lean up against one of the walls, prepared for an ambush if necessary.

The assailant appeared at the entrance, and she felt relieved to see it was just Lucario. She dropped her illusion, but immediately wished she hadn't.

He looked utterly terrified. Whether incapacitated by Raikou or in the presence of Darkrai himself, his current expression showed fear of a degree she had never witnessed before.

"D… Demon…!" Lucario gasped while breathing heavily, "There's a Devil in the bar!"

He tried to remain standing, but his knees faltered as he sunk down against the wall. Zoroark ran up to catch him and supported him against her shoulder, ignoring the fact that he was now referring to their stash of alcohol as a bar.

"Probably just the Gengar-" Zoroark tried to calm him down, having just gotten the report that the Gengar had deserted them for unknown reasons. But Lucario would have none of it, looking at her with eyes wide open in panic.

"DO YOU THINK I'D GET THIS FREAKED OUT BY A FUCKING GHOST!?" he screamed in her face as she flinched, "This thing's flesh and blood… Might even be Darkrai…!"

Darkrai - A name that would forevermore grab her attention. Whatever was happening, it was serious. Although lacking information, Zoroark did her best to hastily formulate a plan. First of all, others had to be warned of this threat, especially the ones closest to the danger zone.

"Quick, run ahead!" she shouted while helping Lucario up to his feet, "There's a Miltank I just sent there to-"

But as quickly as things had turned serious, it all melted away. Zoroark's face dropped in a sheepish fashion, feeling very stupid.

"Lucario… By any chance…" she asked with a growing frown, "… Did this 'demon' have udders?"

"H-How should I know!?" Lucario stammered, wondering why the tension had suddenly diffused, "One look and I bolted out of there!"

"What about hooves?" Zoroark asked in a monotone. This time, Lucario's expression showed recognition.

"That's why it's a Devil!" he pointed out with a heavy shudder from the traumatizing memory, "Diamond-hard hooves with enough strength to shatter bone with a single stomp! How would I block such destructive force!?"

Zoroark sighed very deeply as she moved back to her seat and sat down. Seeing that Lucario was straying far from the road of calming down, she wondered if she should explain things to him or just let him suffer for getting her so riled up over nothing.

"Everyone has heard about Ethan's pathetic loss against Whitney," Zoroark said, opting for the nice approach, "I assume you do not remember it… But it seems to have left a pretty bad impress-"

"There you are!" a different voice interrupted her, and yet another unannounced visitor came inside her den. Zoroark remained undaunted, but Lucario felt his stomach clench up at the sound, fear giving birth to new power as he ran away and pressed up against the wall behind the Dark-type and her makeshift study. By the entrance where he had been standing barely a second earlier, the source of his fears trod in.

"No! NO! STAY AWAY!" Lucario yelled in the hopes of deterring the new arrival. He felt his breathing come in harder as his mind struggled to comprehend the true nature of the horror in front of him. Like Zoroark had suggested, it indeed had udders. Sore and vulgar tumors of flesh sticking out from its belly, like snakes trying to escape the sickly sack of flesh. Its hooves looked positively small in comparison to the rest of its chubby body, but he could very easily imagine one of his ribs snapping like an unfortunate twig underneath their unparalleled crushing strength.

However, the single most terrifying aspect of it all was undoubtedly its face. It was soft. It was kind. Looking at it, one might think his fear of the chubby dairy producer was unfounded and irrational. But he knew it all to be a façade, a ruse to lull him into a false sense of security. Before his vision, Lucario kept seeing the demon curl up into a ball and begin to roll towards him. The scenario still just a figment of his imagination, he never, ever wanted to see it curl up into a ball and roll towards him. If it were to happen, he was sure to scream out loud, lose consciousness or even expire in a heart attack. The idea that such a homely-looking creature could at any moment transform into the very definition of madness, an icon of malice was too much to handle.

Huffing audibly, the Miltank looked towards Zoroark with a bothered expression while pointing at Lucario.

"Not what ah had in mind when ah volunteered!" she spoke with a dialect, which to Lucario sounded like a hellspawn chanting a spell of misfortune, "He said he'd punch me!"

"Punchkickbite you!" Lucario clarified immediately and loudly, "I said I'd punchkickbite you and I'm sticking to that unless you piss off, w-weakling!"

"Quiet, Lucario," Zoroark told the trembling fighting-type before turning towards her volunteer and wondering how the hell she was going to explain this, "Well… I asked you if you could help him stop drinking, and it seems to have worked… Somehow. Thank you."

The Miltank looked back and forth between Zoroark and Lucario with her hands on her hips, taking a moment to figure out the bizarre situation. Her concerned expression slowly faded into a calm smile as she began to walk towards Lucario.

"D-Don't…" Lucario stammered in warning, fondling the wall behind him in search for any manner of secret escape route Zoroark might have installed.

"Well shucks, ya scared?" the Miltank asked sincerely while keeping up her grin, "Afraid of what li'l ol' me could do to ya?"

"NO!" Lucario screamed in defiance while pressing up as hard as physically possible against the wall, hoping the ghost of Mew would appear to pull him through it. Zoroark merely sat and watched as the Miltank went past her, approaching the squirming Lucario.

"Good. Usually y'all see Miltank as nothing too jarrin'," she said before leaning in closer to whisper something, "But that's just fine. That's how ah catch 'em off guard."

Lucario bit down hard enough to crumble his own jawline to keep himself from passing out, but was finding it more and more difficulty to remain dignified until death as he could see his own reflection in the Miltank's huge, intimidating eyes.

"Speaking of which, she'll be taking up the position that Gengar left," Zoroark spoke up, not entirely sure if she wanted to break up whatever was happening, "So, if you want another drink, you'll have to go through her."

Staring at the Miltank with a strained expression before opening his mouth, a meek moan of fear was the only answer Lucario could muster up. Zoroark sighed, signaling for the Miltank to move back so they could have a normal conversation. The bipedal cow barely took a step back, focusing all her attention on Lucario's hilarious reaction.

"P-Position…" Lucario stuttered after he felt the Miltank was at a slightly safer distance, "You mean… B-Bartender?"

"Bouncer," Zoroark corrected him with a smile. Lucario stared at the Miltank, who returned his glance with a mischievous glint in her eye. He felt his own eyes water up as he looked back at Zoroark with a pleading expression.

"Oh, fine," Zoroark said with dismay as she stood up and walked up to the Miltank, Lucario's pathetic state actually begging to worry her that something bad was about to happen, "You are allowed to give Lucario here one bottle per week."

"That bein' a filthy bottle of stinkin' beer…" the Miltank asked while playfully slapping her udders, "… Or a healthy servin' of nutritious milk?"

"HRRRKK!" Lucario wheezed, falling to his knees and threatening to puke from the suggestion, bile overflowing to the point where he felt like he had vomit running through his veins. Both the Miltank and Zoroark could not help but crack up slightly as he lay on the ground, clutching his stomach while twisting and turning in unimaginable disgust.

"Could you ask him that every time?" Zoroark requested, believing she had discovered the perfect cure for Lucario's growing issue with alcohol.

"Hahaha, oh yes," the Miltank laughed in response, "This is fun."

It took Lucario a few minutes to fully recover. The mental image of udders being tugged in all the wrong ways while sending a ripple over the plump devil would haunt him until the end of times. It was at that time he finally decided to secure himself a cyanide tablet to carry around, lest he was ever forced to actually drink the fluids of the demonic being. When he felt ready to face the world again, he realized Zoroark was crouching down next to him, and the Miltank was nowhere in sight.

"So. Unaffected by Darkrai, were you?" she asked with amusement, painfully aware that her own paralyzation of terror was probably just as undignified, "Completely fearless?"

Sounding off a groan, Lucario wondered why everyone was picking on him all of a sudden. Whatever respect he had built up must've been shattered after his long bout of depression, he figured. Zerobi was sure to treat him more nicely, but after asking around a bit he found out she had gone somewhere else, promising to be back in a few days. If only she had an aura, he could track her down as a great excuse of getting as far away from the devilish cow as possible.

"… I can handle a nightmare…" Lucario coughed as he slowly rose to his knees, "… That thing's for real. Please tell me she's a pacifist."

"Yes," Zoroark replied and calmly went back to her seat, "Entered No Man's Land out of her own free will. Volunteered to come here for the sole purpose of kicking ass. Definitively a pacifist."

Lucario swallowed loudly. He wanted to know more about what the hell happened to Ethan to create such a phobia, but would greatly prefer never seeing or thinking about the horrifying Miltank ever again.

"At least she's returning to No Man's Land soon, right?" Lucario asked hopefully, retracting his cheerful tone as Zoroark looked at him with a slightly hurtful expression, "And… You too?"

"Regrettably," Zoroark replied, sad to miss out on whatever antics he would get up to next, "The first convoy has already departed. We are moving back in segments so we can travel easier and make it harder for an ambush. Hard to tell who else knows about the virus, so we will keep secret which convoy brings it back."

The issue of the virus returned to Lucario's mind again after long absence. Between the sudden appearance by Darkrai, Mew's death and his own struggles with drinking he had completely forgotten about something that was probably worth a lot more attention than anything else. He looked into Zoroark's eyes in silence, hoping he had not made a mistake by placing his trust in her to handle it. She returned his stare with a calm yet analyzing gaze.

"You know… There will always be a place for you in No Man's Land if you want to settle down," Zoroark spoke up while reclining back, stretching her arms to ease the tension from hours of writing, "A few of the human residences are still untouched. I suppose you would feel right at home in one of those?"

"Thanks," Lucario replied, the idea sounding strangely distant as he shrugged off the unusual emotion, "… I mean, not much choice, I guess. Don't really know what to do with my life, now that Mew's…"

He fell quiet, surprising even himself. He thought himself over Mew's passing, but was still finding it hard to talk about. Zoroark's inquisitive gaze was not helping at all. But it was true - He had gone from running for his life to searching for Mew, traveling to the legendaries to chasing down Mew again. With her gone, he was finding himself without a real destination for the first time in two years.

"Don't worry. I know that feeling," Zoroark said, feeling a little bad over teasing him before considering he was still in mourning, "If there's nothing left to fight for, what's the point of living?"

"Honestly, I'm pretty tired of fighting. I'd like to try something else for once," Lucario responded and sighed, running a hand past his ear. The hole left by Silver had closed up, but he was not about to forget about it and every other scar on his body anytime soon.

"Oh, please!" Zoroark suddenly exclaimed while reclining back even further, "If you were to stop fighting, what's left for you then? What would you do?"

"… Lots of things! Like… Uh…" Lucario answered quickly, but found his initiative faltering. Aside from eating and sleeping, what did he want to do with his life? How he would play video games with his freakishly oversized fingers? He could get a job, but nothing in particular interested him, and the good openings were probably occupied by humans and others with the qualification of actually being able to talk.

"I am the same," Zoroark spoke up to break his train of thoughts, adding a sigh of reluctance, "At least I still have No Man's Land to fight for."

"… Oh yeah? And then what?" Lucario asked, turning the question back on her for suggestions regarding his own predicament, "What will you do when you retire?"

Zoroark looked at him with confusion as she slowly sat up straight.

"Retire?" she repeated before placing her elbow on the desk-like slate, "I already told you, the odds of me seeing this thing through are zero. For placing myself in such a vulnerable and controversial position, at some point I will surely be killed."

"Eh, that's just the pessimism talking," Lucario said with a shrug, "You'll do fine! Just keep your wits about you and all you need's a bit of luck."

"Fortune to some, misfortune to others…" Zoroark muttered darkly to herself.

"What?" Lucario exclaimed, not exactly hearing what she said but wondering if his attempts to cheer her up had backfired somehow. This assumption proved to be correct as Zoroark fixed a serious stare into him, showing that she was past the point of cracking jokes.

"It seems you do not quite understand," she said with a bit of a monotone, "The only reason I continue to live is because the world is in dire need of me… And when that is no longer true, I will take my well-deserved, hard-earned vacation."

A seemingly innocent sentence, but the gravity of her expression told a different story. Lucario reflected it as he came to understand what she was hinting at.

"… You're serious?" he asked, his mouth feeling dry all of a sudden, "Come on. Living's rough, but to just give up on it like that…"

"Easy for you to say. My whole life has been a constant fight for survival," Zoroark elaborated, knowing Lucario was the only person in the world she'd ever be able to tell this to, "I struggle and suffer with a passion, but comfort and whatever else you would use to define 'good living' is such a foreign concept to me. I feel nothing for it."

"That's because you're working your ass off every day!" Lucario replied loudly while waving his arm to the side, trying to put the good things in life on display, "Make things better for yourself, you're missing out on way too much! Learn to eat, learn to laugh, learn to love…"

"And who would teach me? You?" Zoroark asked with an amused tone, but her face was anything but cheerful, "Funny statement coming from someone who's a loner despite women throwing themselves at him day and night. You know less about love than I do, and definitively less about eating."

"You've got women throwing themselves at you too!" Lucario said in a misguided attempt to make her feel better, the image of a particular Sigilyph appearing in his mind, "Just, uh… Reveal your real gender after this is all done, and I bet you can meet some guys with no problem!"

Apparently Zoroark had enough, slamming down her hands on the table with minor force before standing up.

"Just… Stop," she said while holding up a hand to silence him, "I may have grown up loveless, but from observation alone I can see love for what it truly is."

Lucario crossed his arms and leaned up against the wall, trying not to lose his cool as Zoroark fixed an icy gaze into him.

"Pestilence," she said, "A plague, infectious and debilitating. What else could transform reasonable men and women into creatures willing to do anything to fulfill their desires? A misguided affection may turn a deep friendship into sorrowful longing, envy and even loathing. Can you name a single other thing in this universe capable of bringing about such misfortune?"

"Well, it can't be all that bad if your other option is to kill yourself!" Lucario retorted, curious how she came to the conclusion that love was somehow worse than suicide, "You're not even going to try it out? What do you have to lose?"

"Of course, I would prefer to fall at the hands of an enemy," Zoroark continued as she turned her back to him and walked towards the opposite wall, "An assassin, maybe? It will paint me out as a martyr, but that is hardly the reason for my wish. In truth, of all the horrors I have been subjected to, suicide is the one thing I have been spared. To die honorably would be a fine footnote to my obituary."

"You dodged my question," Lucario said bluntly, "No disease affects the dead, not even love. Why not at least try it out? Are you scared that you're wrong, that you might actually come to enjoy life?"

Zoroark continued looking away from him, staring into the wall. Unseen to all, she flash a little smile, believing she preferred Lucario's earlier inebriated state if only because he was unable to talk back to her. Having lived the better parts of her life with a fully encompassing death wish and good reason for it, she had never really asked herself if it really had to be that way. She had been eager so long for release from the sleepless nights, the traumatic memories, to simply not kill herself when she was able to seemed like a weird decision to make.

"Who knows?" she said quietly, honestly not knowing the answer to his question, "Love's out there… But we both refuse to seek it… What's the world going to do with two lonesome bastards like us?"

"I'm not lonesome," Lucario chimed in, thinking that term was not entirely befitting of his current status, "I'm, uh, dating Zerobi."

For some reason, he could not stop himself from hesitating, an action which did not go unnoticed by Zoroark who was more than ready to switch the subject.

"Which is why you refuse to kiss her and she's constantly frustrated, I assume?" she said as she turned towards him with a bemused expression, "Even out here in the snow, your relationship is frigid. Is she holding you hostage?"

"Uh, no…" Lucario muttered, realizing everyone was picking up on the shaky nature of their relationship, "We're just… Trying it out. Seeing if anything's there."

"Is there?" Zoroark asked earnestly, moving to sit down again. Lucario swallowed hard, finding himself on the spot. Only minutes earlier he had been pining for Zerobi's presence, but mostly because she was sure to be nice to him unlike everyone else. He choked down a minor gag reflex at the thought of kissing her again, especially now that Celebi could not grow mint properly in the harsh cold.

But it was more than that. He had not seen her since realizing he had far more feelings for Mew than he had originally understood. All this time he had thought himself incapable of loving Pokémon if only because they were so strange, both in appearance and nature. Did his much too short appreciation for Mew prove that he could find himself in a similar relationship with Zerobi? Or instead, did it mean that it truly was impossible for him to love Zerobi, seeing how even after all this time he had never felt the same way for her as he did Mew? He himself did not know. Seeing her again might help nudge his feelings in the right direction. A simple verification, no matter the outcome.

"Well… Definitely on her end," Lucario said while scratching the back of his head, trying to play it off as nothing too serious. This immediately backfired as Zoroark stared at him for several seconds with what could only be described as a face of pure uneasiness, as if watching a Slowpoke try to cross a railroad.

"… You are playing a very dangerous game, Lucario," she finally spoke up, "One that will end up costing your life."

She placed her elbows on the table while crossing her spiked claws in front of her mouth, appearing deep in thought. Lucario really had nothing to say to that, waiting for her to continue.

"Consider who she is, and what she has done," Zoroark explained, her serious expression never fading, "Love does not bring about redemption. If anything, it brings about more desperation and madness. She fights her urge for blood valiantly, using your relationship as a foundation of morality. Should she discover that it was a lie… The question is not 'if' she will snap and kill you, but 'how quickly'."

"What? No! You're just paranoid, and jealous, and…" Lucario shouted back defiantly, even though every word resonated badly against his better judgment, "… Like, 'how quickly' as in how long I have to get away after breaking her heart?"

"As in how long she decides to torture you before letting you die," Zoroark elaborated, all too familiar with Astrid's testimony regarding Zerobi's rampage. Lucario pointed at her as if to say something, his face freezing up in utter horror for a moment before clutching his forehead and throwing his head back in frustration.

"Goddamn it! Why does anyone fall in love with me!?" he shouted with anguish, the memory of Torana's unorthodox proposal not remedied since he was never able to get a drink, "It makes no sense! I'm a damn human, I'm not supposed to be attractive to Pokémon!"

"Disputable, considering the rumors I've heard regarding Ethan and the close companionship he had with his Pokémon," Zoroark said while waving her hand in a gesture of disagreement. Lucario froze up again, and an expression of complete unadulterated disgust took form across his face.

"Oh my GOD," Lucario spoke as if dislodging feces from between his teeth, "Don't tell me-"

"No, no," Zoroark interrupted while waving both hands for empathies, suddenly finding it a bit difficult to withhold laughter, "Heh. Just mentioning that Ethan's Pokémon loved their trainer very, very much. Mostly just the females."

"MOSTLY!?" Lucario screamed as if a Miltank had just snuck up on him, quickly scanning the room for any blunt instrument or matches, "Quick, how do I make myself unattractive!? I'll set fire to my face, that'll make me disgusting, right?"

"Or dead," Zoroark suggested, "Considering all the scars you bear, a few extra might just make you more attractive. Ask a girl."

Narrowly halting himself from bashing his head against a sharp-looking protrusion in the cavern's wall, he slowly turned his face towards Zoroark. They looked at each other for a moment.

"A _normal_ girl," Zoroark clarified with a shrug, "Frankly, I'm just amazed you started this whole thing being a proponent of life and love."

"I… Of course I am!" Lucario stammered, looking at the protrusion for a second before moving away from it, "Just… On my terms, damn it!"

A sigh escaped Zoroark's lips as the papers on top of her desk finally caught her eye. They had been talking a long time, and her work was still nowhere near finished. It was time to wrap things up.

"Tell me what you find," she said, restraining herself from getting up and giving Lucario a pat on the shoulder, "And feel free to join me in solitude should your efforts be fruitless. For what it's worth, loneliness isn't too bad with two people."

Without further ado, she picked up the paper on top and started reading. Lucario got the gist, but was not about to leave just yet.

"Hey," he said. Zoroark pretended to ignore him.

"You're my friend," Lucario continued while holding out a hand, "Don't you dare try to kill yourself anytime soon. When this is all over you give me a month, and I'll show you how sweet life can be."

"You will just be wasting your time," Zoroark groaned in response, her ridiculous work ethic starting to kick in at the sight of an unsigned order.

"That's OK. I've got nothing but time to waste," Lucario insisted, the fact bringing him down a bit.

"Fine," Zoroark finally said, thinking it would be fun to see what he had planned if nothing else, "We can talk later, OK? Long-distance leadership does not afford many wasted minutes. Until these orders are signed, the builders are loitering about back in No Man's Land when they could be constructing a new rail for-"

She looked up from her paper, noticing Lucario had already left. Wondering what it must feel like to be able to sense the presence of others via aura, she resumed her work, aware that she would be lying with a new set of thoughts the next time sleepiness came for her.


	112. Carefree Returner Blue

Lucario yawned as he woke up, only to be greeted by the most unusual sound of something boiling. It was quickly followed by a sound he recognized all too well – His stomach rumbling. Any normal person would have seen this as a sign of something tasty being cooked, but Lucario knew better. He had thought himself hearing a frying pan earlier, which turned out to be the hissing of a vicious snake Pokémon. Surely this was nothing but a putrid purple puddle Pokémon, bubbling merely to stir up his impending starvation.

"Sup," someone said, making Lucario jump in surprise. He had not sensed another aura nearby and figured that he was alone. He looked around and almost fell back in surprise when he realized the source of the voice stood directly behind him in a crouched position.

Mixed feelings ran through Lucario as he saw Blue look at him, a thick azure beanie covering most of his head. Body scrawny and face dry, the lack of wrinkles did little to hide the champion's true age. Same could be said for his ultra-modern expensive-looking jacket of snazzy colors with more zippers and pockets than could possibly be necessary, unless one needed to transport the contents of a neatly arranged sowing kit. Lucario had to admit it was impressive for Blue to stay hunched over with no effort, hoping his own knees would be in the same pristine condition whenever he reached the Pokémon definition of "old".

Blue flashed a smile as he saw Lucario rub his eyes, obviously wondering if he was dreaming. He turned off the portable stove he had brought and removed the lid from the pot, reaching in with chopsticks to pull out a white rectangle of steaming jelly-like substance.

"Tofu for the road?" Blue asked with an earnest expression, "Classic family recipe. Gramps used to make 'em like this whenever he pulled an all-nighter."

Indeed, Lucario figured nostalgia to be the only plausible explanation for cooking Tofu out of one's own free will. Possibly an ancient tradition, seeing how the grandfather of someone already old enough to be a grandfather himself was most likely around to see the birth of the universe. Certain that chopsticks were out of the question for his freakishly oversized fingers, Lucario grabbed the Tofu with his bare hands and started blowing on it, trying to ignore the burning sensation crawling past his fur. Blue snickered for a moment before pulling a rattling bottle out of his jacket, picking out a few pills of different colors, size and shape.

"Razadyne, Exelon, Namenda…" Blue muttered to himself, throwing them inside his mouth and dry gulping with a strong swallow, "Yep… Definitely a family recipe."

Momentarily curious over what kind of Pokémon an Exelon was, Lucario rid himself of any thought pertaining to some old man's dietary habits and unceremoniously stuffed the chunk of Tofu into his mouth.

"Like it?" Blue asked as Lucario chewed, or at least tried to with the funky consistence of the soy milk.

"I mean, it's not exactly bad…" Lucario mumbled before swallowing, "… Just, you know, what the hell am I even tasting?"

"Haha! Yes, it's weird, but at least it's easy to make," Blue laughed while heartily slapping his knee, "More time to train!"

"More like sit back and relax while training others," Lucario muttered, to which he was given a comprehensive nod and shrug, "Wait… You understand me?"

"A little," Blue explained while holding up a finger, "Grew up with Pokémon, you know. Used to kick back in gramps' lab all day, not much else to do where I'm from."

"Could you stop saying 'gramps'? It's creepy," Lucario requested and wondered if no one else had told Blue how weird it was for a 70-year old man to talk like a little kid. Blue's smile grew even wider as he shook his head and stood up.

"Come on. You're eager to see the shiny, right?" he said while reaching into one of the many pockets of his jacket, "Today we're riding in style!"

Expecting a huge Pokémon with massive wings, Lucario hastily stepped away as Blue pulled out and opened up a Pokéball. A tiny little red light shot out, forming a creature barely reaching up to Lucario's waist. It was a short and physically inferior humanoid with yellow skin and slanted eyes, and looking at it made Lucario feel uncomfortable for some reason. He instead turned towards Blue, trying to figure out whether he was serious or not.

"Abra, use teleport!" Blue said, and suddenly Lucario witnessed the room around him moving. His body was being spun around by an unseen miscreant, faster and faster until everything looked like a blur. Holding back the nausea building up, he felt himself lifting from the ground for a moment, and when his feet set down again it was not against a rocky floor but a remarkably smooth surface. Everything became much brighter in an instant, and a feeling of disorientation struck him as he felt like gravity had reversed. Trying to turn himself upright, he instead fell flat on his back which to him felt like being pulled sharply to the left against a very large wall. His body stopped spinning, his balance slowly fell into place and Lucario's eyes opened wide as he saw where he was.

The term "teleportation" echoed in his mind and sated his curiosity as to why he was in a completely different place compared to ten seconds earlier. It was a huge well-lit room with walls and floor painted in a relaxing mixture of blue, white and pink. Expecting to see an assortment of lamps above him, there was instead a true monstrosity of a machine with flashing lights, screens with large numbers presented on them and what looked like a sprinkler system thrown in for good measure. It was literally staring down at him – In an attempt to keep in tone with the rest of the calming room, the screens had been placed in a manner which gave the impression of a giant mechanical smiling face.

"E-Excuse me?" a high-pitched metallic voice resounded, making Lucario jump in surprise from the notion that the machine had come to life. However, he realized the voice had come from his left, where he saw a small spherical figure hovering next to him. It had a body made of steel with a large unblinking eyeball staring at him in admiration, magnets and screws sticking out of its sides. Flabbergasted by being confronted by a real life robot, Lucario just barely noticed that the room was filled with all manner of different Pokémon and even a few humans, many of them looking directly at him.

"Ar*BZZT* Are you nospike Lucario?" the Magnemite finally asked with a stammer that sounded more like a glitch.

"He means Lonesome Wanderer Lucario!" an older-sounding Pokémon suddenly yelled out, Lucario turning his head towards the crowd on unidentifiable shapes and faces. There was an eager bird with two heads, a grumpy-looking frog with the leaf of a water-lily on its head and no less than three little teddy bears guarded by a very tall grizzly he sorely hoped he would not be fighting anytime soon.

"Of course he is!" a smaller version of the Floatzel he had once fought shouted while pointing at his backside, "I see it! I see the grave dirt!"

There was a resounding gasp throughout the room, almost everyone staring at Lucario who was too disoriented to make sense of it all. He made an effort to wipe some of the dirt away from his back, an unavoidable result of sleeping in a filthy cave for several weeks.

"OK, what in the actual-" he said out loud, but was cut short as the aforementioned Buizel suddenly rushed towards him, pressing the flotation device around its neck against his chest.

"Oh man is it true you beat Zoroark and Entei and saved Mew and totally wrecked that place in Saffron and-" the Buizel chatted happily with huge eyes beaming in excitement. Lucario tried to find a moment to interject when he felt a tap on his shoulder, surprisingly relieved to see Blue standing behind him.

"C'mon, she's not here," the champion said while looking a little bothered, "Kept getting pestered by onlookers, being shiny and all. Let's go."

Lucario nodded and turned to shove or tell off the eager Buizel, but to his surprise the water-Pokémon had already fallen silent. It was now staring at Blue, its orange face beginning lose color. Blue flashed him a grin in return before heading towards a door further away, prompting Lucario to follow him.

"Oh my god, was that a fucking champ!?" they heard someone shouting behind them as they hastily exited the room.

They entered a corridor, and Lucario figured he was in some kind of hospital. Stretchers of varying sizes were lined up, and no matter where he looked the place seemed to be swarming with round pink egg-carrying Pokémon. Most had a smile on their lips and greeted him as they walked past, but some looked stressed out and one was even sleeping on the floor, collapsed from exhaustion.

"So… Where're you from?" Blue asked in a casual manner while strolling down the hallway, throwing glances of minor interest here and there.

"New Bark Town," Lucario answered honestly, thinking about how far away from home he was. There were no hospitals in New Bark Town, so you had to get to Cherrygrove City if anything happened. He had been forced to go there after "accidentally" ingesting a very tasty-looking mushroom as a child, and while this place did look similar, the presence of Pokémon in his memory was lacking.

"Bork? New Bork- Oh, New Bark Town?" Blue interpreted his answer with a little difficulty, his eyes lighting up in recognition, "Elm's old place? There were wild Riolu there? I should've gone there more often!"

"What, you've been there?" Lucario asked, fairly certain there was nothing of value to be found in his backwater hometown. That was the reason he had left, after all.

"Elm and Oak were old colleagues, so I kept up the partnership after gramps passed away," Blue explained while thinking to himself and being quiet for a moment, "… Hey, you ever heard of Ethan?"

Lucario hesitated for a second, having completely forgotten whether he was supposed to give away his real identity or not. For some reason, it felt harder to keep track of things without Zerobi or Mew to regularly talk things over with.

"Met him in New Bark Town when he was just a little tyke!" Blue exclaimed before Lucario could answer, "Running around Elm's lab, playing with Pokémon… Reminded me of myself when I was his age."

A sudden recognition struck Lucario, feeling something very familiar about the suggested scenario. On the move, he lost focus on where he was going and accidentally bumped into a regular human nurse, snapping him out of his impending flashback. The nurse bowed her head while Lucario whispered an apology, sad to know she wouldn't understand him anyway.

"But hey, if you're from there, maybe I met you as a kid too!" Blue exclaimed with a bright expression before scratching the underside of his chin, "… What are you, a failed science experiment or something? I know Elm was up to some weird stuff, but those scars…"

Blue trailed off and stared at Lucario's back, looking for any signs of what might have happened there. Lucario wished he had an answer, both Zoroark and Blue pointing out that his scars didn't look like they had been inflicted by battle. As for his origins, thanks to Mew's efforts he was more of a successful science experiment, but the surgical operation that gave him life again had not been what left the scars. He made a mental note to ask Rukario about them.

They left the Pokécenter, finding themselves in the middle of a town. Apart from the hyper-modern installation behind them, most of the buildings looked rural but sturdy and well-built. He could hardly believe his eyes, but despite the characteristic snow thawing away, the familiar architecture and abundance of trees told him that he was back in Snowpoint City.

Many thoughts ran through his head at once. He was back to the beginning, wondering just how far away he had been teleported by the mysterious Abra. There were no sirens blaring over his presence, so he figured he was safe for now, but running into the Fierce Fighting Force again seemed like it could be a hindrance to his reunion with Rukario. This is where he had first met her, he remembered, curious if maybe this is where she lived. Zerobi's home was nearby for sure, but he was certain it hadn't changed much since they left it behind.

"So, how're Mew and Celebi?" Blue started a new subject, letting his eyes stick with a red penguin-looking Pokémon passing by. Lucario snapped out of his reminiscence with a depressing sensation inside. So much had happened – He had met the Legendary Trio and watched them crumble. He had met Mew and watched her die. He shook his head and reinforced his desire to be more careful with those he had left.

"Half dead," Lucario responded, not sure if he should or even wanted to elaborate. Blue probably didn't understand anyway, as he showed no surprise or sadness in response. A sudden gasp could be heard from the Pokémon they had just passed by, which Lucario tried to ignore.

"And… The virus?" Blue asked a bit more quietly, also noticing that they weren't exactly in private with people and Pokémon walking about.

"Safe," Lucario answered short and concise. This seemed to work better, Blue sighing out audibly. He removed his beanie for a moment and scratched his irritated scalp, a large concern lifting from his conscience.

"Y'know, those two're pretty crafty," Blue said while putting his cap on again, "Held me up and wrote V-I-R-U-S in the snow. Of course, I initially figured they just wanted me to catch some and die, but… Hehe, I guess that wasn't too far from the truth."

"You've got that right," Lucario scoffed, having completely forgotten that they were actually supposed to be fighting Blue by the time they appeared to stop Darkrai. His train of thoughts was interrupted as Blue moved closer, walking next to him awkwardly close.

"Not FORCING them or anything, but, just…" Blue mumbled with an overly amicable tone, "… If they WANT a life of luxury, eternal glory and super stardom, I wouldn't mind taking them in. You know. For a while."

Lucario glanced at him for a moment, Blue nudging his arm as if to further bolster his suggestion.

"On their terms, of course!" he chimed with an expression of excitement mixed with hopefulness, "Nothing big, just a fight or two. I've got this great idea for an unbeatable strategy that'd change the face of competitive battling forever and… You could put in a good word for me? Yeah? Us New Barkers have stick together, huh?"

"You're not from there!" Lucario burst out with feigned indignation, finding it impossible to not be cheered up by Blue's carefree nature.

"Right, right," Blue said quickly while tapping his chest, "Just get me into contact with Celebi. Or Mew. I mean, you can't just decide for them! You don't know, maybe they'll be thrilled!"

Lucario was certain Celebi would be less than thrilled by the suggestion, and any contact established with Mew would have to be through a spirit medium. But as far he could tell, Blue appeared a lot nicer compared to the other trainers he had met until now. A permanent grin stuck on the old champion's face, and Lucario wondered how he could even be the same person who had attacked him for no reason only a year earlier.

"In there," Blue suddenly spoke up, pointing ahead. Lucario saw a house much like any other, differentiating itself only through a few extra windows on the second floor as well as a wooden sign, reading 'Hotel'. The letters on the sign were carved out with amazing precision and filled in with a hardened substance that almost seemed to glow. He doubted it was the work of humans.

Blue stepped ahead of him as they entered the foyer, almost as if trying to hide him away from view. It was nothing of grand display like Silver's mansion, but rather a narrow corridor with nicely woven yet notably dirty carpeting, antique-looking furnishing and an altogether homely atmosphere. There was no time for him to suck it in, for suddenly there was the abrupt sound of someone hastily pushing a chair away.

"PLEASE. STOP. NO MORE!" a desperate voice filled the place. Further ahead there was a man standing behind a desk, someone in his late 40's whose tailsuit seemed out of place in the rural environment.

"Sup! Also, what?" Blue answered cheerfully while raising a hand to say hello. The unremarkable man stared at the renowned trainer, clearly struggling with choosing his words wisely.

"Good sir, my lifelong dream is but a joke!" the man pleaded while putting his hands together in a begging gesture, "Merely three legitimate residents among four Pokémon? This can be called a people hotel no longer!"

Lucario peeked out from behind Blue, causing the man to flinch at the sight.

"The carpet is mud, the pantry stuffed with foul-smelling berries and I can hear them at night!" he continued with discomfort in his voice before pointing at Lucario with disdain, "I. Can hear. EVERYTHING. And now… Another long-eared wolf taking up residence…!?"

"Hmm? Oh, no, this Lucario here isn't planning on spending the night," Blue responded with a smile, and then suddenly nudged Lucario's arm again, "I think? Bet you wouldn't mind, eh? Know what I mean?"

"Just… Visiting," Lucario responded in monotone, actually feeling sympathetic towards the hostile owner. The otherwise beautiful flooring did look very filthy, and had he still been human he probably would have settled for a less cheap-looking place. Blue almost looked disappointed for a moment before he trod ahead.

"You heard the gentleman, just visiting!" Blue said as he turned back and leaned up against the desk, pointing to a staircase in the corner of the corridor, "Room 202, upstairs. No need to knock, she can probably already sense you."

"Please! Take the other one with you!" the owner of the hotel pleaded, becoming more infuriated as he was faced with Blue's back, "Store your Pokémon in Pokécenters like everyone else!"

"That one's a special case. Believe me, this place couldn't hold all of my Pokémon," Blue replied cockily while signaling for Lucario to go on ahead. Lucario nodded in gratefulness, feeling a familiar aura directly above him. He looked for a suitable place to wipe the underside of his feet, sighed when he couldn't and went upstairs while Blue and the owner kept jabbering on about soiled family heirlooms and health inspections.


	113. Bedridden Spouse Rukario

Rukario heard someone coming up the stairs and hastily pulled the bedsheets up to her neck. Not because she was cold, in fact adding cotton to fur would soon make it quite unbearably hot for her, especially now that winter had departed. Instead it was to keep up the appearance of a meek, badly hurt woman, for the aura approaching her was someone she hoped to get as much sympathy from as possible.

To her surprise, there was a soft knock on the door. Surely he knew she could sense him from miles away?

"Come in," Rukario said loudly, and Lucario started fiddling with the doorknob on the outside. He found the enormous hands of a Pokémon incompatible for the task, and eventually had to resort to using his forearm to open the door.

Lucario's heart sank as he saw Rukario, bedridden nearly two years after their last meeting. It had been dreadful to find out how much the Piplup had changed, but with Rukario it was equally saddening to see she had not changed at all. Rukario had to make an effort to keep from gasping, faced once again with her lost love. She quickly studied his body and to her dismay noticed a few new scars added to his already generous supply.

But with that, she had her evidence. She had doubted herself and promised to move on with her life for a long time now, yet still a strangely triumphant feeling filled her heart when she realized she had been right about him being Cyon all along. This new information overwhelmed her, and she had no idea how to go about using it. Lucario mistook her stunned gaze for impatience, as if waiting for him to start the conversation.

"Y-Yo," Lucario stammered, losing his cool from the sudden oppressive atmosphere, "How are you, uh, feeling?"

An awkward silence filled the room as Rukario regarded him quietly. She could tell that he was nervous, and it surprised her. This behavior was much more reminiscent of his old self. Had he regained some of his memories? Is that why he was here? Left hanging without a reply, Lucario figured he should just get things over with before any more misconceptions could take root.

"I found out what happened to Cyon," he spoke while trying to remember the speech he had fabricated earlier during his drinking binge. Perhaps not the best origin for an explanation, but in a case revolving around body abduction and ghosts, the wild tales of a drunkard were more reasonable than the truth. Not that Rukario was someone who normally adhered to logic, but outright admitting that he was Cyon would only continue their pointless waltz towards mutual despair. He figured that giving any reasonable explanation would be a better idea, enough to rid him of guilt and help her to move on.

"Uh… Are you ready?" he asked, worried by Rukario's silence. If she was giving him the silent treatment, her sweet expression failed to show. In fact, it looked as enamored as when she had first thought him to be her husband.

"… Go on…" Rukario answered, surprisingly uninterested in hearing what he had to say. She wanted to confront him with her evidence as quickly as possible, but did not want to appear too forceful or even giddy about it.

"You… Probably already expected this, but…" Lucario explained while looking down at the floor in a feigned attempt at sorrow, "… It was Deoxys. I spoke to a legendary Pokémon who fought Deoxys and found Cyon's body nearby. She left it together with the other victims."

His simple yet somewhat unlikely tale did not sound quite as convincing now as it had after 12 beers, but he opened his eyes hoping for an expression of acceptance quick resolution to this awkward situation. He felt so relieved when he saw Rukario looking at him with a gentle smile that he was forced to give one in return.

"Liar," Rukario replied with a sweet voice, and Lucario froze up. With Cyon's voice, Cyon's aura and while covered in Cyon's scars, this Lucario still had the gall to tell her there was no connection. Granted, he did speak in a very different manner, and it would not be completely impossible for two Lucario to share similar voices or similar aura. But…

"Your scars are precisely the same," Rukario presented her evidence with a soft, enchanting voice, "And no spikes… That cannot be a coincidence."

Lucario turned away from her, trying to suppress his panicked expression. He hadn't thought about that - There was actually no way of denying that whatever scars Cyon had, he had as well. He had always relied on logic being his strongest weapon against Rukario, but now it was somehow being used against him. He suddenly realized that she had been right all along in thinking that he was Cyon, and was in fact not the unreasonable spouse he had always thought of her as.

"Please, Cyon…" Rukario spoke up while trying to figure out what his shunning reaction meant, "You are in denial, you must have simply forgotten-"

"I got these scars the same way Cyon did," Lucario interrupted her, hinting at the only explanation with even a shred of plausibility to it. He prepared himself for further probing, but had a feeling bluffing would not get him much further. He had no idea how Cyon got his scars, and even if he did, Rukario would never believe the inane notion of two individuals ending up with the exact same scars.

But there was no retort. He turned back to see Rukario looking very surprised, an expression he unintentionally copied.

"You mean… You were also a part of…?" Rukario whispered in astonishment as she felt her mouth drying up. Lucario realized he was on to something and quickly wiped any trace of befuddlement from his face.

"You… Know about that?" he asked with a frown while brushing past the scars on his chest in a seemingly meaningful way, "Yeah. I feigned memory loss because I hate talking about it. These scars… They start to ache when I do."

"… There were… More…? But you… I…" Rukario spoke quietly in defeat, Lucario keeping up his charade and cursing himself for ruining his only chance to find out just how the hell Cyon did get those scars. He quickly thought up more lies to cover himself, but it seemed Rukario had at long last given up.

And with that, Rukario's undeniable evidence was ripped away from her. She had been so sure this time. Her newfound hope fell to pieces almost immediately and was replaced by a strong feeling of doubt in herself.

"… Deoxys…?" she whispered to herself in disbelief, the name of the feared one suddenly sounding a lot more menacing than before, "Was it… Really that simple…? I… Oh my god, I…"

Rukario grabbed the sheets hard and stared blankly at foot of the bed. Of course Cyon was dead. Why had it been so hard to admit? He would never abandon her like he did out of his own free will, ever. This Lucario was obviously nothing like her husband, yet she had tried clinging on to a random stranger based only on his appearance, fervently ignoring reality to desperately pursue a mere fantasy. Was she really that desperate? Had she completely lost her sanity?

"Ruined your life, didn't I?" Lucario said after a while with a guilty tone. Rukario looked up at him in dumbfounded silence, and Lucario found her endlessly longing eyes particularly painful to look at.

"You know… Gave you false hope about Cyon being alive…" Lucario continued while looking off to the side, wondering if he at least could make her realize the kind of internal distress he suffered from mistreating her, "Made you sacrifice yourself to help me defeat Blue…"

"Must you take credit for everything?" Rukario suddenly asked with a stern voice, forcibly choking down her sorrow. Lucario sighed out loud, staring up into the ceiling.

"… Alright, fine…" he groaned agonizingly, "… You beat Blue… I was just in the way, like usual…"

"Not that," Rukario clarified. The innocent Lucario she had led on with her denial and desperation looked back at her, and she suddenly felt both amazed and grateful that he had not taken advantage of her weakness.

"The one responsible for ruining my life is not you…" she admitted quietly before looking back at the foot of the bed, "… It was me."

A pressure lifted off her chest and left her body through a very deep sigh. The Cyon she knew had been gone for a few years, but the notion that he would one day return, that she could reawaken his memories within the spikeless Lucario or at least find a clue as to what happened had always stayed with her. But now, all that was but a feverish dream of the past. Her obsession was over, and it was time to move on.

Rukario rubbed her face to dispel any forming tears before sitting up and flipping the bedsheets away. Lucario flinched in shock as he was flashed by her naked body, forgetting he had witnessed naked Pokémon on a daily basis for the past 2 years. This one was particularly jarring though, because she was not wearing her trademark pants. However, her undergarments had not been hiding anything he had not seen before, and he quickly composed himself as to not stir up any unwarranted feelings in either of them.

He was glad to see that she was not hurt in any visible manner. In fact, going by the last time he looked at himself in the mirror, she seemed a lot healthier than his malnourished self. Her arms and legs were visibly strong yet slender and flexible, something Lucario would liken to a toned feminine gestalt were it not for the fact that it was a spitting image of his own. The color of her fur is what signified her as a shiny, but Lucario found it difficult to see how it would make her stand out in a universe where nearly inhabitant was painted in screaming, garish colors. Any admiration of her womanly chest would ultimately divert to the enormous spike protruding between them, and Lucario had to remind himself that no matter how emotional things get, hugs were out of the question.

"Hey, take it easy… Can you walk?" Lucario asked as Rukario slowly got out of bed. She looked at him for a moment before straightening her back.

"I am fine. I was just trying to evoke pity," Rukario admitted with a hint of shame before looking out of the only window in the room, "I can't believe I almost… No, this ends here. I am done with this silly game."

She bent over and picked up a yellow piece of clothing – Her pants, newly washed and even more sparkling clean than before. Faced with her posterior, Lucario decided this was a great time to look outside the window as well, noticing a line of peculiar footprints in the melting snow just outside the window. Almost looked like pawprint, the kind of pathetically simplistic writing Pokémon used and he had no idea how to read.

"… I need to work out. A lot," Rukario suddenly said, not taking very long to put on her only article of clothing, "Join me."

Hesitating, Lucario realized he had nothing better to do at the moment, and that he could use some training after doing nothing but sleep and drinking for so long. They went downstairs, getting a dirty look from the grumpy owner behind the desk. Blue was nowhere in sight, and Lucario understood that he was effectively stranded in Snowpoint City with Rukario until the aged champion returned.

Rukario led him through the crowds of humans and Pokémon to an empty area just at the edge of town, a place Lucario remembered running through with Zerobi with police hot on their tail. Thinking Rukario had some secret agenda with bringing him back there, Lucario was a bit surprised to find they were actually going to train. Both too strong for activities like pushups and jogging, they were forced to find creative ways of training, such as lifting heavy rocks, jumping several feet into the air and, of course, the inevitable sparring. Lucario figured it would be a lot safer compared to sparring with Zerobi and her unwieldy claws, or Mew and her inherent ability to very easily crush him like a bug. Withholding his strength in fear of hurting her and causing more distress, Lucario was quickly reminded of how Rukario had soundly trashed the Skarmory and Arcanine despite being at a severe type disadvantage against both. Rukario proved to be absolutely nothing like the frail bedridden woman he had first gotten the impression of, and soon Lucario found himself with his arms forced behind his back.

"Don't hold back. I can take it," Rukario requested between gasps, annoyed she had won in such a simplistic manner.

"O-Of course I'm going to hold back, we're only sparring!" Lucario growled in equal annoyance as she released him, but still decided to put in some more effort. Although his muscles had deteriorated a bit from his long inactivity, it was clear who the superior fighter was. Rukario was both fast and powerful, but not to the horrifying extent of Torana, and lacking unpredictable attributes like Darkrai, Lucario was easily able to dodge, block or parry her physical strikes. When the time came to go on the offensive, he held back the bulk of his strength, as he assumed she also did since he was not being barbequed by her expert use of blue fire with every blow.

"Aura allowed!?" Rukario asked in a hurry as they clashed together, as if reading his mind.

"Hell no!" Lucario shouted back, having suffered more than enough of the painful and bile-inducing aura during practice sessions. Rukario huffed in frustration as she stepped back, only to put her whole body into a tackle. Lucario did the mistake of blocking it instead of avoiding it, a flash of pain shooting through his arms as he realized it had been a serious attack. Rukario delivered several fast punches, and although Lucario was able to deflect most, anyone else would have been turned into mincemeat by her assault.

"Whoa! Hey!" Lucario yelled to interrupt her, "Find someone else if you want a real fight!"

"Ten… Seconds…!" Rukario panted with exasperation as she stepped back, "Fight me… For real… Even if… Only ten seconds… Please…"

Obviously low on stamina, her expression was pleading yet full of determination. Lucario had no idea what she hoped to achieve with this, but then again he never seen her this fired up before either, not even when they had been fighting Blue together. The memory of how she had taken a few nasty hits and come out fine resonated within his mind, and he decided to at least partially fulfill her wish. Had it been for real, he would have used Extreme Speed or an Aura Sphere. Instead, he decided to give her the brawl of a lifetime.

Lucario dashed towards Rukario, pretending to go for a full-on tackle yet dropping low for a leg sweep in the last second. Falling for his feint, Rukario was fast enough to step back from his attack anyway, exploiting the opening by bringing her fist down like a hammer upon his exposed shoulder. Lucario groaned in pain as the force pushed him closer to the ground, but the next second used the very same arm that had been struck to retaliate with an uppercut. Caught off guard by his resilience, the blow struck Rukario's chin with perfect accuracy, causing her to lose balance, stumble away for a few paces before falling flat on her back.

Adrenaline soared, but quickly diminished as Lucario exhaled and witnessed Rukario's immobile form on the ground. It reminded him of his second battle against Zoroark, who had been utterly defeated by a single one of his uppercuts. He ran over to see if she was still conscious, and was surprised to find her staring up into the sky with a very rare smile across her face.

"Amazing…" she whispered quietly, a trickle of blood running down her chin. She was dizzy and cold uncomfortably crept up her neck, but the chilly soil made for a perfect ice package against her headache. Her smile rid Lucario of whatever guilt was building up inside him, wondering why punching her in the face had not provided this pleasant result when he had done it earlier. As she was apparently not in any hurry to get up, Lucario decided to sit down beside her, the frozen soil making him glad he was at least wearing pants.

"You're way stronger than you appear," Lucario mumbled, scratching his buzzing shoulder. He hoped it was not simply because she was a Lucario, as it would belittle his own achievements.

"All free shinys are strong. Or very good at running," Rukario said with clear pronunciation, proving she had withstood the blow considerably better than Zoroark. Lucario decided not to point out that technically she was captured by Blue, because if the old trainer was a man of his word he would release her whenever she was ready, and the lingering pain in his shoulder proved that she was definitively more than ready.

"Did you and Cyon, uh, 'work out' like this often?" Lucario asked with genuine curiosity, wondering if maybe he was on to how Cyon got a few of those scars. Rukario's smile faded, and Lucario realized he had unintentionally brought up a painful subject.

"… No. I stopped after we became a couple," Rukario answered bitterly, "He always hated it. Training. Fighting."

"Yeah… Nothing says romance like punching each other," Lucario muttered as he used his hand to wipe away some of the blood from Rukario's chin, a habit anyone familiar with Zerobi would eventually develop. To his surprise, her smile returned as she suddenly started to giggle.

"What?" Lucario asked, rubbing his hand against the ground to replace the blood with dirt.

"I suppose I used to be a bit of a… Brawler," Rukario admitted before closing her eyes, "Guess I never stopped enjoying some things about it."

"Used to be…?" Lucario repeated quietly, twisting his shoulder around and noticing it still wasn't feeling quite right. Rukario felt the dizziness receding and coldness increasing, finally sitting upright.

"Like I said, Cyon hated violence," she elaborated while wiping some of the outdoor filth away from her back, "I was fighting on a daily basis when he appeared and spoke of a different way, that strength wasn't everything. He used to say there was a peaceful resolution to every problem."

Lucario withheld any attempt to point out Cyon's sentiment sure didn't save him against Deoxys, especially respectful of the dead when they possessed the ability to occasionally pop up and chastise him.

"I quit battling after we became a couple, and figured that it was because I matured…" Rukario explained while looking up at the sky, her eyes squinting in the sunlight, "… But I've been thinking… What if I only changed for his sake?"

Rukario thought back to her days as a Riolu. Punching and kicking, scratching and biting almost since birth to stifle those wanting to capture or simply challenge a shiny. Cyon had always felt so sorry for her because of it, cursing those who would force someone into a life of endless battle at such a young age. While her friends had spoken of these times with contempt, she herself had never truly understood why. She did not mind fighting, because she was good at it. It was an excitement found nowhere else, an endless source of thrill which yielded both prestige and rewards.

Of course, there were many other things in life she enjoyed, so giving up battling did not seem like a big deal at the time. She and Cyon had fallen deep in love, but realized many of their habits were quite incompatible for a relationship to fully work out. Rukario had been forced to evacuate the area whenever Cyon cooked up one of his revolting human meals, as he was incapable of eating berries without choking in disgust. Meanwhile, he had become increasingly distressed with her perchance to accept any challenges, returning home with bruises, fractures and a far too narrow escape from capture. To nurture their relationship, they had decided to both make sacrifices - He would learn to eat like a Pokémon, and she would learn to stop fighting.

Flooded with memories of the past, Rukario felt her eyes grow a little tired from the strong light. She bent her head down and saw Lucario staring off into the distance, and suddenly realized she really knew nothing about this person she had been chasing for so long.

"What about you? Have you ever met someone who changed you?" Rukario asked while patting him on the shoulder she had previously attacked, making one Lucario's long ears twitch.

"A couple," Lucario answered honestly without really pondering the question. Seemed reasonable - Ivy had made him hate Pokémon, Zerobi had made him stop hating Pokémon and so on.

"A… Couple!?" Rukario repeated in shock, wondering if Lucario realized the gravity of her question, "No, I mean… Someone who changed your life forever. Someone so important, your life would have been radically different without him."

This time, Lucario thought hard to himself. The list of people and Pokémon who had affected him in some way was innumerable, but had any of them fundamentally altered his course in life?

"Yeah… Like I said, a couple," Lucario insisted as he turned to face her to prove he was earnest, "Honestly, I never had a decided path in life to follow. I just keep moving in whatever direction people push me in."

Rukario stared at him in silence with a confused expression.

"Never…? Really?" she whispered after a few seconds, "No childhood dreams? Just… Letting the spur of the moment decide…?"

It sounded less than admirable, but Lucario knew that whatever childhood dreams he once had were gone with his departure from the world of humanity. If his dream was to become a Pokémon Master, he had already fulfilled it long ago. What kind of ideas for the future did he have after that? It bothered him that he could not remember, did his life really revolve around Pokémon to the point where even his future was occupied by them?

"I knew it. You are nothing like Cyon," Rukario said before visibly choking down what sounded a little like a laughter, "But… I think you are a lot like me. Letting yourself get swept away by someone."

"Hey, don't make it sound like that!" Lucario burst out with annoyance from being judged, "I've never been forced to do anything. What, I'm not independent just because I followed a suggestion? If the suggestion sucked, I would've done something else."

"So… You only agree to good suggestions?" Rukario asked while taking a gander of disbelief at the Lucario's dreadfully thin body, "Then, want to go eat something?"

"Sorry, not a big fan of berries," Lucario answered while shaking his head, although the Tofu from earlier was hardly a filling meal. Suddenly, Rukario's smile disappeared as she gave him a strange expression.

"… Oh really?" she exclaimed with curiosity before looking back towards Snowpoint City, "Well… I'm certain they have something else in town. My treat."

Not one to turn down such a rare chance, Lucario nodded eagerly as they went back into town. And even though he knew he should be feeling overjoyed at the prospect of finally getting some real food, he could not shake the feeling that Rukario was planning something.


	114. Dangerous Dark Assassin

A taste so wondrous, it surely had to be of another world. A packet of nutrition designed to encourage a pleased palette, a portal connecting his tongue with a whole new dimension of taste. It filled him with the desire to kneel in fervent prayer, praising whichever higher being would accept responsibility for allowing him this momentary yet oh so beautiful glimpse into heaven. His body sounded no complains, satisfied as it began laying a foundation of muscles and fat that would keep him alive for months to come.

"How is it?" Rukario asked with an intent stare. Lucario remembered his situation and faked a gag reflex.

"Terrible," Lucario lied, pulling down the corners of his mouth as if tasting something disgusting, "Whoops, manners. It's… OK, I guess?"

Rukario looked disappointed, and Lucario knew it was not simply because she thought he had scored a bad meal.

"No, that's alright," she said quietly while looking down at the ground, "Cyon used to… Never mind."

Why was she admitting it? Like he was really going to fall for such an obvious trick. It bothered Lucario to publicly shame the food that pleased him so, but he considered Rukario's peace of mind a slight bit more important. Thankfully, the cook in the food booth looked unaffected by his harsh words, a bulky guy working his spatula like a warrior and filling the chilly neighborhood with steam carrying the smell of fried vegetables. Going by the numerous Pokémon wandering around, it must not be as revolting to their noses as curry and mint were to Zerobi. Suddenly, Lucario realized that if that had not been the case, his unusual taste in food would have been revealed as soon as they got within range of the aroma and he made a desperate lunge for it, before even taking his first bite.

He looked at Rukario while finishing his meal, still feigning disgust with every bite. She was deep in thought, and it worried him because he was coming to realize that she was actually clever, and dangerously so. If he stayed with her she would find out the truth sooner or later. Even so, her behavior was giving him mixed signals and he was having trouble figuring out her intentions. After all this time, was she still trying to prove that he was Cyon? Considering the fighting, eating and getting him to talk about himself, it seemed more likely this was all just to reassure her that he was NOT Cyon.

"What're you thinking about?" Lucario finally asked, wiping the corners of his mouth with a not-so-clean napkin. Rukario continued thinking for another few seconds, before facing him with an earnest gaze.

"Do you think I am strong?" she asked.

"… You were trashing Blue, and you need to ask?" Lucario answered, and Rukario took a deep breath.

"So. Strong enough to fight on a competitive level?" she asked hopefully. The sudden question made a hairy ball of a Pokémon a few paces away turn its head towards them for a moment before walking away, quietly scoffing to itself. It took Lucario a moment to recognize the question – He had expected something regarding Cyon or maybe himself, but was instead faced with something unlike anything he had been asked before.

"Not sure, it's not like I'm a professional," Lucario replied with a shrug, sizing up Rukario and finding it impossible not to compare her unfavorably to his more fearsome opponents, "To be honest, I've met some crazy powerful trained Pokémon, like Torana and Raik-"

"Torana!?" Rukario suddenly burst out in shock, interrupting him as she stared in awe, "Surely you have not fought THE Torana?"

"What, Brendan's Blaziken? Strongest Pokémon ever?" Lucario said nonchalantly with an obvious tone of glee to his voice, "Yep, fought her. Beat her."

Rukario's stare of awe immediately turned into a skeptical look, clearly not buying his unlikely story.

"… She wasn't using any fire moves until the end," Lucario admitted with a very bitter sigh, wishing he'd be allowed to act high and mighty just once in his life, "And I kind of, well, almost died."

"Tell me in detail," Rukario requested, her skepticism diminishing but still desiring verification. Lucario started by simply detailing the situation and area to prove his legitimacy, but Rukario insisted on hearing a blow-by-blow explanation of the fight itself. The memory was still fresh in his mind, each faded bruise and soft spot across his body like a memo of the past. She would ask him of the techniques he used, how he was able to exploit Torana's openings and other strategic accomplishments that were really just spur of the moment. After a while, he wondered if Rukario was really just seeing if he was telling the truth, or had reasons of her own to be listening to this.

"… Very interesting…" Rukario said after the story was finished, a rather big and excited smile on her face. Lucario felt like asking her what she was thinking of again, but decided to keep quiet. She probably had a lot to think about without him interrupting her thoughts over and over.

"Blue has been egging me on to utilize my skill in battle," Rukario spoke up after a while, her smile remaining fast as she looked at him with genuine passion, "Real battles, I mean. Competitive level. I just never thought it was possible for a Lucario like me, until…"

"D… Did I just alter the course of your life?" Lucario stammered in shock as Rukario giggled.

"Second time, now," Rukario admitted before closing her eyes and shaking her head, "… No. It is like you said – This is something I want to do from my own free will. Not something I feel I have to do, because…"

Her newfound smile suddenly disappeared.

"… Because…" she repeated with a blank stare. Lucario looked behind him, wondering if she had seen something dangerous. Indeed, there was a rather menacing cyclops tree walking down the street with roots for feet, but such sights were really nothing special in a world of Pokémon.

"I… Completely forgot…" Rukario gasped as she put her hand over her mouth, "For the first time since… Why is it that being with someone who looks and sounds exactly like Cyon made me forget about him?"

"Maybe because aside from that, I'm not like Cyon at all?" Lucario responded quickly to put on some pressure, afraid she would revert to her former pitiful state. It was a fear shared by Rukario, who had previously fallen so deep into despair she thought she would never escape. Her life had been geared towards being spent in solitude while mourning Cyon forever, or latching on to anyone similar enough for endless emotional support.

But here she was, smiling and talking about the future, battling and eating out with a friend, nary a thought spared to the past. And she had done it on her own. No, she thought, not entirely on her own – Through refusing to assist her, the spikeless Lucario had inadvertently helped her, forcing her to take command and work everything out by herself. She had reached out for a helping hand, and he had swatted it away every time.

Removing her hand from her mouth, she looked at Lucario with skepticism. She had no idea whether to be grateful or not for what was ultimately a complete unwillingness to help someone in a bad situation, but she was suddenly feeling very good about herself and he was the only one to play any part in it whatsoever. He had come here today to see if she was alright and decided to go along with what she wanted to do, even though none of this had ever been his responsibility in the first place.

"Not even a little," she spoke clearly before putting on her gentle smile from earlier, "I cannot believe I forgot to ask… But what is your name?"

"Lucario?" he replied with a hint of confusion, fairly certain she already knew.

"No, no… Your REAL name," Rukario insisted before moving a little closer to him. Lucario figured that being a Lucario herself, it must be very annoying to refer to someone else as "Lucario". He possessed one name he knew for certain he would not be telling her, and so he went for the answer he always did in these kinds of situations.

"Ethan," Lucario said confidently while staring into Rukario's eyes. Would they display surprise? Would they display any recognition at all? Would they display amazement, would they display fear or would they even display hatred?

His musings seemed to be for nothing, because he instantly lost sight of her face as something soft brushed past him. Glancing down, he saw Rukario taking hold of his hands. It was strange to be touched by paws as big as his own, almost like being grasped by something wearing large pillows for gloves.

"Ethan…" she said earnestly, "I am sorry for how I treated you, Ethan."

Lucario swallowed as he noticed two passerby's stopping and staring at them, a brightly colored hawk whispering something to what could only be described as a wormy substance sticking out of a hollow rock.

"Whoa, hey, I'm sorry for hitting you and all that," Lucario responded shakily while twisting his head around in embarrassment, "Come on, don't apologize. You saved me and I treated you like dirt all the time."

"Well, then. I forgive you?" Rukario redacted her statement before letting go; also starting to notice the attention they were getting. The odd duo of bird and worm smiled as they quickly turned their heads and went on their way. Lucario had no idea why they were getting so many looks from strangers, wondering if two Lucario being together was taboo or something. However, Rukario was not quite as naïve – She knew that the ones not stopped in their tracks from the fact that they were seeing a shiny would definitely be interested by a Lucario with no spikes.

"I should go back to the hotel to speak with Blue," Rukario said as she was finally getting a bit tired of being in the public's eye, "What are your plans?"

"Same. I need to teleport back to where I was," Lucario explained, fairly certain he had nothing else to do in Snowpoint City. Rukario looked at him with a confused expression.

"You… Teleported here?" she asked before looking around, "From another Pokécenter?"

"From… A cave in the middle of nowhere?" Lucario unintentionally mimicked the manner of her answer, "Why?"

"You don't know? It's only possible to teleport to Pokécenters," Rukario explained, wondering how far Lucario had traveled just to see her, "And only the one previously visited. Flying is better, and you can usually hire a ride from cities like this, as long as you have money."

Lucario shrugged, but was actually getting a bit concerned now. It occurred to him that Blue did not know what relationship he and Rukario had - It was possible that the trainer had dumped him there and left, thinking he was home now. Lucario had no idea where Nomad's Land was or how to get back to there, and chasing Blue around the world just for such a menial task seemed like a huge waste of time.

"Here," Rukario said, stretching out her arm towards him. Lucario looked down for a moment, noticing four large yellow coins in the palm of her hand.

"It should be enough for a ride anywhere," she said with an urging tone, "I owe you one for snatching you out of the sky, remember?"

"Haha… Yeah," Lucario snickered. He had only been flying four times in his life, the first time while he was dying from a pathetic defeat, the second abruptly ending by getting tackled out of the sky, the third during a powerful storm and the fourth one while in a cage. Given this unpleasant history he was not exactly looking forward to it, but wanted to end his meeting with Rukario on a high note before anything bad spontaneously happened. Reminding himself not to instigate a hug, Lucario put his hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, it's been fun. Let's do this again sometime," he said, Rukario looking at him with a stunned expression.

"Ethan… Don't be gone too long," she replied with a nod, "Next time we meet, I'll show you how far I've made it on my own."

The moment held on a bit longer than necessary before they separated, Lucario nodding to her in return. Both were filled with a great deal of thoughts about the other as they turned and walked in separate directions. Rukario turned back one last time to see Lucario disappearing behind an alleyway, faintly wondering if she was ever going to see him again.

The temperature dropped slightly as the shadows of the afternoon grew longer, and Lucario felt a bout of nostalgia from wandering the snowy city he had left behind so long ago. Thoughts of the past clouded his mind, but cleared his thoughts as to what to make of Rukario. The strangest conjecture came upon him as he questioned if maybe they weren't so different after all. Rukario had been hunted by trainers all her life for being a shiny, and he had been hunted all of his short life as a Lucario for a bit more complex reasons. She too had trouble figuring out what to do with her life, and Lucario hoped he would not waste years wandering aimlessly as she did. But most importantly, she had fallen into depression and desperation after losing Cyon, and Lucario suddenly realized he might end up the same regarding Mew if he did not forget about her soon. How could he claim any moral high ground when he would probably react the same if someone looking exactly like Mew were to appear and taunt him with her very existence? There was a distinct match between them, perhaps even more so than when his body still belonged to Cyon.

Lost in thoughts, Lucario failed to notice the presence of one unlike the others in town. An assassin, skulking around in the shadows of the alleyway. Despite carrying all the necessary tools for dispatching any prey, the assassin was not after anyone at this particular moment. That is, before noticing a certain spikeless Lucario walking down the street.

Keeping to the darkness, the assassin followed the seemingly lost Lucario until certain that they were alone. Overly confident in his ability to sense the aura of those around him, Lucario was careless and took no note as the murderous assailant sneaked up behind him. Even as the killer reached out with the weapon that had seen to the death of so many others he remained oblivious, not noticing that something was wrong until the sharp edge was beginning to tickle the hair on his right shoulder.

"Boo," the assassin whispered into his ear, causing Lucario to quickly step forward before spinning around, holding up a guard and getting ready to fight. But he eased up as he realized who it was, feeling a mixture of happiness and surprise.

"Zerobi!?" Lucario blurted out in shock, "What the… What a coincidence! Why are you here?"

"… I live here?" Zerobi answered with a blank stare, the elegant Weavile pleasantly surprised to see Lucario back on his feet with a sober posture, "This is the only populated area for fifty miles, where would I be if not here?"

"Oh yeah. How's the old place doing?" Lucario asked while crossing his arms and feeling a pang of bother. Was Zerobi thinking of retiring from their adventures? Zerobi noticed Lucario's sudden unease and subdued a laughter, hoping to cheer him up somehow.

"Oh, you know. Obnoxious squatters. Big hole in the ceiling," Zerobi muttered while waving one of her scythe-like hands around, "I think I can do better. What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you, of course!" Lucario said loudly, but Zerobi's skeptical look told him that explanation wouldn't fly, "Nah. Just here to visit an old friend. You?"

"Same… Which is weird, considering neither of us have any old friends," Zerobi answered while letting the tone of her voice drop. The two were seemingly trying to outmatch the other with how much skepticism they could emote, Zerobi grimacing to create many lines in her forehead with Lucario mimicking Rukario's reaction to his story about Torana while also inquisitively scratching the bottom of his chin. Eventually they both cracked from the silly display, Lucario giving a short laugh as Zerobi turned her head down and giggled.

"Rukario," Lucario exclaimed, "Think I finally got her to stop chasing me around."

"Ah," Zerobi replied while lifting her head, "Wait, she's still here? She lives here too?"

"I have no idea," Lucario exclaimed while shrugging, wanting to shift the subject before being forced to revisit the past few hours so soon, "Who did you meet?"

Zerobi closed her eyes as she thought to herself for a moment, her excitement diminishing as she was suddenly feeling very somber. She saw no reason to hide what she had been up to, it was just that she felt a bit awkward talking about it with a third party.

"Well, I've been patching things up with my best friend…" Zerobi explained, wondering if Lucario had any idea what she was talking about, "You know, best friend pre-killing spree."

"… Wish you wouldn't put it like that," Lucario mumbled with a hint of disgust, suddenly being reminded of a less charming part to her character. Still, one short minute together with the Weavile and he already felt like he could understand her better than the soothsaying Zoroark or Snivy.

"Sorry," Zerobi said while wagging her colorful finger, "Anyway, it's nice to be talking to her again. She doesn't hate my guts! Can you believe it!?"

Lucario did think it a bit weird, considering how much Zerobi had gone on about everyone wanting her dead. Well, if he was able to forgive her, why not? He was so caught up in their conversation, it took him a long while to realize something was off about Zerobi's normally colorless metal claws. He let his vision drift slowly downwards when he noticed something the size of a clove of bananas hanging from the tip of one of her fingers. A colorful box with a ribbon, a distinct lack of scratches proving it had not had too much interaction with her scythe-hands.

"What's that?" Lucario asked while pointing towards Zerobi's midsection. Zerobi furrowed her brow as she looked down at herself, before realizing what he was referring to.

"Oh, right, I picked up a present!" Zerobi said cheerfully as she held up the dangling object in front of him, "Christmas Eevee, or something? We were busy with that whole virus thing and missed it, but you're supposed to give each other presents. Perfect cure for a depression, don't you think?"

"Wow! Hey, thanks!" Lucario exclaimed joyfully as he reached out. However, Zerobi quickly withdrew her claw and stepped back, her expression showing dismay.

"It's, uh, not for you," Zerobi explained hastily while keeping the box securely behind her back, "Sis is the only one I've heard talk about Christmas, I didn't know you… I mean, it'd be weird to just randomly give someone a present, right?"

"Who'd complain?" Lucario asked with a shrug before trying to move around her to get another peek, "Come on, I was depressed too! Let me have it!"

"You REALLY wouldn't find much use for this… I hope," Zerobi clarified while twisting around to keep the present out of his reach, figuring Celebi would be none too happy if someone else knew of its contents, "I burnt the last of my money on this too, so unless you feel like celebrating Christmas by beating up and robbing some helpless trainer…"

"I do!" Lucario yelled as he gave up on retrieving the box and crossed his arms in disapproval, "Actually, I wouldn't mind having some cash. Maybe it's time for me to get a job? I mean, I bet the market for violence and theft is pretty saturated."

"… A job?" Zerobi repeated with a baffled expression, the sudden shift in subject making her instantly forget all about the present, "Uh, Lucario? You're not human anymore. No need to slave away for cash, just find a nice cave to stay in and a good supply of berries!"

"But I hate sleeping in caves and eating berries," Lucario pointed out while moving closer to her and stretching out his arm, "If I had a job, I could sleep in a bed and eat real food! Also-"

Swift as the wind, Lucario's outstretched arm reached down and gave Zerobi's box a quick tap from behind, causing it to easily slip off her claw and into Lucario's other hand.

"H-Hey! Don't open it!" Zerobi pleaded as she tried to take it back, Lucario stepping back a mile to avoid the onslaught of her massive sharp claws. He suddenly felt a bit guilty as he decided not to open the box, but instead held it up to his ear and rattled it. It was of medium weight, and there was something big and rectangular inside smashing against some kind of padding. He sighed out in disappointment – Inside the box was another box, and he had no way of determining its contents.

Zerobi had a look of disappointment on her face as she approached him and held up her claw. Lucario reflected her expression as he slowly hung the present back where it belonged.

"You can tell me, I'm good at keeping secrets," Lucario tried one last time, but Zerobi simply shook her head.

"Doesn't matter. This is private," she said, and suddenly an idea sprung up within Lucario.

"Aha! Of course, it's a pair of briefs!" he said while pointing at the box, "You know, underwear? Not even Celebi can deal with the biting cold of this region around _those_ regions, can she?"

"Pfft," Zerobi snorted in amusement as she turned and started walking down the alleyway, "Imagine how weird she'd look with underwear on."

"Wouldn't be that b…" Lucario argued before imagining the silly display for a moment and cracking up, "… Heheh, yeah, I guess it'd be pretty bad."

Fleeting images of Celebi with nothing but boxer shorts on passed imperceptibly through Lucario's mind as Zerobi took a moment to rejoice that the two of them were together again, even though they had not been apart for too long. She had always had faith that he would overcome his drunken depression, but it was still nice to verify that he back in shape, although maybe not in the perfect shape she had come to remember him by. Zerobi realized that her little prank earlier had cost her a welcome hug, and that she still had no mints for future kissing sessions. Asking her deeply grieving sister for something so selfish would be a new low, even for her. She hoped her present would not be taken the wrong way, it did cost her most of whatever little money she had left hidden in her old home, and keeping the nature of it secret from Lucario would not be easy. Even so, she was simply feeling too good with herself after reconciling with Eve, and had an overwhelming urge to share some of it.

"So… You want to go do something?" Zerobi asked as she noticed Lucario looking into the display window of Fabricadabra, a textile shop from which she had bought a makeshift cloak a few years back. Unsurprisingly, he was sizing up a pair of shorts.

"Sure. Just ate, though," Lucario said as he let his four coins from earlier tumble around the palm of his hand, muttering slightly while looking at the price tag.

"Then come on," Zerobi said as she ushered him in another direction, "I know a place where you can put that money to good use."


	115. Reading: Epilogue of Episode XIV

Although fairly big, it was an inconspicuous building in every way. Clad in grey walls, it had both a sloping ramp and a staircase leading up its humble entryway wearing a telltale sign reading "Two Essay", with a figure of a boy wearing glasses lying on top of the two S:es.

"A bookstore?" Lucario spoke up after a moment of silence, "… You do know I'm practically living in a fantasy novel, right?"

"That's exactly why! Pick a book about something you want to learn more about," Zerobi replied as she effortlessly walked up the ramp, "You have to stop relying on me for all your information, I never even graduated high school."

Lucario sighed as he followed her, but could not find any good footing on the slippery slope. Instead he sidetracked and went up the staircase.

"Besides, I need to practice my reading skills," Zerobi pointed out with a sigh as the doors in front of her opened automatically, "I went from reading every day to not reading ever. I don't want to forget everything and have to start over from scratch."

"Isn't it like riding a bike? You never forget how to do it?" Lucario asked while strenuously climbing the staircase, his misshapen feet finding it a bit difficult to accommodate the design clearly meant for humans. Zerobi looked back at him with an expression that suggested she did not agree that riding a bicycle was easy, and then they moved inside.

The air in the bookstore was stuffy and carried the telltale fragrance of paper. Apart from the two of them there were no Pokémon inside, but there were not that many humans either. Nothing but an old lady scouring the bookcases for something to read, a younger lady by the register twiddling a pencil and a man in his forties flipping through the pages of a book, all of them looking fairly bored.

Unsurprisingly, books were everywhere. Overflowing bookcases segregated into category and organized alphabetically, stacks of literature in bargain bins and multiple book-related accessories, one looking more superfluous than the next. Zerobi noticed they had rearranged the interior, and was busy searching for a particular section of the store that normally fancied her interests. Meanwhile, Lucario lazily perused their immediate vicinity, reading the titles and looking at the covers. Most looked pretty dull and generic, but even so there was one that caught his eye. A book called "The Islands Of Death," with a very familiar group of islands pictured on the cover.

"Oh, hey. A book on the great war," he said out loud while opening the book, immediately recognizing a legendary photograph of a blonde man in army fatigue leaning up against the ruins of a destroyed school in Striaton City, "Brings back memories…"

Zerobi looked at the book with mild interest, lifting it carefully with a clawed finger to catch a glimpse of the cover. She stared at it for a few moments before letting go.

"Wait… You weren't around for the great war, were you?" she asked with curiosity. She knew Lucario was older than he appeared, on account of living a long life as a human before even turning into a Pokémon. While his body was slightly younger than hers, he was definitely a few years older in terms of how long he had been alive.

"It happened 50 years before I was born, so no," Lucario replied with a snarky tone as he continued flipping through the pages, "They just taught us about it in school a lot."

"Hmm. They didn't teach us much history," Zerobi mumbled as she leaned up next to him to read the contents of the book, "What was it again, Kanto fought Unova and won?"

"Actually, it was a coalition between Kanto and Johto against Unova, who had an alliance with Sinnoh," Lucario explained, surprised to remember so much about history he had never revisited since the tedious lectures of schooldays long gone by. Zerobi nuzzled up affectingly against his shoulder which made him notice that everyone else in the store were staring at them, although he did not realize the people had been giving him odd looks for a while now simply for being a Pokémon with an open book in his hands.

"Uh, the dispute was regarding ownership on the Sevii Islands though, so technically it was just Kanto and Unova with anything to gain from it," he continued with a rapid pace as to shift her mind to other matters. Zerobi smiled and closed her eyes, unintentionally paying attention despite the subject of war not being very romantic.

"Sevii… You mean Navel Rock…?" she whispered dreamily before her eyes suddenly shot open in surprise, "Wait, what? Why would anyone fight a war over that tiny little island!?"

Lucario shrugged while scanning the book for relevant information.

"Resources, I think. No one's sure of who really owned them. Started with an embargo and things escalated," he muttered before looking at Zerobi hugging his side, "They really didn't teach you anything at school, huh?"

"They really only taught us about it from our point of view, I guess," Zerobi responded while staring blankly at the book, "We call it the Genealogy Wars, or 'Gen Wars' for short. You made it sound like it was only a war between human interests, why do you think Pokémon were in it?"

Lucario was about to make a condescending remark before stopping at a page, and indeed, there was a picture with both humans and Pokémon side by side in dirty conditions. The war he remembered did not involve Pokémon at all.

"Humans… Forced them?" he suggested, figuring it would only be logical to bring super powered beasts to a conflict between life and death, "What, you're saying they had their own reasons?"

Zerobi exhaled a puff of air as she tried to remember. History lessons about the great war took place during a time when most of her attention was focused on Evolution's Gate.

"Supposedly most Pokémon didn't particularly like the Pokémon heralding from other regions back then," she explained in a low tone, her neck starting to hurt from leaning so heavily on Lucario's shoulder, "Figured they had inferior genes. Kanto Pokémon thought Unova Pokémon looked weird and ridiculous, they said we were weak and had really simplistic appearances and so on."

"But… You all look weird," Lucario pointed out, not having detected any hierarchy of strangeness among Pokémon. Zerobi snickered as she separated from him and stood up, cracking her neck back into place.

"… Heh. Hehehe. That's a funny way to look at it," she said while feeling refreshed, "Anyway, the human conflict was a good chance to show supremacy. Very many died before we came to the conclusion that Kanto Pokémon were indeed better at killing than those from Unova."

Lucario stared at her with disbelief for a moment before putting the book back in the bookcase.

"Hey, it's a better reason for fighting than some useless island," Zerobi said while shrugging.

"Marginally," Lucario mumbled and started looking for something else to read. Zerobi went deeper into the store, having finally found the section she was looking for. They each tried reading a few random books before meeting up again five minutes later.

"Found anything good yet?" Zerobi asked, trying to catch a peek on whatever Lucario was reading.

"It's just a cookbook," Lucario muttered with disappointment before putting it back on the shelf.

"Hold on, don't you need that?" Zerobi asked while making a mental note of the book's title for future purchase, "You always complain about everything tasting bad. If someone close to you learned how to cook…"

"Cookbooks don't teach you how to cook," Lucario explained with disdain, "They just contain complicated recipes. Makes it more likely to screw things up."

"Oh…" Zerobi exclaimed sadly, realizing that learning how to cook just entered the realms of impossibility, "Surely it teaches you something?"

"Well… I did learn why humans are smarter than Pokémon," Lucario said. The corners of Zerobi's mouth quickly turned downwards and her expression demanded an explanation.

"See, you all eat berries, right?" Lucario relegated what he had just learned with a proud tone to his voice, "Well, that cookbook said cooked food makes it easier for the body to absorb nutrition. It's like a preemptive stage of digestion outside the stomach, which in return helps build neurons and leads to bigger brains."

"What? I don't get it," Zerobi said out loud, feeling a bit offended by the notion that humans were inherently smarter than Pokémon. Humans did have an easier time with a couple of skills that few Pokémon could appreciate such as complicated math and finer arts, but many Pokémon possessed unique senses that improved other cognitive functions.

"According to that book, it's because you eat everything raw and thus have no brain power," Lucario chided with a superior smile. Zerobi rolled her eyes in response. While humans excelled in things such as construction and music, writing and painting, Pokémon were generally better at remembering things correctly and processing new information. Hence why she could remember the name, type and footprint of almost every Pokémon in existence after only a year of study, whereas a human would need a Pokédex to keep track of things.

"Oh please," she scoffed, "It's not like berries are hard to digest."

"Says you!" Lucario shouted before suppressing a laugh, "Hehehaha, whatever. Bet it's smarter than your book."

"Bet it is," Zerobi replied bluntly, holding it up to show Lucario. On the cover was a very, very romanticized version of a Gardevoir held in the arms of a shirtless, muscled human with a confident expression on his face, the title 'Forbidden Sir Knight' hanging above them in a stylized font. Lucario still vividly remembered the Gardevoir he had seen at Brendan's side, wondering how this beautiful and attractive woman on the cover could ever be derived from that cancerous apprehension to aesthetics.

"I didn't know you liked romantic novels," Lucario said with mild distaste.

"I don't," Zerobi replied quickly before starting to read it again, "Well, I like some. But only the best."

"So, you've read quite a few?" Lucario asked, but Zerobi remained silent as she continued reading. Feeling bored, he looked around and realized they were in a very strange section of the store, if the covers around him were anything to go by. Most of the books had a scantily clad woman being held by a Pokémon, the latter very male and surprisingly human-like in appearance. Some were like the one Zerobi was reading and had the genders between the species reversed, but those were few and far between. Feeling a bit disgusted by the display, he was about to leave when he found a book that really caught his eye.

On the cover was a Lucario, one of his filthy paws caressing the thigh of a beautiful lady in regal, albeit almost fully removed clothing.

Lucario continued to stare at the picture. Despite each passing second filling him with revulsion, he could not turn away. Many a time he had seen his reflection in a lake or mirror, but no matter where or when, he had always recognized a certain spark of humanity within himself. His bipedal stature, his strong arms and his shorts all heralded to his former appearance.

Only when pictured in a romanticized manner could he see how wrong he had been. There was no comparison between the fair woman and the abominable beast that held her. Ears, nose and black lumps stuck out from his face like a whole hand of sore thumbs. Lucario caressed his own face, feeling every inch of his elongated nose, noting his ears involuntarily flicking from his touch and sensing minor nausea from squeezing the stuff that hung behind his head. He looked down at his legs – They did not feel too different, but boy did they look different. He himself was not sure where his legs ended and his feet began. Who would think to ruin a perfectly fine picture by forcing something like himself into it?

"Nope, not feeling it," Zerobi exclaimed as she slammed the book shut, "I guess I've gotten too picky. I'd kill to be able to erase my memory and read 'Nine Years of Flame, Nine Years of Shame' again for the first time."

She looked up at Lucario, who was looking back at her with a horrified expression.

"I mean, I wouldn't REALLY kill…" Zerobi corrected herself as she waved her big hand in front of the stunned Lucario, "… It's a joke? Hello?"

"Can we go now? I'm getting sick of this place," Lucario stated bluntly as he cast a glance around the area, trying not to let on that he was also getting sick _from_ this place.

"I suppose. Did you find a book about Ethan yet?" Zerobi asked while putting Forbidden Sir Knight back where she had taken it.

"Huh?" Lucario exclaimed in confusion. Zerobi sighed as she reluctantly picked up a different book.

"To fill in the gaps in your memory?" she asked with a slightly annoyed tone. In an instant, Lucario's muddled expression cleared up.

"Th-They wrote books about me!?" he stammered in surprise.

"People write books about everything," Zerobi clarified as she started reading the back of the new book with a vacant expression, "Check out any encyclopedia about famous trainers, you're sure to be in it."

Happy with any excuse to get away from the sordid romantic section, Lucario scoured the store and finally found a book named 'How to Conquer the World of Pokémon', promising a detailed look on the lives and journeys of the four major champions; Red, Blue, Brendan and Ethan. Fifteen minutes later Zerobi had made her pick, buying two books of varying flavor; The first was named 'Debunking The Truth', a book exploring the many mysteries of the world through science and reason rather than superstition and subscription count, as Zerobi herself put it. She herself suggested Lucario not know much about the second book, an offer he gladly took her up on after his previous encounter with the horrors of romantic novels.

The sun was setting as they left the store, Lucario letting his only remaining coin fall into the bag where their books laid.

"Thanks for carrying," Zerobi expressed with gratitude, knowing no handle in the world was designed to accommodate her claws, "Where'd you get that money, anyway?"

"Whoops!" Lucario exclaimed as he froze up, remembering that the money was meant to bring him to Nomad's Land, "… Uh, do you know the way back? Did you come here on foot?"

"You didn't?" Zerobi responded with a hint of surprise, knowing how stingy the revolutionaries were with letting anyone hitch a ride.

"Nah, I teleported here with Blue," Lucario answered calmly.

"Blue…" Zerobi repeated in an equally calm manner, before her mouth fell open and she raised her voice, "… Blue!? Are you mad!? What if Brendan and Red-"

"Don't worry, don't worry! I already talked to them," Lucario interrupted her while waving his hands around. Zerobi stared at him in disbelief, not seeing any visible damage across his body.

"You're… Off the hook?" Zerobi drew the only conclusion she could think of, fairly certain the revolutionaries would not come to bat for Lucario against two legendary dogs.

"Kind of. At least for the time being, I think," Lucario admitted as he wondered which chapter of his new book he should start with. He was eager to know more about his life as Ethan, but knowing what makes the likes of Brendan tick might come to save his life one day.

A heavy weight suddenly lifted from Zerobi's heart, and she was forced to bite her tongue to keep herself from shouting out in joy. Victory, she thought to herself. The last obstacle before retiring to a nice, peaceful life was gone. At long last, the time had come to make a decisive move.

"Finally. No more running," she whispered innocently while nudging a little closer to Lucario, "We've had two pretty stressful years, huh?"

"For sure," Lucario agreed while not noticing her subtle approach, "I'm worn out as hell."

"Then let's go somewhere!" Zerobi exclaimed happily as her face lit up, "If we stick around with those revolutionaries, we're bound to get dragged into something else!"

"Go somewhere?" Lucario asked while scratching the back of his head, "Where? Another bookstore?"

"Anywhere but here!" Zerobi continued while letting her hand point towards the horizon where the sun was setting, "Come on, we deserve a vacation more than anyone. Let's sit back and watch the revolutionaries and legendaries wrap this whole thing on their own."

Surprised by this sudden request, Lucario could not help but be affected by Zerobi's peppy demeanor. It reminded him of the time they had been stuck with the rest of the legendaries, and she suggested they get out of there and go somewhere else. He wondered if maybe she had an issue with large crowds.

"I guess," Lucario replied with a shrug, not certain that he was in a position where he was even allowed to just ditch all of his responsibilities, "I think I can go on a little bit longer, though. It'd feel a bit pointless if I just gave up now when there's so much left to accomplish."

Lowering her arm, Zerobi looked at him as her smile suddenly began to vanish. It was a minor setback, but she had waited too long to be able to easily shrug it off. She was starting to feel tired, so very tired of this game.

"A little bit longer…" she repeated quietly before looking the other way, not sure on what to say next. She was tethered between pressing on, and just outright giving up here and now to spare herself pointless effort.

"Wh-What?" Lucario stuttered, surprised by the sudden shift in tone. He thought his statement would make her happy.

"… You're finally free, but you still want to keep going…?" Zerobi said with a questioning voice, trying to find out what he was thinking, "I don't get you. Haven't you already accomplished enough?"

"W… Well, I'm not really allowed to tell anyone about the virus," Lucario explained, trying to figure out what was wrong about what he was saying, "And Torana decided to cop out of admitting my victory. Come on, you can see why after all this I don't want to go down in history as a nobody, right?"

Zerobi couldn't, as she herself would have been perfectly happy going down in history as a nobody rather than a genocidal monster. It was definitively not a legitimate reason to see her golden chance to settle down with Lucario slipping away.

"You don't have to force yourself to live in constant peril just to accomplish things, you know…" she tried to negotiate, "If you're looking for recognition, there are other things we could do. You don't even want to try something different?"

Lucario crossed his arms, starting to realize that Zerobi was only worried about him getting hurt. For the first time in ages he was not under any direct threat, and he figured she wanted him to pull out before getting dragged into something else. However, at the same time it felt weird to give up right when he was finally free to do whatever he wanted. If things started to get dangerous again, he could always bail out then.

"Like I said, just let me try this a little while longer," Lucario said while putting his hand on Zerobi's shoulder, "Starting to feel like all my training was for nothing. If I haven't garnished some goddamn respect by the end of this, I'm going to feel very miserable."

Zerobi stared into his eyes, not detecting deception and not expecting it either. Her withheld hostility was starting to ebb away, and she wondered if she had overreacted. The fact that he was not entirely opposed to the idea was good news, after all. She would just have to be a little more patient.

"Wouldn't want that," she replied and felt herself cheer up, "Bet you're still only known around these parts as the guy who beat up six police officers."

Lucario smiled for a moment before the weight of her statement hit him. He looked around, the previously calming environment starting to feel less safe.

"Yeah… Uh, maybe we should get going already?" he said, trying to pick up the aura of four angry Mienfoo out to exact vengeance. Remembering their narrow escape, Zerobi snickered as she waved for Lucario to follow her, and they went on their way back to Nomad's Land.

Unnoticed by both, a minor tremor passed underneath their feet. The dying shakes of a mighty rumble originating from a place many miles away, far beneath the Earth's mantle. This seemingly unimportant event would come to baffle many dedicated geologists. A continent-wide tremble, but no earthquake or devastation anywhere. What had caused it? What did it mean? Complicated explanations and wild theories would fly around the science community for some time to come, but to the intended recipient this message was immediately obvious.

* * *

><p><em>Rise to the surface<br>Let the destruction be eternal_


	116. Many Unruly Mankey

Dawn broke, but did little to wake up the peacefully sleeping forest. Unparalleled stillness and silence reigned apart from the quietly rustling of leaves in the wind, and the occasional muttering of a certain Lucario who was quickly getting fed up with the treacherous terrain. While not quite on the same level as the jungle surrounding No Man's Land, the many roots and bushes did their part to slow him down and stub his toes.

"With so much overgrowth… You'd expect things to be a little warmer…" Lucario groaned as he could see that his breath was still visible from the cold. Zerobi followed him at a two meter distance, having gotten smacked by far too many accidentally bent branches snapping back into place to willingly move any closer. She also took the opportunity to make sure they were not being stalked, the unnaturally quiet forest making her feel uneasy.

"Weren't you complaining about the climate the last time too?" she asked, wondering if she even needed to point out that things were already getting little too warm for her taste. Lucario let the comment linger in his mind for a few moments before he suddenly stopped and looked around.

"Wait… Did we pass through here the last time?" Lucario asked, feeling a sense of familiarity about the woods. He could not shake the feeling that he had been there before, even though there weren't any unique telltale signs to set it apart from any other typical forest.

"Nope. We went south then, this is west," Zerobi explained as she approached from behind and gave him a light push, "Come on, keep going. I don't like this place."

"Me neither. I can't put my finger on it, but something's strange…" Lucario muttered as he continued walking, the two of entering a small clearing. A calming sunlit meadow surrounded by trees and rocks, a perfect spot for weary travelers or inhabitants looking for relaxation. However, this peaceful sight only made Zerobi feel less calm.

"You mean, beside the fact that this entire place is completely devoid of Pokémon…?" she whispered with a low tone, certain that she had ever seen such a fine display of nature to go completely uninhabited before. There was no shortage of wilderness that even Pokémon avoided, but when she passed through here three weeks prior it had been teeming with life and action.

"Huh? No, it isn't," Lucario said before tapping the side of his head, "I sense multiple aura all around us."

Zerobi felt a little relieved to hear that, but looking around the spookily deserted area showed nothing but foliage all around.

"… Really? I can't see any-" she started, but was interrupted by a nearby snort. It was followed by branches snapping and leaves rustling as several round figures popped out from above, previously hidden by the thick tree crowns. Zerobi gasped and turned around, pushing her back up against Lucario's as she realized they were being surrounded.

"You've got some pretty bad eyesight, then!" Lucario shouted, failing to get a good look at whatever was ambushing them, the white ball-shaped creatures bouncing around from root to branch, crown to soil with impeccable dexterity. He grit his teeth while holding up his guard, but the weird Pokémon never made a move to strike, instead moving around them in disorienting patterns.

Finally they stopped with almost perfect synchronization, and a sinister cackle filled the air. Lucario felt his muscles untighten as he got a good look at their assailants and realized it was just a pack of Mankey. Chittering balls of hair with lanky limbs, angry eyes and a slender tail, Lucario already knew the stinging sensation of their tiny claws but was not really afraid of Pokémon he had been able to trash back at the very start of his life as a Lucario.

However, these Mankey were quite different from any other Pokémon he had met. Instead of appearing as a massive group of identical twins, each individual was wearing unique apparel to clearly distinguish them from one another. It ranged from scruffy hats to various pieces of human clothing worn on their heads, armbands and wristwatches wrapped around their tails and some had taken to use lipstick and other makeup in a poor attempt at war paint.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Lucario laughed out loud, doubling over from the silly display as the sinister cackling diminished, "What are you wearing!?"

"Society!" one Mankey with a fingerless glove on the end of its tail yelled out, "Which we killed!"

"Taxes!" another Mankey yelled out, covered in some kind of sparkle and glittering nicely in the sun, "Your taxes!"

Without warning, all the Mankey started answering at once in a maelstrom of chatter, drowning out Lucario's continuous laughter. Amidst the tumult, Zerobi edged closer and nudged him with her shoulder.

"Hey, hey… Shouldn't we be running?" Zerobi whispered, wondering if this was a good time for joking around, "… Are they really that weak?"

"Hehehe, yep," Lucario whispered confidently, not noticing any impressive aura anywhere close, "If they want to fight, I'll have this wrapped up in twenty seconds."

The Mankey started arguing louder, prompting Lucario to stop laughing and instead cover his abused ears. But as he did so, his inner senses told him that a slightly more notable aura further away was on the move and heading towards them. As if on que, the Mankey all fell silent and looked towards a part of the forest where they could hear branches audibly snapping.

A very large Mankey suddenly came rushing from behind one of the trees, making a mighty leap and grabbing on to a high branch. Swinging a frontal flip, his heavy body made the whole tree bend before he landed with a slam on top of the branch and immediately made himself comfortable, leaning up against the stem and letting his legs dangle.

"Welcome to the great wild, city slickers!" the huge Mankey said with a gruff voice, raising his hand in a seemingly benevolent gesture. The rest of the Mankey cheered at his arrival, jumping up and down in excitement or swinging around in circles. Apart from the size, Lucario noticed that this particular Mankey did not have a tail, and instead of random loot taken from an old lady's handbag, he wore tough iron braces around his wrists and ankles. Zerobi had no trouble recognizing that it was a Primeape, and also that they were in more trouble.

"… Thanks…?" Lucario replied with a confused shrug, never really sure if the random monsters he frequently met wanted to be courteous or wanted him dead. Judging by Zerobi's frantic shoulder now jutting into his ribs like a jackhammer, he figured it was the latter.

"I'm the king of this forest," the Primeape said with an almost regal voice as he glared at them, his true expression hidden behind a wall of mossy fur, "And the tolls are very steep."

"Kekeke! How steep are they, boss?" a Mankey chimed in before rolling around on the ground like a ball.

"Give us everything you own, and you may go on your way!" the Primeape shouted out loud, and all of the Mankey started cackling at once. Zerobi stopped poking Lucario and looked at him with a dumbfounded expression, Lucario holding open the bag he had been carrying to let her peek inside. It contained the books they had bought a week back, but more importantly, the present Zerobi had bought for her sister. Zerobi gave off a painful expression as she stared at the present, but eventually closed her eyes and reluctantly nodded.

"Uh, none of this is worth fighting over," Lucario tried to plead as he looked up at the Primeape, "Are we really going to argue over some books and a plastic bag?"

"AND your pants," the Primeape answered with a grin, "Keep arguing, and we'll take your lives as well."

In an instant, Zerobi's grim expression lightened up and instead made its way over to Lucario, a demonic shadow falling over his face. He tightened his fist, letting his knuckles drift slowly over the ragged and filthy pair of shorts that was his only proof of humanity. The very same pair that had been with him all this time, the reliable pants that had successfully withstood the fierce fire of Torana and Arcanine. It beamed of Celebi's aura, a memento of his long gone quest to find Mew that he wished to retain, still thinking he could vaguely detect her scent beneath the many layers of sweat and dirt. He was not opposed to getting a fresher, fancier pair, but had yet to find a suitable replacement since they were of unknown origin. The idea of going au naturel until that point was not an appealing thought.

"Well, yes, that's the general idea…" Lucario said with a shrug and a smirk before raising his voice and glaring with hostility, "… Because the only way you're taking my pants is from my cold, dead body!"

The pack of Mankey fell quiet. Thirty two eyes stared at Lucario in surprise, before sixteen mouths started laughing in unison.

"Lucario, just give them your pants!" Zerobi pleaded, giving up on the notion of whispering as the situation was turning desperate, "These are all fighting-types! If you're looking to start a melee, I won't last a minute!"

"Again with the 'fighting-types'," Lucario muttered while glancing to the side, making sure none of the Mankey tried to rush him from outside his field of vision, "If you're implying there's a type of Pokémon that's NOT into fighting, I sure as hell haven't met one!"

The Mankey were still heartily ridiculing him by sticking out their tongues and displaying their bottoms when the Primeape lifted an arm, and they silenced in under a second.

"Outmatched, outmaneuvered, outnumbered and at a type disadvantage… But you still want to fight?" he said with an amused tone to his voice, despite the fact that his glare remained unchanged.

"We told you, boss!" a Mankey on their left chimed in, "Him and that stupid flower are crazy!"

Zerobi's temple tightened; she had been called many derogatory things before, but never a stupid flower. However, to Lucario this expression was not quite as unfamiliar, and he tried to remember where and when he had heard it. He was not given sufficient time as the Primeape suddenly bashed his chest, or possibly his face due to the difficulty of telling where or even if his head and body were separated.

"Fine! Been a while since we had some real bloodshed!" the Primeape roared triumphantly as he got ready to spring into action, the Mankey following his directive.

"Wait, wait! Not all at once!" Zerobi suddenly yelled out, temporarily halting the group's advance, "You can't just gang up on travelers like this!"

The Primeape scoffed and spat on the ground.

"These are the wilds, you spoiled brat!" he growled while clenching his fist, "For the last time - Hand us your stuff or die!"

Dejected, Zerobi frowned and prepared herself for battle. Wondering if this Primeape was as easily agitated as your typical Mankey, Lucario decided to try being rougher.

"Question – How can you be the leader if you can't even handle one guy on your own?" Lucario asked with a very loud voice while shrugging, "Or… Maybe you aren't the leader? Maybe you're just really, really fat and ugly? And scared? Scared of losing?"

The taunt did not seem too harsh coming out, but apparently it was enough. The Primeape's already hostile eyes sharpened, and he stood tall on the branch. All around them, gasps and stammering was heard.

"H-He pissed off the boss!" one Mankey stuttered fearfully.

"He's in for it now!" another Mankey yelled with a hopeful tone. The Primeape wasted no time in leaping down from the tree, Zerobi taking the opportunity to hastily back away from the smiling Lucario.

"Have it your way, you little shit! I'll rip you to shreds!" the Primeape roared as he lunged towards Lucario, bringing down both fists at once to crush him. Lucario moved out of range, retaining his stability as the Primeape's mighty attack sent a shockwave through the ground. Ignoring his misses, the Primeape kept up the assault by throwing punch after punch in Lucario's direction.

"Slowpoke!" Lucario shouted as adrenaline shot through him, finding it easy to sidestep each of the round gorilla's telegraphed punches. It did not take long for his opponent's simplistic fighting style to present an opening, Lucario pushing the ape's extended arm aside while bringing in his own for the kill. His elbow struck the Primeape's left eye, forcing the hardened primate to flinch for a moment as Lucario followed up with a few more punches.

"Hah! Pathetic!" he yelled triumphantly as the Primeape quickly backed away from him, "Pfft, maybe I've been dealing with too many legendaries? This guy's nothing!"

"Don't get careless!" Zerobi yelled in his direction, hoping Lucario could just score an easy victory for once so they could continue on their way.

"Careless? I'm kicking his ass up and down the- WHOA!" Lucario replied, but was interrupted mid-shrug as the Primeape charged with a tackle. It went past as Lucario spun around his foe and snuck in a quick hit, the Primeape giving off a deep growl and starting to throw wild punches left and right in an attempt to hit him. Lucario continued dodging and wanted to exploit the hairy beast's grossly inadequate defenses, but the sheer flurry of attacks left no chance for him to even get close. He figured it was better to let the big ape run out of stamina instead of outright knocking him out.

"Does it hurt? I can tell it hurts," Lucario taunted him on, and the Primeape responded by delivering a few devastating punches in his direction. One struck a nearby tree by mistake and ripped the bark off the impact site, although the Primeape did not show any signs of pain or stopping his endless barrage. The Mankey were cheering and shouting like spectators at a wrestling match as the Primeape tried to punch Lucario's head and he ducked. The Primeape threw his body towards Lucario and he sidestepped. The Primeape trashed violently in every direction and Lucario merely stepped back, completely avoiding the flurry of attacks. Lucario was beginning to feel complacent and wondered how much longer this was going to go on. In fact, the muscles around his torso and legs were starting to feel tired simply from twisting and dodging so much.

"Absolutely shameful! Just give up before I get serious!" Lucario shouted, failing to hide the growing fatigue in his voice as his breathing came in hard. There was no way a bulky monster doing such strenuous moves could possibly tire him out. But just to be safe side, Lucario decided to give up on simply outlasting the Primeape and instead try a counterattack. The Primeape roared as he tried to grind Lucario's head to dust between both his fists, Lucario ducking to avoid the attack and instead sweeping the ground with his leg out to knock his opponent off his feet. It was a success and the Primeape grunted as he lost balance, but while still being in midair, he lashed out with a fearsome right hook. Still crouching, Lucario had no chance to dodge as the blow struck him in the side, throwing him a significant distance away and causing him to roll uncontrollably into a large root. There was a slam and a painful crack of something breaking as Lucario came to an abrupt halt against the tree, Zerobi gasping while the Mankey howled.

The Primeape got back on his feet and gave off a triumphant bellow, showing no signs of weariness from the hectic fight. The loud noise echoed throughout the forest, alerting the few other Pokémon still crawling around that the Primeape and his gang had claimed yet another victim. Most would take this as a good reason to hastily crawl in the other direction. But not too far away from the scene of conflict, a rather different kind of Pokémon was leaning against a rock and sleeping.

The sound resonated through both of its skulls as the Pokémon quietly opened its eyes. Yawning and stretching lazily, it looked around to see what had disturbed its slumber. Hearing the incessant chitter of chimps, it concluded that the pack of Mankey had found itself in great conflict. An opportunist through and through, the scaly Pokémon picked up the weapon next to it and began walking towards the noise.


	117. Problematic Oppressor Primeape

Giving off a pained grunt, Lucario struggled to sit upright, finding it difficult to move his body. The noise of laughter surrounded him as his head bobbed back and forth, his sense of balance in complete shambles.

"Lucario! What happened!?" Zerobi shouted out in terror. The battle had been going in his favor for once, but the crack following his one failed dodge sounded unexpectedly nasty. She could not tell if he had suffered an unlucky injury, and in the corner of her eye she noticed a few of the Mankey moving closer.

"H-He…! He broke my…!" Lucario stammered with a panicked expression while laying his arm across his upper body for support. The Mankey cheered, laughed and howled as the Primeape brushed some dirt out of his fur.

"Mnngh, nice nice nice! What'd you break, boss!?" a Mankey chewing on a pair of sunglasses asked with excitement.

"His arm! His leg!" a second Mankey insisted while pulling the aforementioned Mankey's tail.

"His ribs! His ass!" a third one shouted while frantically jumping up and down in place. The Primeape shrugged, not sure if it mattered. He fastened his intimidating eyes on the previously smug Lucario leaning up helplessly against the tree.

"Like it matters! I'm going to twist him into a pile of bone and meat!" the Primeape roared as he lunged, thinking there was no need to hold back against an undefended opponent. Lucario weakly entered a crouch, but wobbled and almost fell over in a failed attempt to dodge. All he could do was close his eyes and ready himself for the blow.

As the Primeape came upon Lucario, the blue wolf suddenly rose up and struck the surprised monkey with an uppercut like a rocket. Although he could not pinpoint the vital spots of a creature with no head, the mighty strike was enough to halt the Primeape and force him to step back. Lucario tried to punch him in the eye but the Primeape was quick enough to block the attack by grabbing his hand. Showing a confused expression, the Primeape attempted to retaliate, but Lucario's completely unimpaired movement allowed him to kick the primate in the gut and force them to separate. A moment of calm appeared as the two of them caught their breath, and Lucario held up his clenched fist.

"Branch," he said with a sinister grin as he opened his hand and a thick twig in two pieces fell to the ground, "You broke my branch."

It took Zerobi a few seconds to realize where the cracking noise had come from, and the Primeape soon figured it out as well. The Mankey were all completely dumbfounded and unable to comprehend what had just happened, wondering if Lucario had some kind of rapid healing powers. But there was one that stood out from the rest.

"Well played! A devious feint for a devious fiend, I would say," one of the female Mankey spoke in a very eloquent manner. So eloquent, in fact, the scene seemed to come to a temporary standstill before the entire pack suddenly erupted into pure chaos. Taking a risk by breaking eye contact with the Primeape and trying to spot the cause of the tumult, Lucario realized that the regal voice had not come from a Mankey at all.

Sitting on top of a branch was a vaguely humanoid lizard, thick and short with brown scales covering her body. The first thing to strike Lucario as unusual about her appearance was that she was wearing another monster's horned skull as a masked helmet. The mask's eyes and mouth were hollowed out, and the head that lay underneath this exterior of bone seemed to match the macabre headgear in both shape and size. Her tail was nearly as thick as her torso and was seamlessly melded with her white underbelly, a subtle ridge of spines tracking up her back.

"Thief!" a Mankey shouted, voice stricken by annoyance rather than fear, "It's the thief!"

Twiddling a pale, thin and misshapen tree growing right next to the one she was sitting on, the Marowak crossed her stubby legs in a surprisingly limber action.

"Mmhmhm… You boys having fun?" she asked softly, looking back and forth between Lucario and the recovering Primeape. The latter seemed rather unamused by her presence as a violent snarl flashed through his hairy face.

"… YOU!" the Primeape roared angrily while waving a threatening fist towards the new arrival, "If you're here to steal from us again, I'll-"

"Oh my, no," the Marowak interrupted while shaking her head, "We both know the only content of your 'secret' stash today was a pair of underwear, a newspaper dated five weeks ago and three peeled chestnuts… Well, zero peeled chestnuts as of now."

Zerobi could not stop herself from snickering as the Marowak slightly lifted her mask and picked at the side of her sparkling teeth. The Primeape's mouth fell open in despair, but Lucario was still having a hard time getting a grip on the true nature of the somewhat draconic creature. Her aura was notably weaker than that of the Pokémon she was mocking, and if she really was a thief, her appearance was neither sneaky nor particularly nimble.

"How… How did you…" the Primeape repeated quietly before raising his voice to a fearsome bellow, "I'll kill you, you rotten Viddrer!"

"Yeah!" a Mankey on the other side of the meadow agreed with a cackling laughter, "This is our turf, bitch!"

Lucario was about to say something, but stopped himself as something very surprising happened. In a hasty motion, the Marowak ripped the thin tree next to her out of its roots and lifted it up with both arms, fluently bringing it nearly horizontal. The ivory stick stretched across the entire meadow, a whooping five times as long as Lucario, its sharp end pointed directly at the mouth of the Mankey that had just spoken up, so close he could probably lick it if he wasn't so busy choking on his own spit in terror. It had not been a tree at all, but an absurdly long pike.

"What was that, dearie?" the Marowak asked sweetly as the Mankey scrambled to back off, the impossibly lengthy spear following and jutting in his direction.

"B-B-Beauty? Beautiful beauteous beauty!" the Mankey stammered fearfully, having suddenly gained the eloquence of someone drinking tea with a queen. Moving ever closer, he could feel the spear brush his facial hair aside, before it suddenly lifted above him and lightly smacked upside his head before withdrawing.

"Mmhmm… Oh, I could never stay mad at a cutie like you!" the Marowak exclaimed with glee, entering a fit of giggling. While she was busy stealing all the attention, Zerobi and Lucario exchanged a few looks that suggested this was a good time to get the hell out of there.

"Yet still…" the Marowak continued as her laughter stopped and she secured the grip around the weapon, "… I suppose I am feeling rather peeved that you had nothing of value for me to steal."

Her eyes turned towards the Primeape, who was uncharacteristically deep in thought. Putting on a strong appearance, he remembered how they had just barely chased off the Marowak during earlier encounters while understanding the Lucario was no pushover either. Fighting both was a bad idea, but he could not back down without losing face lest he was ready to open up questions to whether he was a proper leader or not.

"… Insolent woman!" the Primeape yelled as he pointed up at the Marowak, "You dare interrupt an honorable duel between men!?"

"… More like a dishonorable murder-robbery…" Zerobi muttered and crossed her arms, not too convinced by the Primeape's sudden sense of chivalry.

"… There's such a thing as an honorable murder-robbery…?" Lucario whispered but found himself in the unusual predicament of thinking along the same lines as the Primeape. The two of them looked at each other, both sure that they were certain to win if the fight continued uninterrupted. The Marowak sighed as she sat down and leaned her spear against the equally tall tree.

"Wouldn't dream of it, my dear," she said softly as she reclined and waved her hand around, "Go on, show a lady a good time! Winner gets a kiss from the lovely moi!"

Lucario's shoulders dropped, and he was suddenly not too keen on winning. Any further lamentations would have to wait however, because the Primeape used this opportunity to catch him off guard. Apparently very eager to receive that kiss, the Primeape struck first with a straight punch which Lucario sidestepped. The Primeape followed up by spinning around with arms outstretched, Lucario narrowly avoiding the fierce clothesline by ducking. Previously the Primape had employed a fighting style not unlike a berserking humanoid, but now it was becoming apparent that his fighting style was just as foreign as that of an overgrown canine. However, he was not as weird as the ghastly Darkrai, and Lucario was finally getting used to fighting something he was unable hit normally.

"C'mon!" Lucario shouted as he stepped back and taunted, the Primeape doing the lethal mistake of coming straight at him. Commanding his hung over mitochondria felt a little harder than usual, but with only four seconds of preparation he managed to fire off an Aura Sphere. The Primeape made an attempt to jump, but the speedy aura sphere was impossible to dodge and struck him head on, making him instantly crash to the ground in pure agony. Not taking any more chances, Lucario sized the moment and ran up to the hulking beast, rapidly kicking him in the side before he could get up.

"Fuck! You! Piece! Of! Shit!" he articulated a war chant as Zerobi nodded in agreement, thinking chivalry did not need to apply to an ass like the Primeape. The Mankey booed as the Marowak held her sides with laughter, and the Primeape struggled to get up for a moment before successfully blocking and grabbing hold of Lucario's leg, halting the assault. Wasting no time, the Primeape roared and lifted Lucario above his head, slamming him down hard on the ground. A painful cough escaped Lucario's lips as his back ached and he desperately tried to twist his leg away, before suddenly reaching an epiphany and stared blankly at the Primeape.

"Oh no. I'm restrained," Lucario squabbled ironically before shooting another Aura Sphere, the blue fire licking every part of the Primeape's cranial nerves as his brain exploded with pain and he was forced to let go. Released from the grip, Lucario got up and spun around with a kick so fierce it sent the Primeape flying back several feet. As the hit connected, a cracking noise distinctly different from that of a branch echoed throughout the forest, and it was quickly followed by a united wail from the Mankey. Not getting further than to his knees, the Primeape clutched his face in agony, blood streaming out of his snout and matting down his fur.

"Heh. Heheheheh," Lucario snickered as he admired his handiwork. He had been feeling a bit sluggish after his drinking binge and was worried he had lost his fighting abilities along the way. Zerobi's gaze affixed on the blood-soaked face of the Primeape, but not for the reasons she had initially assumed. Something had changed in the fiend's expression.

"Hey, boss…" a Mankey with a far too big cloak wrapped around his stomach said out loud. A shiver ran up Zerobi's spine as she noticed the Mankey were suddenly unusually quiet, and she could feel many of them eyeing her with a different intent compared to earlier. Her fears were verified as the Primeape lifted his arm in an obvious signal, and without warning the pack of Mankey were upon them.

Fuzzy primates rained down from every direction, nearly blotting out the sky. But these were merely the distraction. As Lucario reacted to the sudden shift in events and covered his head, two Mankey crawled towards him at amazing speeds and grabbed a hold of his legs, holding him in place. A similar attempt was made against Zerobi, but her sharp vision alerted her to their presence and she kicked with her clawed feet, drawing blood and forcing the two sneaky Mankey to back off. However, the same could not be said for the Mankey coming down from above – Their first action was to restrain her left hand, one Mankey clinging to her arm and weighing it down with his full body. In desperation she tried to slash at him with her right claws, and but attack merely nicked him and she soon found her other arm held in place by another filthy ape. Lucario held out a little longer, punching the Mankey at point blank range as they crawled over his body, scratching, biting and being a general nuisance. He tried charging up a focused blast of aura, but the sheer onslaught against his vital points made it difficult to concentrate. Someone was banging away at his eyelids and another was chewing down on his calf, while Zerobi found the critters rasping both her back and chest with incessant scratching.

"STOP!" a mighty shout filled the air. Lucario slowly opened his eyes as the assault ceased, feeling weighed down by the Mankey still clinging onto his legs and the other one sitting on top of his head. Reflexively wanting to shove them off, he was instead trying to locate the origin of the command.

The Primeape had his back against a tree. A mere centimeter from his left eye balanced an obelisk of bone, held horizontally in place by the Marowak who had finally decided to come down from her tree. Using her knee for support, her elongated weapon was held as still as a building.

"Naughty, naughty," she said in a sing-song voice with a hint of malice apparent, "This does not look like a duel to me. I was rather enjoying the outcome, too…"

Gulping loudly, the Primeape stared at the tip of the spear while Lucario proceeded to shove off the Mankey from his body. Zerobi tried to do the same, but one twitch of her awful claws gave them the message and made them jump off her on their own.

"W… What do you want…?" he muttered with a dejected voice, eager to fight but not at all eager to lose an eye. What seemed like a simple shakeup had turned into a fairly nasty situation, and he could sense his pack being just as ready to give up on it as he was.

"Nothing you can offer me, I'm afraid," the Marowak said while examining the beast and rubbing a hand over her chin, "But it seems to me that you've had enough fun with our guests. I suggest you let me handle them from now on."

The Primeape's mouth twitched, hiding the faintest of smiles. After a moment of silence, the Marowak withdrew her spear and the Primeape got to his feet, jumping up into a tree. He glared down at Lucario with a stare of intense hatred, Lucario answering it with his own.

"All of you, get the fuck out of my forest!" the Primeape shouted angrily as he turned around, "Next time, bring something worth all this bullshit!"

Seeing their leader leaving in an awful haste, the Mankey followed suit and dispersed back into the woods. One of them tried a last attempt at grabbing hold of the plastic bag which lay forgotten on the ground, but stopped and fled as Zerobi noticed his intentions and blocked his way. Lucario humored the notion of chasing down the Primeape and finishing the process of beating the tar out of him, but was busy being amazed as the Marowak lifted her weapon, moving it in a humongous arc across the sky and firmly resting it against her shoulder.

"Come," she said with a nod and a wave, "I will guide you two sweethearts out of these woods."

"Who… Are you?" Lucario asked cautiously, still not sure whether he was talking to a friend or a foe.

"Mhmmhmm… Just a stranger snubbed on a date with destiny," she replied cheerfully, restlessly moving up and down on her toes and putting the massive pike into motion behind her, "You may call me Melinia, or simply Marowak if you please."

"And… What are you?" Lucario continued asking, wondering what kind of Pokémon he was talking to. This was not made apparent to the Marowak who tilted her head in confusion before clearing out some dirt from the eyesockets of her mask.

"Poor dear, surely you're not worried about an alleged thief with nothing but a book and a present in your belongings?" she assured him as her green eyes shone beneath the helmet, "Merely a reputation I've developed around these parts after liberating those ethically impaired Mankey of their ill-gotten loot whenever I pass by. And helping those in need, of course."

"Precisely! And thank you for helping us out too!" Zerobi said out loud, wondering why Lucario was being so rude before carefully brushing aside a trickle of red from just underneath her throat, "Is there a river nearby? I'm thirsty, and not a… Big fan of running blood."

Zerobi cast a glance towards Lucario before hastily turning away. On her back were two long sores from fervent scratching, bleeding lightly. Looking down, Lucario noticed a stinging bite-mark on his right calf from which blood was still flowing freely. He crouched down to cover it up, before realizing he now had blood on his hands and would do well to not go near Zerobi for the time being.

"… Well, I suppose a quick stop couldn't hurt," the Marowak stated, surprised to see them both so squeamish over a little blood. Quite a bit more prudish than the Pokémon she was used to, but she decided to show them the way nonetheless. She guided them through a relatively easy path through the thick foliage, constantly forced to adjust the positioning of her long lance to avoid getting it stuck between the branches. It was not long until they came across a tiny river, Zerobi making a dash for it and slurping up some water. Lucario went two meters downstream to wash off his blood, keeping his pants on just in case some thieving Mankey got any ideas.

"What, you're not getting in?" Lucario asked while scrubbing his arms, noticing that Melinia was just standing nearby and watching.

"I wish I could join you, my dear, but I fear it would ruin my skin," she answered while twisting around uncomfortably. In truth it did not bother her that much, but unlike blood, the fluid she commonly avoided was potentially harmful.

"Marowaks are, PFFFFT," Zerobi said before accidentally getting a bit of dirt on her tongue and spitting it out, "Weak to water."

"Weak to… How can you be weak to water?" Lucario asked with mild curiosity, rubbing his hands together as a string of deep red ran down the river, "How do you drink? Bathe?"

"Ah ha ha, my oral cavities are… Excellent," Melinia admitted with a subtle wag of her hip, Lucario suddenly reminded of the herbivore teeth she had shown off earlier, "And people underestimate the hygienically beneficial effects of a proper mud bath. If you need proof, you can feel how smooth my skin is once you dry up."

She reached out a hand towards Zerobi who promptly looked away, feeling more awkward than usual. She angled it towards Lucario instead, who eyed it pensively and wondered why on earth she kept talking about skin when her body was clearly covered in scales.

"Alright, check me for blood," Lucario said as he moved closer to Zerobi and spun himself around in a bored, unglamorous way. She wondered why he always insisted on making sure, it was not like they made physical contact that often.

"Looks good," Zerobi replied, most of his soars coagulated and a cause for neither bleeding nor temptation on her part. Melinia shrugged and sighed, still surprised to see them so thorough.

"Right. Worthless Mankey, told you they wouldn't be an issue," Lucario muttered as he got out of the river and starting wiping off the water from his body with his hands. It was an inefficient method, but if there was one thing he never bothered to bring on his travels, it was something as situational as a towel. Zerobi looked at him for a moment before blowing a cold wind on her arm, causing the water on it to freeze. She then ran a claw across her arm, cracking and sweeping the ice off her now dry appendage.

"Whoa!" Lucario gasped in amazement, Zerobi flashing him a proud smile. Melinia rolled her eyes and signaled for them to follow her. Somehow they actually managed to end up on a real path this time, likely what was used by larger Pokémon, humans and carts alike. A dead, half-eaten Weedle lay on the side of the road, eliciting a disgusted noise from all three of them even though they had definitively seen much worse things in the past.

"So. Why did they call you a Fiddler?" Lucario asked Melinia, trying to get the cadaver out of his head as quickly as possible. She looked at him in silence and confusion as Zerobi cleared her throat.

"Viddrer… It's a nickname for Victory Roaders," Zerobi corrected him before giving their new party member a wary glance, "Natives of the… Single most dangerous area in the world."

"… What? The insides of a volcano?" Lucario suggested, although he secretly imagined the most dangerous place to be wherever Miltank originate from. The hellish landscape he envisioned demonic Miltank roaming in turned out to be not so different from an active volcano after all.

"No, just a regular cave… But it happens to be one that leads up to the Elite Four," Zerobi continued explaining, trying not to offend the Marowak with some of the less flattering things she knew about that place, "To live there and not be captured, you would have to be powerful enough to defeat trainers a heartbeat away from becoming champions on a daily basis. Those Pokémon… Are unreal…"

As the last words left her mouth, Zerobi suddenly looked down at the ground with a harrowed expression. Half expecting something bad to happen, Lucario looked at the two of them and noticed they were being oddly silent. That is, until Melinia suddenly burst out laughing.

"Hahahaha! Oh, you foreigners from Sinnoh have such funny legends about us in Kanto!" she laughed, leaning her head back and never breaking her stride.

"I'm from Kanto, too," Zerobi clarified while her head snapped back in place, realizing most of what she knew was hearsay picked up by word of mouth or in magazines. Many of the legends found in the occult magazine had their basis in the Victory Road, since it was a place unsafe to explore and thus had a mysterious atmosphere to it.

"Splendid! Where, exactly?" Melinia asked while walking a bit ahead and leaning past Lucario.

"Cerulean Cave," Zerobi replied earnestly, deciding to clear up why she was feeling bothered, "I… Thought about moving to the Victory Road once, but I wasn't really up to it."

"Oh my, the Cerulean Cave…" Melinia whispered in an impressed tone before sizing her up, "Gives reason to your exquisite figure. I was about to ask you what kind of workout you do to stay in such good shape!"

Unable to stop herself from smiling, Zerobi quickly turned her head the other way. She was astounded by her own bashfulness, but she had not gotten any compliments she did not have to force out of somebody in a very long time. The Marowak laughed a bit more at her reaction before moving back and sizing up Lucario next.

"And what manner of dangerous soil did a hunk like you come out of?" she inquired while reaching a hand inside her mask for some unknown reason.

"New Bark Town," Lucario replied firmly, feeling like he had to make up for Zerobi's irregular meekness.

"New Bark Town… Yes, I know where that is…" the Marowak said to herself before adjusting her helmet and sighing out in disappointment, "… Not far from Victory Road. How unfortunate that we did not meet earlier!"

Lucario shrugged in response. He looked over at Zerobi who had regained her natural deadpan expression. She shrugged as well.

"So, uh… Are you a Viddrer?" Lucario asked warily, realizing the Marowak had yet to outright answer his original question. The road split into two ahead, both directions going directly right or left. However, Melinia did not stop but instead carried on straight ahead into the forested upslope.

"Yes, honey, afraid so…" she said with a hint of melancholy while signaling for them to come, "But I fear the legend is a bit overstated. Stay low and there is no need for brute strength. You know it has to be silly superstition when everyone is so intimidated by a harmless lady like me."

"Maybe it's that freakish mask you're wearing?" Lucario pointed out, thinking she was also doing a really poor job of hiding the pike which was six times longer than she was.

"This old thing?" Melinia responded while tapping the side of the helmet with her weapon, "Nothing special! It is only the skull of my dead mother."

A big frown spread across Lucario's face as Zerobi involuntarily cringed. The Marowak kept up her facade for a moment before cracking up.

"Mhmmhmm, well, I assume she was SOMEONE'S mother," she giggled while letting her tail playfully run along the ground, "I found it underground. Fantastic for skin treatment, have to look my best, no?"

She kept up her merry chuckles as she went inside the forest. Lucario scratched the side of his head before following her, Zerobi moving closer and lowering her voice.

"If she really is a Viddrer…" she whispered, "… The scars under that mask must be grotesque. I don't care how good you are at keeping out of trouble, that place is a battlefield that never rests."

Their worries that the Marowak was leading them down a bum road were stilled as they came to the end of the forest just one minute later. Melinia sighed as she set down her spear into the ground and leaned up against the last tree before the hilled grasslands that lay ahead.

"Ah, finally," Lucario said as he stretched out his arms and turned towards Zerobi, "Do you know where we are?"

"Um…" Zerobi mumbled quietly as she looked around, not seeing any recognizable landmarks at first. However, there were two familiar mountains off in the distance which she could use to determine her location, and she used her claws to draw a crude map in the soil.

"I must say, it has been refreshing to speak to intellectual equals for once," the Marowak said with a discontented sigh, "Where are you heading to?"

"Nomad's Land," Lucario answered but was met with only confusion, "You know, some cold place? Where the revolutionaries are?"

"Ah. Yes, I'd heard about that," Melinia said with a nod before pointing off towards the mountain to their left, "Past that one, should be easier to find from there. I fear this is where we part ways, though."

"Guess so. Thanks for all the help," Lucario said before giving her shoulder a pat, Melinia closing her eyes and nodding again.

"… Wait, which mountain?" Zerobi asked as she suddenly got up from her makeshift map.

"That one," Lucario said, pointing at the designated peak. It was easily recognizable, possessing a very slanted ridge and an almost flat cliff sticking out of its side. She looked at it and then looked back at what she had drawn, moving around it to examine it from different angles.

"Revolutionaries, you say…?" Melinia spoke up with curiosity as she moved away from the tree and stood up straight.

"Yeah," Lucario replied before catching the subtle hint in her statement, "Oh yeah, you're pretty strong, right? Are you thinking of joining them?"

"Do you think they would accept me?" she asked, "I mean, I am a Victory Roader, after all."

"I could put in good word for you, if that's what you want," Lucario suggested, suddenly wondering why he was acting like a recruiter. Melinia was about to say something, but their conversation was abruptly interrupted by a loud crash. Looking up, they saw the ground in front of them open up into a wide chasm.

And with a shrill scream, Zerobi was gone.


	118. Razed City Celadon

"What the…!" Lucario exclaimed in surprise as he jogged forward. By the slight inclination of the hill where Zerobi had stood just seconds ago now was a hole, not even 2 meters wide but extremely deep.

"ZEROBI!" he shouted down the shaft, but was greeted by nothing, not even an echo. Only pitch black darkness as far he could see. Panicking, he looked around the edges of the ventilation to see if there was any way to descend, but the dirt and mud that grazed the walls looked too unstable to climb. He nudged closer with care and barely even noticed Melinia coming up behind him.

"Ho hum. How awkward," she said with an uncaring tone, "Say, could you jump in there to make sure she's fine? I will go and get help."

"Are you… I'd just land on top of her and make things worse!" Lucario shouted back at her, immediately noticing the humongous pole in her hand and coming up with an idea, "Just give me that spear, I'll lower it so she can use it to climb up!"

He reached out, Melinia stepping back and twisting around to keep it out of his grip.

"Hmm… No," she responded quietly and slowly, as if trying to think of what to say, "I don't think you will be doing that, sweetie. You might get hurt."

"Fine, go get help! Don't just stand there!" Lucario continued shouting in frustration, the Marowak's nonchalance starting to get on his nerves, "A fall like that… She might've broken something! B-But I can't even hear her scream, so that means…!"

His voice silenced and his breath faded as he stared down the hole, feeling very cold inside. Mew's demise had taught him just how brittle Pokémon were, and Zerobi was nowhere near as powerful as she was. Noticing his anguish, Melinia again did the unexpected by turning her back to him, walking away and starting to hum to herself.

"I dug the hole in a manner which should allow for a moderately safe descent," she chirped happily before turning around, securing her grip around the spear, "She looked a bit stressed out, probably just catching a little beauty sleep among the soft pillows at the bottom."

Lucario felt his stomach twist, immediately recognizing the hostility in her stance. In shock he stepped away from her, almost tripping into the hole by accident.

"WHAT!? You-" he shouted, his expression flaring up for a moment before dissipating, "Oh wait, you're showing us a secret underground passage? Geez, I thought you were betraying us!"

Melinia stared at him in silence, clearly not sure if he was serious or not. Reviewing what she had just said, Lucario found his peaceful explanation to be very unlikely and went back to his original assumption.

"What the hell!? What do you want with Zerobi!?" he yelled with anger and clenched his fists.

"Not much. I rather liked her," Melinia replied with a shrug, "She's just of a troublesome typing. I feel it would be better for her to sit this one out."

The permanent glee in her voice and impenetrable mask made it difficult for Lucario to figure out Melinia's intentions. She was keeping her weapon held at the ready, but simultaneously rocking back and forth with a subtle swing of her hips in an almost comedic fashion. Suddenly she stilled herself, lowered the lance and leant towards him.

"Mmhmmhmm… I want you, Lonesome Wanderer Lucario," she whispered seductively, winking her emerald eyes, "You should know, you are quite the attractive specimen… For us bounty hunters, that is."

Lucario swallowed hard, feeling stared down as the Marowak refused to break eye contact.

"Bounty… Hunters…?" Lucario repeated with a dismal tone, many questions filling his mind. Melinia returned to her upright stance as she slipped her free hand inside her helmet, rummaging around a bit before pulling out five large papers. All of them were yellowed and old, three looking particularly beaten up with rips and tears at the edges and a big visible hole right in the middle. She carefully flipped through her possessions, sorting out two of the papers while stuffing the rest back into her mask.

"Here is the one for Serial Killer Zerobi. Worth 130,000P, sadly issued by the police," Melinia said with a grimace visible even beneath the obscuring mask, "But here is yours! Have a look!"

Retracting her spear, Melinia pierced the document on the edged tip and held it out towards Lucario. Stepping back from the terrifyingly large weapon, Lucario decided to examine the paper from a distance. Even with a pike jutting out from the well-used hole in the middle, the text was intact and written in both pawprint and writings he could recognize. It was still difficult to read, the paper in poor condition and the Marowak's constant bobbing not making things much easier.

_SPIKELESS LUCARIO ROAMING THE WORLD  
>DANGEROUS, MUST BE BROUGHT TO JUSTICE!<br>Client: ELDER WHISCASH  
>Objective: DETAIN AND RETURN LUCARIO<br>Place: POSSIBLY KANTO  
>Restrictions: NONE<br>Difficulty: S  
>Reward: 100,000 P<em>

No picture, but he figured the "spikeless" bit was all people needed. The first thing that caught his eye was the client, a certain Elder Wishcash he remembered all too well as the scumbag who had turned Ivy and the rest of the villagers against him. He barely even recalled what the ugly fish looked like, but the elder's shouts of damnation haunted him to this day.

"That little…!" Lucario grunted to himself, sparking a giggle from Melinia. Were they still looking for him? He did run away without ever clearing things up, but they had been convinced that his mere existence would bring about the end of the world, so as the world was still intact he hoped they would have come to their senses by now.

"Where did you get that? How old is it?" he asked politely, not sure why since Melinia's intentions were far from noble.

"Quaint little village, not far. Mmm, splendid dancing venue," she reminisced before withdrawing her weapon and removing the paper, "Don't worry, I assure you that this bounty still active. You see, they are somewhat obsessed with you."

"Don't believe them! They're mad!" Lucario yelled in his defense, wondering how on earth he was going to convince the Marowak of his innocence. He was not even sure if she would care.

"Perhaps. Explains the high reward, no?" Melinia replied as she put her hands together in joy, "Oh, I am so lucky! To meet a hotshot like you, and you are actually worth something!"

"More like unlucky, because you'll be collecting that bounty over my dead body!" Lucario shouted, pepping himself up for battle. However, Melinia did nothing to shift her casual demeanor.

"Mmhmhm… Yes, that is the general idea," she chuckled quietly and tapped the side of her mask, "But well enough for you, I happen to have a better one. I hand you over, collect the reward, you relax and take a vacation in the slammer, and when you get out we split the cash. Excellent deal, no?"

"Slammer? These things want me dead!" Lucario responded with irritation almost immediately, not eager to barter any plan that involved him staying in jail after his less than pleasant visit to Saffron City. The draconian seemed disappointed by his answer, sighing out loud.

"Come now, I'm certain no matter what happened you can feign repentance and negotiate… Unless you are a murderer," she said with a dark tone before lightening up and caressing the underside of her helmet, "Hmm… You lady-killer, you!"

"I didn't kill anyone!" Lucario clarified, getting more and more annoyed by her callous behavior, "They're crazy! They think I'm part of some old prophecy to bring about the end of the world, that's why they want me!"

Silence filled the air as Melinia stared at him again, and for a moment Lucario almost thought she was buying it. Instead she clicked with her tongue and shook her head, placing her hand on her hip.

"My dear Lucario…" she whispered sweetly, "… Seduction would have been a lot more effective if you wished to deceive me. 'Restrictions: None' does not mean 'dead or alive', it only means I'm free to rough you up a bit if you're a bother."

"Consider me a bother!" Lucario roared while throwing his arms back, "I'll kick your ass just for what you did to Zerobi! If she's hurt-"

"Sleeping," Melinia corrected him while twirling her eyes, "You will soon come to understand the difference, my love. Weapons of this size do not allow much finesse."

The Marowak held out the spear in front of her with ease. The sight unnerved Lucario, sensing the primal fear instilled within all humans of fighting against an armed opponent. He held up his arms in a useless protective stance, reminding himself that even if the pike was quite long, he had fought enemies that could breathe fire, puke lightning and exhale black holes only a few months prior. Even the Primeape had a far more ferocious aura to him than the Marowak, so with proper maneuvering he figured he should be able to disarm her and turn the tables very quickly.

Feeling sheepish as he realized that taking the initiative would actually be to his advantage, Lucario ran straight towards the fearsome weapon and prayed his reflexes would not fail him. If he could just get past the bladed tip, the pike would become completely useless. As soon as he came within range, the Marowak stepped back and finally let her spear lash out. The sharp tip was aimed at Lucario's hip, forcing him to halt his run in order to twist his entire body to the side in evasion.

"Honey, do be careful!" Melinia cheered as she pulled her weapon back and repositioned herself to keep him from getting too close, "When a spear cuts through you, it tends to hurt very badly!"

Trying not to be intimidated, Lucario continued dashing towards her. Her spear was upon him once more, forcing him to duck. It returned to her side faster this time, Melinia making a short hop forward while thrusting the pike so hard it struck the ground like a lighting strike.

"Dah!" Lucario exclaimed in terror as he quickly stepped backwards, fearing that getting struck by such a powerful blow would skewer him in an instant, "I thought you weren't trying to kill me!?"

"Hmm? Mmhmm, did I say that?" Melinia hummed to herself as she pulled the lance out of the soil. Not wasting a second, she thrust it towards him as he moved back just outside its immense range.

"Still just trying to persuade you, stubborn man!" she shouted while repeatedly stabbing in his direction, Lucario stepping further and further away from her.

"Maybe if you dropped that weapon and fought fair, you bitch!" Lucario yelled while looking for an opening, although considering the frequency of her attacks he figured he would have an easier time dodging the spines of an aggressive porcupine.

"Oh, but you will far more eager to accept my offer when in dire need of medical attention!" the Marowak insisted as she suddenly took firm hold of the elongated bone and began charging towards Lucario. Wondering why she was shifting her tactics despite having him at the ropes, Lucario wanted to see just how strong she was and ran to the side. Despite showing great strength so far, even Melinia was forced to stop as she swung her weapon around, horizontally readjusting the pike to face him once again.

"Of course, then we might have more of a 60%-40% deal. Or 90%-10%?" Melinia chimed as she tapped the side of her chin, "Perhaps your life will be reward enough? You would certainly still be indebted, but we could always exchange certain services to even things out…"

A relaxing wind blew past them as Lucario ran a comparatively cool hand across his heated face. Running and dodging was exhausting, and he figured she was trying to make him run out of stamina like what she had seen happen with the Primeape. He would have to end the battle as fast as possible, and the best way to do that…

"Take your helmet off," Lucario stated bluntly while pointing at Melinia. Aura Spheres mostly just caused pain and damage, so he figured a critical blow to the head would be the speediest way to knock her out before she got desperate and started using far more dangerous moves.

"My, my. Enchanted, are we?" she answered as she leaned up against the spear, "Sorry honey pie, I need to preserve my skin. But I did promise you a kiss, so treat me well and I'll show you later!"

"… Of all the dumb replies…" Lucario groaned before shaking his head, "Look, you DO realize which weak point I'll be aiming if I can't go for the head, right?"

She stared into his eyes for a moment, probably making some expression he couldn't see. Shifting her weapon from vertical to horizontal, she appeared ready to continue fighting.

"That's assuming you can touch me…" she whispered menacingly before lunging towards him, spear aimed at his hip again. Dodging it was far easier this time since he was not already in motion, and he instinctively caught the prickly pike in his hand. Realizing what he had done, he immediately latched onto it with his second hand as well.

"Hah! I can touch this just fine!" he chided while trying to tug it out of Melinia's grasp. The Marowak simply giggled as she twisted the handle around, the prickly sensation turning into an explosive pain cutting into Lucario's hands. Eliciting a painful noise, he let go of the lance only for it to immediately push towards him, the bladed tip cutting straight into his right shoulder. A painful yell filled the air and Lucario backed off, instinctively clutching the wound in his shoulder with the wound on the palm of his hand.

"What a tough hide," the Marowak said in a bothered tone, breathing in heavily before thrusting the pike towards Lucario again, more weight put behind it this time. This, however, also made her movements more predictable, and despite taking damage Lucario managed to dodge to the side. Instead of grabbing onto her weapon, he clenched his bleeding fist and smacked it hard, causing it to fly off to the side. Melinia did not lose her balance as he had hoped, but as the bladed tip was no longer between his fist and her face he charged, the wind whooshing past his ears.

Melinia realized she was exposed, quickly throwing her spear to the side and spinning around. Blinded by pain and rage, Lucario failed to notice her large tail in time to avoid it, and it struck his side. However, all it did was halt his charge by a little, as he quickly took the moment into action and pummeled her lower body. Punching her underbelly and where he assumed her kidneys to be, he met great resistance from her extremely resistant scales and was unsure if he was damaging her at all.

Something like a comet fell down on his forehead as the Marowak suddenly headbutted him with her skull, the solid material even harder than the rest of her body. Before he could recover, she made an amazingly graceful backflip away from him, her tail smacking the underside of his chin with ferocious force and lifted him off his feet. He almost felt himself slip out of consciousness before he accidentally fell on a particularly sharp rock, the cut reminding him of the wound on his shoulder.

"Ugh…" Lucario grunted. He examined his shoulder but could only see a mass of blood, and the palm of his hands had opened up in several spots. A subtle humming forced him to look up, sending a furious stare against the Marowak who was now waving her open hand towards him.

"Calluses," she said with a triumphant smile, "Eventuality when handling rough material like bone… Mmm, or rough and tough badboys like y-"

"Shut up!" Lucario yelled with anger, getting back on his feet while testing the functionality of his right arm. Apart from a never-ending stinging sensation, it seemed to be working fine.

"Now, now, don't be so rude, my dear," Melinia muttered bitterly while letting her hand graze past her lower body, "You hit… Quite hard. It would be nice to take a little bre-"

Fed up with conversation and wishing to taste victory rather than blood, Lucario roared and unleashed an Aura Sphere from his left arm. Melinia's grin disappeared in an instant as she twitched, but had no hope of avoiding the sphere as it shot straight through her torso.

"OH-" she exclaimed before putting a hand against her throat, another covering her stomach as she hunched forward. Lucario felt strangely satisfied as the chatty Marowak stopped talking, instead hulking and fighting back the immense sickness that usually followed a hit from the Aura Sphere. If she needed to barf she would have to take off her helmet, which was his cue to move in and finish this with a blow to her head.

"Ulp… H-Hold…" Melinia uttered breathily and held up a hand, making Lucario stop. Wondering why he was being so courteous, he shook his head and moved towards her anyway. She trembled something ferocious and bent over, not to undo the contents of her stomach but rather pick up her weapon again. The weight of the spear made itself apparent for a second, but when she supported it with her other hand she managed to steady herself and hold it up with minor effort.

"Whew!" she exhaled loudly before jutting the pike towards Lucario who quickly backed off, "Keep your kinks to yourself! You almost forced me to engage in something very unlady-like!"

"Kink? I'm a Lucario, Aura Spheres are my thing!" Lucario responded proudly. It was difficult to tell how much damage his attack had done as the aura leaves no marks on the outside of someone's body, but he was unpleasantly surprised to find Melinia returning to her bouncy posture with absolutely no signs of having been weakened. Her body was far from lithe, but his aura sphere had previously decked huge beasts like the Arcanine or Raikou. It had even blasted Darkrai's arm into smoke.

"Little man, you call that an Aura Sphere?" Melinia stifled a laugh, "Please, clearly your purpose was to make me sick. No more of that, let's fight fairly."

"Hah!" Lucario snorted with a chiding smile, "You're the one with a goddamn weapon!"

"… True. Unfair it is, then," the Marowak sighed quietly as she started to move backwards while keeping the spear up to deter any assault. Lucario figured she was baiting him into following and falling down another hole, so he kept still. More distance between them was to his benefit after all, unless she happened to have an even better projectile.

"That's what I've been trying to say. How many more holes did you dig?" Lucario asked while cooling off, realizing that an unfortunate pitfall would bring a quick end to his freedom.

"Oh, just that one," Melinia replied bluntly, raising her voice as she went further away, "Dirt is quite unappealing, I had to leave enough time to clean myself up before our meeting."

"… One hole. A single hole to make us fall into," Lucario said, and now it was his turn to wonder if she was being serious or just immensely stupid, "No need to lie, it's not like I'll be caught off guard if the ground gives way."

"Mmhmm, I never lie," she gave a warm response, moving up a hill that was in her way.

"You stabbed us in the back literally ten minutes ago!" Lucario raised his voice to a shout so she could hear him, the Marowak backing so far away he was wondering if she was making a subtle escape.

"But did I lie? I was merely hiding my intentions!" Melinia also shouted, reaching the top of the hill and finally stopping, "Lies are needless! The hole was the preferable choice, you gullible hunk! Since you avoided it, I have to do this to you!"

Lucario watched with disinterest and she began to run down the hill. Then, his eyes shot wide open as she shoved her spear into the ground way down and the foot of the hill, and he gasped in surprise when she polevaulted herself 60 feet into the air. This expression of amazement quickly turned into one of fear, noticing she was adjusting her weapon in midair as she came down, following his movement when he tried to dodge. The thin pike was nearly invisible as it suddenly launched towards him, and he realized had come across yet another absurdly terrifying opponent.

* * *

><p>It was a warm day in No Man's Land, heralding the arrival of summer after a balmy winter of grey skies and no snow, aside from what the ice types would conjure up for atmosphere and entertainment. Some were still asleep, nocturnal or merely lazy, enjoying the lack of responsibility that comes with being born a Pokémon. Such was not the case for all of them however, as those from the newly established administrative social class headed for the city's bulletin plaza, wondering which tasks the day was to present them with.<p>

"Psychic needed to adjust tools… Psychic required for social experiment…" a rugged Charizard read with a huff, a puff of flame slipping out of his mouth and to his great dismay not burning down the disappointing requests.

"What the hell is a social experiment?" a nearby Houndoom asked, standing on his rear legs to get a better view of the higher pamphlets.

"Dunno, ask a Psychic," the Charizard growled while giving a mean look to his side, a Natu picking a request off the wall and happily skipping away, "Or not, because they're always busy with something. When was the last time they needed Fire for anything?"

"I know… They should categorize these things… At least learn to put them lower…" the Houndoom muttered as he gave up and solemnly slid down the wall, "I wish Zoroark would come back already."

"Maybe the next one. I'm SO not trading two days in a row," the Charizard grumbled and stepped away, wondering how an impressive beast like himself went from the most popular Pokémon in the revolution to unwanted in times of peace.

The bulletin plaza was located in the heart of Celadon City, connected by everything from roads to vines and small ditches dug for smaller amphibians and a refreshing drink. Once a typical city square, the walls of each surrounding building had been renovated into massive billboards updated daily with work or personal requests. However, as most of them only needed specialists, those with unnecessary skills were always given the option to slack off, patrol the city or trade goods with humans.

Many humans viewed No Man's Land with aversion – A city occupied by wild beasts, disallowing humans from living there or even visiting. Those that did not would often point out how the glory days of the Celadon Department Store had returned, mercantilism flourishing like never before thanks to the unique goods produced by organized Pokémon. In return, the Pokémon had begun to discover the wonders of technology, the external requests for televisions skyrocketing parallel to the internal requests for battery rechargers. After a somewhat nasty revolt by exhausted electric types, Zoroark finally caved in and allowed them to trade for a generator, at long last supplying the Treehouse and Earthsea with constant electricity.

The Treehouse was the affectionate nickname given to the office building where normally Zoroark and his staff would sit and work, but was always open to those able to fit through the entrance who wanted to utilize its many computers of just the television in the lobby. The Earthsea was a commons area by the edge of the city, where a massive projector had been put into place for perpetual movie viewing. It was called as such due to the enormous pool of water dug right next to the screen, put in place after several complaints from a particularly stubborn Gyrados and other water-types. Tensions had been a bit high at the time, so Zoroark figured it would be easier to just let them have their way.

Zoroark's absence had caused unrest, the explanation being that he was on a "secret mission" not flying too well with the Pokémon who feared their leader had abandoned them. The Whimsicott's inapt administrative abilities had done little to alleviate the issue, and so they became dependent on asking Zoroark for orders through mail, letters that could take weeks to reach their destination all the way up in the frozen caves of Nomad's Land. After many troublesome months of worry and rumors of defecting, everything had quieted down and their hectic lives had finally descended into sweet stagnation.

Until the warm day. It was not a warning of summer as much as it was a warning of something else, the first sign being the cloud of smoke billowing up at the edge of No Man's Land's massive forest.

"Not again," a Nidoqueen said with low voice, remembering the time when some Charizard accidentally caused a forest fire half a year earlier. Responding to her voice, the other Pokémon stopped and followed her gaze, noticing the smoke as well.

"F-FIRE!" a Skiploon screamed out loud and fell back in terror, a Dodrio stretching its neck up to see better while the two other heads scanned the area.

"You! Water! Do yer thing!" the rightmost head shouted as it stared down at a Kingler. The Kingler grunted quietly as he extended his miniscule legs to little avail.

"… Can't see from down here…" he said with a deep baritone before skittering over to the Dodrio, clenching his mighty claw around its legs, "Fly!"

"Ow ow ow! No no no! I'll choke! I'll be blind!" the Dodrio screamed in pain and panic as it tried to shake off the unaware assailant.

By now most of No Man's Land had become aware of what was happening, a couple of flying types volunteering to scout the area around the smoke curtain with more than a few water types immediately setting off to save their precious forest. Pokémon cheered them on and could not bring themselves to return to their daily business despite not being able to do anything to help, so they gathered around and stared, hoped, waited for the smoke to stop.

But it never did. Their hope diminished as they helplessly saw the cloud of smoke growing larger and coming closer, an unseen fire greedily eating the trees and bushes and turning their greatest protective barrier into smoldering ash. What manner of fire could withstand water they did not know, and a sense of dread began to come down upon them as they realized that the flying scouts had not returned either.

"I know Bubblebeam," a Clefable with a concerned expression suddenly said, "I could go and-"

"Forget it!" a brash Escavalier cut him off with a stern look while pointing towards the rising ash, "If pure water types couldn't even handle… It…"

His sentence petered out as he fell silent and stared, the Goodra next to him gasping out loud as she saw what he had noticed.

"Look!" she practically shouted in relief, "They're back!"

Through the smoke, several flying Pokémon appeared. The Pokémon cheered triumphantly as the birds swooped down towards them. A very large Pidegot dove down, and the Goodra ran up to meet it. However, the overgrown avian never landed. Instead it picked her up with its talons, the Goodra crying out loud as she was carried off by her head in a very uncomfortable manner. Before anyone could react, more flying-types swooped down among the crowd and picked up Pokémon seemingly at random, carrying them screaming back into the black smoke.

The crowd that had once been so peaceful was now retaliating wildly, few caring for the safety of their friends taken hostage as they used whatever ranged moves available to them to knock the fiendish birds out of the sky. One particularly foolish Fearow attempted to pluck a mean-looking Delcatty off the ground, the well-versed cat immediately frying it with a Thunderbolt. However, it soon became clear that the flying types were quite good at picking out their targets, most of their prey unable to break free from their hold and disappearing forever behind the shroud of darkness.

When the fire at long last reached the edge of the forest, multiple balls of fire shot out and struck several of No Man's Land's fighters by accident. Screaming and begging for water, it soon became clear that their specialists in the matter had already been lured away. Those with minor abilities in water or ice had to work overtime as fire-breathing Pokémon jumped out of the smoke, mercilessly igniting everything in sight.

But the fireballs were but a prelude to the terror that came next. Pokéballs in the hundreds, as if launched by a trebuchet rained down over them. The experienced and quick were able to avoid it, either by dodging or as one young Machop managed, hiding under an unconscious Braviary and using its body for cover. The rest could merely protect their heads as the well-lit area shone red for a moment, their many varied shapes replaced by a field of fire and wobbling Pokéballs.

Humans covered in protective gear stormed in next, the Pokémon they had been tormenting so far with their expert battle plan not hesitating for a moment as they attacked. Pokémon on both sides were locked in a fierce clash, the humans quickly attempting to retrieve their Pokéballs while getting cut to pieces, burned into charcoal and murdered in many unpleasant ways as projectiles of various lethal substances and disgruntled Pokémon of dangerous ilk crossed their way.

Although caught off guard, No Man's Land was far from unprepared. No warning siren had to be sounded, their city on fire was all it took and soon the once peaceful community had mobilized into an army. The humans and their Pokémon were just about to retreat with their loot when No Man's Land's shock troops entered formation and charged, a collection of hardy Pokémon spearheaded by a Samurott, horns and fangs cutting through the wind. A crimson fountain soared as Tauros collided with Pignite, Rhydon with Ninetails and humans fell to the ground, begging for mercy as their bodies were trampled into mush. The flying types dodged the assault, but soon fell out of the sky anyway as they were picked off by a pack of Shinx and Luxio, braving the flames and climbing the trees for better vantage. A Luxray missing one ear roared triumphantly, before immediately falling silent as a Pokéball struck the back of his head. The human responsible slid by the barrage of teeth and claws, snatched up the Pokéball and hastily made his way back into the forest, his escape covered by his trusty Golem who absorbed the lightning.

The main force of the enemy had departed, some of the revolutionaries foolishly chasing them down, desperate to rescue their friends or family and getting ambushed on the way through the treacherous woods. Urgently dragging themselves across the ground, the fully amphibious water type Pokémon had finally arrived and hastily began to put out all the fires, a very angry Gyrados drenching the woods with a loud roar and putting out the fire that had started it all.

Many lay dead, even more wounded and captured. In this scene of misery and gore, the revolutionaries could not help but let their adrenaline take over and cheer in victory. No Man's Land was safe. Today, on what would come to be known as "The Warm Day", they were all legendaries.


	119. Flirty Warrior Melinia

Everyone who grew up in Johto vividly remembers their first time seeing the Magnet Train. Many tour guides proudly claim that it can travel at over 340 miles per hour in an attempt to awe the crowd, but such large numbers are difficult to imagine and usually only good for comparisons. They cannot adequately portray the mind-bending sight of such a large chunk of metal moving from one horizon to the next in a matter of seconds. Standing next to the rails can be a very traumatizing experience – Feeling the pressure of wind as something that could have annihilated you in a second just barely passes you by, your mind secretly wondering what might have happened had you ended up in its way.

This memory crept upon Lucario as Melinia's spear rived through the ground, striking where his torso had been a quarter of a second earlier. In fact, it had not been an intentional dodge at all, Lucario he had merely been twisting his body at just the right moment. It had been close, so close that he was certain some of his chest hair had been split like the soil underneath him.

The Marowak landed with a loud thud, bracing herself with her arms. She eagerly looked up, but gasped when she noticed her attack had missed.

"Oh dear. I suggest you don't move next time," she said with a voice caught somewhere between concern and annoyance, "It throws off my aim, and trust me - You don't want this thing anywhere near your eye or groin."

"Next time!?" Lucario repeated with shock, certain that he was dead meat if it ever came to that. Luck was a very rare occurrence for him. He saw that the still impressively lengthy spear was halfway gone, lodged very deep into the ground. Thinking about the kind of condition his ribcage would now be in if he had just been a little bit slower, he suddenly realized that tiny little bit of luck had led him to victory.

"What, you think I'm just going to let you pick it up?" he grunted and quickly moved between the weapon and his enemy, preferring hand-to-hand combat to trying to use a pike that would probably rip his hands to shreds again, "Because I'm not! Come on, come get it!"

"Why, thank you!" Melinia chirped happily, completely ignoring his battle pose. She then bent forward and started digging a hole, quickly submerging herself underground.

"Hey, where are you going!?" Lucario shouted worriedly, wondering if she was trying to trick him into following and leaving the spear unguarded. He refused to budge and listened as the sounds of the Marowak's incessant humming faded away behind a wall of mud.

Suddenly he felt very paranoid, realizing she could pop up from anywhere. He could sense her aura beneath him, but his abilities were nowhere near accurate enough to determine an exact location. Even though he had seen the Garchomp and the Excadrill do the same thing previously, he still had no idea on how to deal with it. She was underground and he was not, he would have jump into the hole to keep the fight going and that would give her all the advantages, weapon or not.

But instead of something coming out of the ground, something went inside of it. The spear trembled for a moment before sinking into the dirt, Lucario realizing his mistake just a little too late. He ran forward to try and grab it, but it was already gone, the only thing remaining a small hole leading deep underground. Caught by surprise he nearly did the unthinkable and decided to look down into it, but stopped himself just as the lance returned with a vengeance, splitting the air with terrible force.

"Hmm… Feels a little light," a familiar voice echoed from below. The pike retracted and suddenly pierced through the ground two feet in the other direction. Lucario gasped fearfully as he fell back, the spear suddenly shooting up barely a decimeter from his left leg. He rolled away, not even bothering to scramble to his feet as the giant spike frantically stabbed through the soil until the whole patch of land collapsed, now more hole than mineral.

"Bullshit! Cheater!" Lucario bellowed with fury as he got to his knees, feeling like the battle had gone from moderately dangerous to extremely deadly and starting to regret ever using his Aura Sphere, "You're the biggest coward I've ever met! Get up here and fight for real, goddamn it!"

Everything was quiet for a moment. Then a segment of dirt moved around, and the Marowak's skull stuck out.

"Oh, don't be that way. Are you really surprised to see a Ground-type digging?" Melinia asked sheepishly, "I do live underground. Do you want to see it? Would you like to come home with me? We could watch TV together!"

Lucario slapped his forehead in frustration as she effortlessly made her way out of the mudhole, leaning the spear against her shoulder as she used her free hand to clean off the dirt. When it was done, she did a happy little twirl and went back to her habit of bobbing back and forward in place.

"How the hell can you act so casually!? This is a duel between life and death, it's bloody serious!" he shouted and clenched his fists. He knew he wasn't the best at gauging the seriousness of a situation himself, although he had the excuse of inexperience while Melinia's behavior was just absurd. Pokémon generally did not put too much thought into the ethical implications of fighting someone, but this Marowak had taken it to another step, seemingly unaffected by the prospect of risking death or killing someone.

"Sweetie, sweetie, sweetie… You shouldn't consider this a duel," Melinia whispered gently as she leaned forward and turned her cheek, almost like requesting a kiss on her bony skull, "This is just a prelude to my victory, I have no reason to be rude. In fact, I am quite glad to acquire such a valuable and, mmm, _handsome_ bounty, I would much rather be celebrating if you'd care to join me!"

"How… How the hell would I celebrate with MY OWN bounty!?" Lucario yelled as he suddenly felt his stomach growl, the gauntlet of exhausting battles taking its toll on his ravaged body, "You don't even have a bounty, there's nothing in this for me! When I beat you I'll still be poor and miserable!"

"You didn't seem to mind fighting Prime-poopsie," Melinia pointed out while rolling her eyes.

Yeah, Lucario thought, because Prime-poop was never a centimeter away from skewering him. Narrowly avoiding attacks that might actually kill him in one blow was a new, terrifying experience, and he felt that his usual method of trading blows was definitively going to bring a quick and painful end to his life.

However, aside from fisticuffs he had little else to offer, his only actual moves was the Aura Sphere and ExtremeSpeed. The Aura Sphere had already proven itself less than stellar, but at least it did not put him at risk since the Marowak seemingly lacked proper retaliation aside from chewing him out for it. ExtremeSpeed was something he was extremely reluctant to try, he had a habit of failing to pull it off and ending up in an even more perilous situation. While in his physical prime he had managed it four or five times total, so his chances after months of binge drinking and no exercise had to be pretty low.

"Excuse me? Are you ignoring me?" Melinia asked, getting a bit tired of constantly bouncing in place. Lucario looked up and figured it was better to be safe than sorry. If she was going to exploit her abilities, then so was he. Focusing with all his might, he assembled the mitochondria in his chest into a group and lead them towards his right arm, ready to fire off another Aura Sph-

"HAARGH!" Lucario screamed as he instinctively clutched his shoulder, his body wracked in pain. He had completely forgotten about the wound there, the volatile aura losing stability when exposed to the outside and exploding, blue flames burning his already open wound and forcing him to his knees in agony. Overwhelmed by blinding pain, he tried to recollect himself while making a mental note to use his left arm the next tim-

A stabbing pain shot through his left shoulder. Looking up he saw that Melinia had taken the opportunity into action and thrown her spear straight into him. Although not as weighty as when she had held the weapon, or even close to as destructive as when she had thrown it from above, the damage was still notable as Lucario fell on his back from the sheer force of the weapon.

"I told you not to do that," the Marowak said darkly as she slowly moved forward and grabbed onto the other end of the spear. Caught off guard, Lucario feared she would shove the weapon all the way through, but instead she drew it out of his body and moved back as he squirmed around in pain.

"No more Aura Spheres and I will let you keep your arms," she continued, the words sounding weird when used by her sweet voice. Lucario quickly recollected himself, noticing the wound in his left shoulder had not been as kind as the other, actually hurting pretty badly when he tried to move and would probably not let him use it to throw any more punches.

"Hey," he grunted as he got to his feet, only to immediately move into a crouching position.

"Hello!" Melinia responded cheerfully, oblivious to his intentions but playing along anyway, "Did you finally realize how nice I am and decide to surrender?"

"Nah," Lucario muttered before pumping mitochondria into his legs, making sure not to hit any 'crossed wires' inside his body this time. Experience and a sense of urgency rather than luck let him perform the move without a hitch, Lucario smiling as the mitochondria detonated and filled his lower body with immense energy. With speed surpassing that of the unavoidable Aura Sphere, Lucario flew towards Melinia as time seemingly stood still.

There was no holding back as he threw up his right elbow, ready to strike a hole through her chest. However, the twisting of his body brought about another problem as his no longer famished gut suddenly decided not to comply with his turn. At a speed where he was basically flying, it spelled disaster. He whiffed past the Marowak and slammed into a tree with his upper body so hard that a large chunk of bark ripped straight off, together with a notable amount of skin and a nasty crack filled the air.

"H-Huh…?" he stammered in shock as he slumped down on the ground, blood rushing down his face with his body engulfed in even more agony than before.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Melinia laughed heartily at the scene as she clutched her stomach, "I love your personal interpretations of the Aura Sphere and ExtremeSpeed! Now I finally have something fun to share at the party - You're going to be legendary, my love!"

Lucario could not register her chiding remark as he was stunned, nothing about the scenario making any sense to him. ExtremeSpeed had worked, it had totally worked, somehow his aim had just been off, how did that happen? His balance had screwed with him, had he really gained that much weight just from drinking, his appearance had not changed in the mirror, or had he just been too delusional to notice? And simply striking a tree should have just given him light bump on the head, here he laid almost completely out of commission, more damaged than after one of Torana's kicks, by his own clumsy feet and a fucking tree.

"Are you ready to call it a day, darling?" Melinia chirped happily, doing a very poor job at feigning concern as she moved closer. Lucario felt a sense of primal dread creep up his spine, grabbing for anything within reach to help himself up. He noticed a distinct lack of painless movement from his left hand – As if the stab wound wasn't enough, this time the crack had not come from a branch as his wrist was clearly broken.

"Does it hurt? We might need a splint for that," Melinia continued as she winced just for a moment, "Lots of bandages. Band-Aids? Mmhmm, I normally just let the Pokécenter decide what to do."

"What!? You pussy, you afraid to lose!?" Lucario yelled desperately as he flailed around, trying to get to his feet but his legs buckling under his weight from the strain of his ExtremeSpeed move. The only thing within his reach was the large piece of bark torn from the tree, which he picked up thinking it would be solid enough to be used as a decent projectile.

"Lucario. Honey. You cannot actually avoid my attacks anymore," the Marowak explained calmly while moving right next to him, "Please don't make me stab you anymore, it would be painful for me as well."

They exchanged a look for a moment.

"Well, not really!" Melinia exclaimed happily as she bounced in place. This one second of carelessness was all that Lucario needed, as he ordered his legs to get back in the game and stepped towards his enemy with bark in hand. Smacking the side of her head with all he could muster, bark struck bone with ferocity and staggered the poor Marowak inside. Letting go of the makeshift weapon, Lucario knew his limbs were in no shape to deliver a flurry of hits or some fancy combo and simply sent one brutal punch straight into her stomach, causing her to keel over.

"URGH!" the Marowak exclaimed a guttural growl and Lucario realized he was finally doing some damage. Hoping to repeat the success of earlier, he picked up the piece of bark again, placing it against his shoulder as he tackled Melinia with all his might, sending the draconian tumbling backwards. And even though this was a perfect cue to follow up with some good old fashioned kicking-them-while-they're-down, Lucario felt his breath run and did not want to risk retaliation as he examined his newfound wooden friend with admiration.

"Bah! Who needs a weapon when you've got a shield!?" he panted while taking better grip of it, breathing in and out to recover his stamina as fast as possible. Melinia wobbled a little as she got up on her feet, examining her helmet with care before picking up her trusty lance.

"Mmhmm…!" she exclaimed menacingly as she thrust it straight towards Lucario's stomach. Unable to move around quickly anymore, Lucario deflected the blow with his shield.

"Mhhmhmhmhmhhmh!" Melinia continued with obvious rage as she attacked him against and again, each blow parried but merely defending with the piece of bark was starting to hurt Lucario's arm badly. He was about to throw the shield to the side and hope for the best when she suddenly stopped.

"W-Well, now… Stalemate against a p-paraplegic…?" she breathed heavily in exhaustion, "A conundrum… If I ever saw one…"

"Why don't you come closer? Find out how much of a paraplegic I am!" Lucario taunted, not too sure he was still able to throw a proper punch with either of his hands.

"Soon-to-be paraplegic, I should say," the Marowak muttered as she suddenly turned around and started walking away from him. Once more thinking she had given up, Lucario slowly realized what she was planning on doing and swallowed hard.

He dropped the shield in defeat. It was not going to do anything to save him against what was coming. An attack so fast that mere luck let him avoid it back when he was in much better condition, and so destructive it was guaranteed to pierce straight through his body. As the Marowak began to climb up a nearby hill, all he could do was surrender or pray the spear would miss his vital organs, which still sounded like an unpleasant experience altogether.

Bloodied and worn, bones shattered and muscles torn, he slumped down and began to reflect on this battle. He had lost many fights before, but when battles became drawn out like this he usually ended up with a victory, either due to his perseverance or simply because he bought enough time for someone to come save him. However, unless Zerobi made a miraculous escape from the pit anytime soon, it seemed that was not going to happen. If he gave up, he could always rely on Celebi or the others to come rescue him before whatever nasty plan this Marowak or the delusional villagers had in store for him.

The mere thought disgusted him. Zerobi could be dead for all he knew, or could very well end up that way if she tried to fight Melinia. Celebi and Zoroark were big players on the world stage, surely they had better things to worry about than bailing him out. He had faced Brendan and Blue like a man, he had stood up to Darkrai and Raikou and survived, he had even defeated powerhouses like Torana and that Primeape from earlier in single combat, he was not about to surrender to a fucking mole.

Lucario inhaled sharply. Something of an epiphany struck him as a memory from the previous year resurfaced and made itself apparent. He could always use THAT thing. Lucario had no idea how he could possibly have forgotten about it, he used it against Raikou and then just kind of left it alone since the Aura Sphere's debilitating effects came in handy more often.

"Hey!" he yelled as he stood up.

"I can't hear you!" Melinia shouted back, now quite far away and almost all the way up the hill.

"HEY!" Lucario yelled louder, "I know why you don't want to take off that mask!"

"I already told you, pumpkin!" she responded and decided this was far enough, stopping and getting ready to rush down, unless Lucario was actually using a very peculiar method of giving up.

"You lied! It's because you're ugly!" he shouted as loudly as he could, the words feeling very satisfying as they left his throat, "Your face is nothing but a mess of scars! Zerobi told me, since you're from Victory Route it has to be hideous!"

The taunting was actually not part of his plan, it was just something he was dying to get off his chest. Melinia shook her head in disappointment before taking her first steps down, increasing her tempo until she was running down the hill at maximum speed. Like before she polevaulted herself into the air, even higher this time as she aimed for Lucario's leg. However, she was not the only one aiming for something.

Lucario carefully redirected the mitochondria in his body through a very roundabout passage around the wound in his right shoulder, making his abdomen tickle in tension. With such a strange, long-winded preparation, it would take much too long to stabilize the aura into a circular motion. Such was not his intent. Knowing his life may very well depend on this, he aimed very, very carefully before firing off an Aura Sphere straight at Melinia's head.

The Marowak frowned as she realized Lucario really was attempting one last ditch attack, because this time it was almost certainly going to make her barf. Such a waste, she thought, pain and a strong sense of nausea was nothing new and would not be enough to throw her aim off. Making her final adjustments, she prepared to throw the spear through Lucario's right leg the instant the Aura Sphere engulfed her.

It was a very unstable Aura Sphere. Like Raikou before her, Melinia soon found the Aura Sphere just barely touching her skin before it exploded like a blue star, the shockwave ripping the side of her helmet into little bits. Startled, she threw the spear where Lucario had last been standing, but he had already moved out of the way and the mighty pike crashed down into the ground, the Marowak following soon thereafter.

Lucario's smile quickly vanished as Melinia stood up to face him. The left side of her helmet was gone, but there was no mark of the explosion on her face. In fact, there was not even as much as a blemish or scratch. The face was similar in shape to the mask, but even from a distance Lucario could tell how incredibly lean and untarnished it was. Her facial scales almost looked like skin, and particularly smooth skin at that. Ignoring her almost draconian appearance and a powerful ridge running up from the tip of her nose to her head, it was pristine like a block of ice floating in the arctic, enchanting like wild flowers sprouting out of a split rock and beautiful to the point where it was actually not hideous at all, as he viewed most Pokémon.

It was not her appearance that surprised him however, but the fact that his attack had done such minimal damage. Hoping to at least take off a chunk of her enviable face, the helmet had instead absorbed every last bit of the explosion. Suddenly wishing he had not taunted her so much, the Marowak stared at him with a murderous gaze, very unbefitting such a clean face but very much befitting the ragged monstrous body upon which it sat.

He remained motionless as Melinia walked up beside him and quietly picked the spear off the ground, knowing that if he tried to stop her she would just dig underground again. Then she turned around and began to walk away, not saying a word as the process was bound to repeat itself.

"Wait," Lucario suddenly exclaimed, feeling his bravado replaced by a sense of dread in the pit of his stomach, "Let's… Discuss the terms of surrender."

The Marowak suddenly stopped, her now visible ear flexing.

"No terms," she said bluntly. Lucario's spirits sunk as he tried to think of a response.

"At least let me make sure Zerobi is alright," Lucario demanded with a stern expression as he looked back at the hole where she had disappeared a while ago, "I'll come quietly if you let me do that."

"Sweetie, I wasn't born yesterday," Melinia clarified as she turned her still masked side towards him, "I'll be long gone before that Ice-type comes and ruins my day further."

"But…! That's…!" Lucario stammered as he felt his anger returning, "I can't let you do that! I'll… Poke your eyes out when you fall asleep!"

"That's why I said no terms!" Melinia shouted as she fully turned her head towards him, face warped into a dismal frown, "I surrender. That's it."

It took a moment for the words to register with Lucario. When they did, he used his utmost self-control to keep his cool and pretend this was what he was expecting all along. Melinia longingly ran a hand alongside her exposed cheek.

"I only have one face. I wouldn't risk it for money," she muttered melodramatically, "Do you have any idea how long it will take to find a skull in my exact size?"

"You could maybe try to kill someone your own size next?" Lucario suggested jokingly, overwhelmed with relief.

"Mhmmhmm, no. It would be too messy to clean out," Melinia replied, actually thinking it over for a moment, "I'll have to find one underground… But without a mask, all that dirt…"

She sighed before suddenly eyeing the plastic bag dropped and forgotten by the outskirts of the forest. Lucario looked at it and then back at her, waving his hands around.

"You can, uh, have it as a consolation prize," he said, making a mental note to pick out five hundred plastic bags the next time since all Pokémon were so eager to get their hands on one. Melinia smiled as she picked it up with her spear, shaking it and letting its contents fall out on the ground.

"A present? You shouldn't have!" she joked while ignoring the books, "Still no kiss for you, you evil man. Unless you really want one?"

"No no no!" Lucario exclaimed hastily, before noticing a foul expression suddenly crossing her face, "I mean, uh, yes?"

The malignant intent remained for but a moment before Melinia smiled again, more now than before.

"I told you so," she said before pulling the plastic bag over her head and leaning the spear against her shoulder. She left in her typical cheerful stride, wagging her hips while humming some foreign melody until she was but a long line by the edge of the horizon.

Lucario collapsed on the ground and exhaled, deciding on whether to cheer like mad or simply pass out and let things sort out themselves. He wanted to go check on Zerobi, but was in such bad shape that he figured he would just trip down the hole if he even went near it. Thirty minutes passed before he heard a set of familiar curse words coming from a familiar voice.

"Heddo!? Damn! Anibodi!?" Zerobi's slurred voiced flew out of the pit, waking Lucario from his short nap.

"Yo, what's up?" Lucario responded instinctively, roused from his sleep. The pit was quiet for a moment.

"Pick me up!" Zerobi shouted with confusion.

"Can't. Blood. Tired," Lucario spoke in a broken manner as he noticed his vision was blurry for some reason. The pain in his legs were gone, but his shoulders still hurt and especially the one where his failed Aura Sphere had burst out. The sound of scurrying followed as Zerobi's head poked out of the ground, struggling to climb out using her big claws as pitons.

"Why didn't you shave me!?" she panted as she finally made it out, her tongue clearly still paralyzed by whatever had kept her down there, "From the pit! Why didn't you reshcue me!?"

"Kind of busy fighting," Lucario muttered, wanting to put more effort into showing how happy he was that she was alright, but completely out of willpower.

"I'm an Ishe-type!" Zerobi insisted while getting up on her feet, "She wash Ground! I could've beaten her in five sheconds!"

"Shave, wash… Didn't know you were that into grooming…" Lucario joked as he chuckled lightly to himself. Zerobi's irritation vanished as she noticed the wounds over his body and the copious amount of blood dried up in his fur. Both exasperated to no end, they did nothing else that day but lie in the sunlit grass. The next day they continued on their way back to Nomad's Land, leaving the troublesome forest and blood soaked grasslands behind.


	120. Bored Vanguard Graveler

Cold and desolate, Nomad's Land had not changed much since their last visit. Lucario trod through the snow with heavy footsteps, and even Zerobi was beginning to sink through the softening whiteness as spring did what it could to melt the frozen north. Zerobi was delighted to be seeing Celebi again, prideful as she carried her now slightly torn present and eager to tell her about the successful reunion with Eve. Lucario was not as excited though, returning to a place of many dark thoughts and depression. He predicted there would be no relapse however, having no intention to drink or visit Mew. A nice, long sleep was all he needed, while doing his best to avoid Blue or whoever else came to whisk him far away.

"Yep, they left," Zerobi stated as they passed by empty cave after empty cave, most of which were never inhabited in the first place but at least used to have a few Pokémon roaming about.

"No, I'm telling you, I can sense the presence of something," Lucario insisted, although not from anyone he could recognize. Then again, Zoroark and Celebi were beyond his senses, and he hadn't gotten to know anyone else well enough to remember their emissions.

"Yeah, from an ambush maybe," Zerobi muttered, thinking about how inconvenient it was to be a dark type with a psychic sister. She had noticed that Lucario's pants worked as a beacon of sorts, so as long as she stayed near them good things were sure to happen.

"This IS supposed to be a hidden lookout!" Lucario shouted loudly, hoping to summon the attention of someone. However, the only attention summoned was his own as Zerobi tapped his shoulder, pointing towards a Pokémon lying outside a cave that was clearly not lifting a finger to come greet them.

It blended in quite nicely with the surrounding scenery, being a creature hewn from stone. The only giveaway that it was even alive was a set of tired eyes and four arms used to scratch four spots on its cracked body simultaneously. Lucario was immediately reminded of the four-armed muscleman he had trashed once, while Zerobi instinctively prepared an Ice Beam as getting the first strike against a Graveler was of the utmost importance for ice types like her.

"You two sure picked the right time to go on vacation," the Graveler muttered with a voice so low it took a moment for the two to decode his words. It was then Lucario realized where his footsteps had taken him - The Graveler was guarding the entrance to where Mew was.

"Hey, does it look like I had a good time!?" Lucario yelled angrily as he moved closer, displaying his many wounds, "I got stabbed! And hit by a tree!"

The Graveler seemed unimpressed but did not attack, and so Zerobi assumed he was part of the revolutionaries. Something about what he said bothered her, though.

"What? Did something happen?" she asked nervously. The Graveler looked at her for a moment before sticking its hand into a hole in the ground, pulling up a tiny notebook. Being blessed with such bulky fingers, it had no choice but to simply hold up the book and blow from its wide slit of a mouth to turn the pages.

"Zoroark wanted to see you two urgently… Like a month ago," he grunted while licking his lips, shuddering from the taste of stone as he spat out a bit of gravel, "That thin legendary trio guy wanted to see you, Lucario. Some police came by again looking for you, Zerobi."

"You know, I was half expecting this place to be abandoned by now," Lucario interrupted while nervously turning around, remembering what Zerobi had said about an ambush, "You're not building a new city here, are you?"

"I'm real eager to join the war back home. Champions that want me dead are the best," the guardsman spoke ironically as he was reminded of something and flipped through his notes with a mighty puff of air, "That's right, Red comes here every week looking for you. And you two should probably go see Celebi, she's recovering where Mew's body used to be."

"… Used to be?" Lucario repeated and wondered what he was talking about.

"Recovering!?" Zerobi exclaimed in surprise, not as slow to pick up the guard's meaning. Lucario looked between the rock type and ice type, trying to figure out what was going on.

"Don't tell me you buried Mew while I was away?" he asked with a pang of guilt, realizing he might have missed something very important.

"Who cares!? Why is sis recovering!?" Zerobi burst out as she stepped up to the silent Graveler, her frustration increasing with each passing second that she was not given an answer. The Graveler pondered his response for almost fifteen seconds, his skills at diplomacy rarely up to par.

"Someone stole Mew's body," he said bluntly while shrugging with all four of his arms, "Celebi went after them and, well. She got a raw deal."

Lucario opened his mouth but immediately closed it again, staring dumbfounded at Zerobi who stared back with eyes wide open. An unspoken decision passed between them as they suddenly moved ahead, trying to push aside the heavy Graveler but failing badly.

"So Zoroark told me to, like, detain you," the guardsman said unenthusiastically while half-heartedly trying to sweep his arms around to catch them.

"Try it!" Lucario roared as he ducked and slipped past him, Zerobi leaping up on the Graveler's head and getting past him that way.

"… Whatever. You owe me for this," the Graveler's voice echoed behind them as they rushed inside the cave.

Zerobi led the way as Lucario had only been to witness Mew's final rest a grand total of one time, and did not know his way around. Bracing herself for what she was about to see, Zerobi kept close to the walls and turned each corner quickly as if expecting to be tackled and restrained if someone less lazy were to see them. Strangely enough the caves were completely desolate, giving her an impending sense of finding nothing but an ambush where her wounded sister should be. It had been one of her favorite tricks back when she used to lure prey into the Cerulean Cave. She thought of how utterly appropriate it would be, and simply hoped her dear sister was not in on it.

A strong smell of burnt ash stuck them as they entered Mew's tomb. The pink legendary was no longer there, although the atmosphere of death had not lessened one bit. On the flower in the middle of the room laid Celebi, her normally verdant exterior now brown and decayed like an autumn leaf.

"SIS!" Zerobi burst out in shock, forgetting all about her paranoid conspiracy theories. Celebi smiled faintly as she heard her voice, having felt Lucario's presence and hoped her sister was accompanying him. Zerobi ran up to her and stopped herself from giving a hug, fearing she would hurt the broken legendary.

"Oh my god, what the hell happened!?" Lucario exclaimed in a similarly surprised fashion, just barely noticing that Celebi's trademark aura of pleasantness was gone due to her withered appearance being in such contrast to her regular form. Never before had it been more obvious that she was a grass type, looking almost exactly like a plant bereft of water. Her antennae lay lifeless above her eyes, her arms looking like dried up twigs and the top of her head seemed crisp and brittle like a fallen leaf.

"It is but a sunburn," she exclaimed as she witnessed their horrified faces.

"… Winter sunburn!? In a cave!?" Zerobi replied, not convinced of Celebi's feigned display of vigor. Lucario nodded as he looked up, realizing the weather over Nomad's Land was still as dismal as ever with barely a few rays of light poking inside the cave despite it being in the middle of the day.

He also realized that there was now a very notable hole in the ceiling. An unnervingly precise thing, a chunk of rock having been cut out as cleanly as if by a scalpel. Wondering why things had suddenly gotten so quiet, his sight returned to ground level only to notice Zerobi and Celebi closely hugging each other.

Zerobi felt her sister tremble, from physical exertion or sorrow she could not tell. She was hugging her hard though, probably as hard as her little body could muster. To Celebi this was a whole new experience. Built so vulnerable, physical contact had always felt both distressing and awkward to her. Now it was filling her with calmness, melting away her inner fears and leaving behind a sweet sense of numbness.

Even though Lucario could tell they were having a touching moment together, something seized him by the heart as he stared at where his forlorn love was no longer resting in peace.

"Where's Mew?" he asked with a sense of urgency in his voice. Celebi opened her eyes and returned to reality, and Zerobi felt her stop shaking almost immediately. They separated as Celebi laid back again, looking at Lucario with a serious expression.

"Someone took her," she said bluntly. Lucario frowned – He had hoped the aloof guard was just really bad with the details.

"But… How!? Why!?" he burst out while throwing his arms to the side. Zerobi gave him a bit of a glare, warning him to not get belligerent. Celebi looked up at the hole in the ceiling with a dead expression.

"I never left. I was just outside, barely even left this room…" she whispered sadly and stared deep into the dark sky, feeling like she could never view it with innocent eyes again, "There was a flash of an aura, a crash and a piece of the ceiling was gone, together with Mew."

Celebi closer her eyes, and Zerobi took a step back in surprise as a carved stone in the corner began to move and soar on its own. Lucario was finding it difficult to process this new information, but could tell it fit the hole in the roof perfectly.

"But I could still feel its aura, so I gave chase! I could even see its figure at times!" Celebi explained as she let the stone turn around in midair, showing off the cracked side where it had collided with the ground.

"That's… What was it?" Zerobi asked with intrigue, the scenario reminding her of many stories included in the Occult Magazines, chasing mysterious figures into the night.

"Where the hell did it go!?" Lucario asked with a reinvigorated lust for punching something, ready to set off in any direction at a moment's notice despite his wrecked status. His fury did not go unnoticed by Celebi who had felt the same thing at the time.

"Up. Straight up into the stratosphere, and…" Celebi clarified before involuntarily shivering, "… Beyond."

Zerobi gasped and Lucario's mouth fell open again.

"I chased it for many hours, but it was almost as fast as Zapdos," she continued while holding up her badly burnt arm, reminding herself that she was green no more, "… The sun's radiation becomes quite intense at that altitude, so I could not follow."

Not wanting to worry them, Celebi decided to leave out how she cried and screamed for the kidnapper to stop until her voice grew hoarse. Not able to look down even for an instant as to not lose track of her target. She and Mew had often explored the skies just to see how close they could get to space, but always turned back before things became too dangerous. Such cautious behavior seemed as foreign as the days she had spent together with her dear friend, knowing that she could never forgive herself if she let this monster get away and disappear with Mew forever.

She had not even noticed the intense pressure or air thinning out, subconsciously bringing a large supply with her psychic abilities. In fact, at the speed she was moving she was close to igniting at several points, keeping herself somewhat cooled to avoid her body reaching its flash point temperature. The sun's radiation was a lot harder to ignore, however. Crossing the ozone layer, she felt her vulnerable skin flaking off from her face to her legs, bathing in ultraviolet rays ripping the green from her body like a hyper beam. But the mysterious creature just kept going, unaffected and not caring how badly Mew's body was desecrated by the hostile environment. Celebi grew desperate and lost track of keeping herself safe as she noticed pieces of Mew falling around her. She only just wanted to see her friend one more time, but after she dropped her guard the sun's brutal planet-destroying onslaught had no mercy to give. Just barely outside the mesosphere, everything went black as Celebi lost the ability to move and fell back to earth.

Dwindling in and out of consciousness, waking up as soon as the pain of fire caressed her, she would temporarily slow down only to faint again. Hopelessness and despair wracked her, but despite it all she refused to die. If only she could make it back, she could find out who did this and hunt them down. Her fall became a long struggle for survival, ending where it started in the formerly desolate cave now packed with terrified revolutionaries, someone catching her with a pillow as she gasped for air…

"So what did it look like?" Zerobi repeated, breaking Celebi's reminiscing. She was thankful for it, the memory making her entire body sting like hell.

"Bright. About the size of…" Celebi said as she realized she had kept the rock floating all this time, carefully placing it down on the ground as to not cause further damage to her only lead. She looked up and saw Zerobi was looking back, giving a faint smile of encouragement. Lucario, however, was looking off to the side, clutching his forehead.

"Lucario, I…" she whispered as a pang of shame struck her. Lucario noticed this and let his hand drop.

"No, don't worry," he hastily stopped her from apologizing, "I mean, you did way more than I would've been able to. No one would blame you for letting…"

His voice trailed off as he looked off to the side again. The conversation was bringing back a set of uncomfortable emotions he had thought left behind. He forcefully suppressed them, not wanting to go back to being a depressed wreck.

"Doesn't matter, Mew was already dead anyway," he exclaimed harshly and crossed his arms, absolutely refusing to let this get to him. Zerobi followed suit by crossing her arms as well.

"See, that's what bothers me," she said with a vexed tone, "What would ANYONE want to do with Mew's rotting corpse?"

"What? I can think of plenty of uses," Lucario responded while letting his imagination fly wild, "Steal her appearance? Copy her DNA? Use the body as bait? Maybe eat it and gain superpo-"

"LUCARIO! ZEROBI!" Celebi shouted sternly, staring at them with shock. Zerobi swallowed as she realized how insensitive they were being while Lucario turned his eyes away again.

"Sorry," Zerobi said shamefully, remembering that normal people didn't see corpses as bags of stale blood.

"Hey, I just want to find whoever's responsible," Lucario explained, feeling he had gone a bit far with pretending not to care, "And, y'know, kill him."

"Not by harassing every Ditto in Kanto!" Celebi exclaimed as her voice struck a higher pitch, forcing her to clear her throat, "No Pokémon alive can just fly into space like that! The amount of Pokémon that can even leave the troposphere can be counted on one Starmie's arms!"

"Great, we've got some suspects! Let's start questioning them!" Lucario responded with hostility, thinking Starmie was some form of space type. This boneheaded show of defiance sparked a memory within Celebi, and she opened her eyes wide as it was not a pleasant one.

"Never mind that, I just remembered!" Celebi shouted as she reached for him, feeling too weak to fully extend her arms, "Lucario, Red came looking for you!"

"… Yeah?" Lucario answered and shrugged, "Kind of expecting that."

"No, you misunderstand! He came here for YOU specifically!" Celebi continued, "He asked for you and left when you were not here, saying he would return!"

"I already met with Brendan and Blue," Lucario pointed out while scratching his itchy shoulder, "Red's the one least likely to shank me."

Celebi stared at him with a dumbfounded expression before falling back in her flowery bed.

"But… You were being hunted…?" she mumbled in confusion, certain that Lucario's entire point for even being here was to get away from the champions and their legendary dogs. Her promise to protect him now seemed a little less important to honor.

"Don't worry sis, I can explain," Zerobi interjected while stepping between the legendary and the jackal, noticing a chance to turn this dismal conversation into something more cheerful, "In fact, I've got a lot of good things to tell you. Lucario, could you… Go see Zoroark? Make sure everything's cool?"

They exchanged a look, Lucario remembering she had asked for some privacy with her family once they arrived. The plan was for Lucario to push away whatever crowd had gathered to lavish the fabled legendary with attention, but as it were the entire room and even the passage leading up to it was completely deserted.

"Oh wait, did you want to be alone or something?" Zerobi asked her sister in sudden realization, clearly thinking along the same lines as Lucario.

"… What? Absolutely not!" Celebi exclaimed as her eyes shot open in panic, "I have been alone so long I was unsure whether I was still alive or not!"

"Hehehe, that's perfect," Zerobi snickered while grabbing the present from Lucario's hands and placing it down on the floor, "There's so much I have to tell you, you won't believe what happened-"

"So before I go, I just need some help with…" Lucario hinted while poking his meaty-looking shoulder, picking off a tiny bit of coagulated blood. Celebi showed revulsion as she observed it.

"I would love to help, but I feel a little out of shape," she admitted as she felt her mouth dry up, "I fear I would just make things worse."

"Seriously!? I'm badly hurt! Can't you do anything?" Lucario exclaimed in surprise, never having been denied medical attention before. Zerobi looked at him and shrugged, he seemed to be doing fine for someone so badly hurt.

"It would be best if you let it heal naturally for once," Celebi explained as she leaned back, treating her flower like a throne, "Nothing good can come out of repeated operations."

"NOW you tell me!" Lucario exclaimed desperately.

"Some bandages, maybe?" Zerobi requested, Lucario's constant bleeding definitively getting on her nerves."

Lucario nodded fervently as Celebi looked back and forth between them. Sighing deeply, she leaned forward and ripped off one of the large leaves sticking out under her flower. Nonchalantly she tore it up into strips and placed it down on the ground, signaling for a disappointed Lucario to come pick it up.

"I could apply them, if you want," Zerobi snickered, remembering his reaction to her plucking poison stings off his back.

"Hell no," Lucario insisted. With 'bandages' in hand, he left the two sisters alone to talk about whatever family secrets he was not allowed to listen in on.

He strode determined through the caves. After leaving Mew's ex-domain their labyrinth-like structure were no match for him, having passed out drunk nearly everywhere and been forced to find his way back to the stash. While a nice memory-erasing slug of malt and berries wouldn't be entirely uncalled for after the information he had just been given, he was determined not to fall back into that old trap. He was not feeling crippled by sorrow as things were, so there was a certain prideful charm to staying sober and focused this time.

He reached his destination without running into any other Pokémon. It suited him just fine, feeling like he wanted to be alone with his thoughts anyway. During one of his many drunken escapades he had fallen asleep in a peculiar room where a previous inhabitant had carved a crude but functional window to the outside world and hung up a cloth to serve as a door. A number of assorted things were there as well – A few rugged newspapers, a yellow pot filled with crumbs of something that tasted an awful lot like sand and most importantly, a surprisingly clean mattress. Whichever Pokémon found this to make a suitable living spoke his language for sure, and Lucario collapsed on the mattress with a relieved sigh.

Tying up his wounds was not too difficult. He accidentally ripped one of the leaves as he bit down on it, and had to use his tongue to keep the next one in place as he put pressure around his shoulders. He doubted bandage alone would be enough to help his broken wrist heal properly, but decided to put some on there anyway if only to show people not to touch him there. When he was done he laid back and his thoughts turned to the burnt-out Celebi.

Every time he saw her she was still recoiling from some new catastrophe in life. Even though she had been dealt a better card a birth, her luck since then had been about the same as his. Much like him she had suffered a meltdown over Mew's death, but seemed to be returning back to her old self if her distinct lack of weeping and obsessing over Mew's corpse was anything to go by. He tried not to think about it either, it was probably best that way.

Still, he remembered reading somewhere that a sudden sense of calm after a fit of depression was a possible warning sign when it came to suicide. Such was definitively Zerobi's case, which had been a very close call, mostly due to him being too busy dying and the legendary trio not caring. Celebi had saved him that time, as thanks for him saving her from Lucas. She had saved him again when he was nearly killed by Silver, and in return he had helped her reconcile with her sister and stood up for himself when it came to taking on Torana. Their relationship seemed to be a symbiosis of sorts, constantly relying on one another for their continued existence. While not entirely successful, she had tried to pick him up during his own time of sorrow, and so he figured it was definitively time to return the favor. But how to cheer up someone like Celebi? A hug and some kind words? A present and promise to always be friends? Maybe he was out of his league even trying…

Lucario opened his eyes and stared out the window. It was even darker than before, signifying that night had fallen.

"Whaaaa…" he yawned lazily, his brain slowly working to catch up as he realized he had slept the day away. He lied down again in confusion, not sure what else to do and still feeling tired. He attributed it to blood loss and the fact that he was sleeping on something vaguely definable as a bed for the first time in ages.

The world seemed particularly hazy this night. His brain was both working too fast and sluggishly, a million thoughts running through his head but not one of them sticking around long enough to be recognized. Panic gripped him as he realized he could no longer control his thoughts, his mind going wherever it chose to with no restrictions. Guilt and regret were the prominent candidates in this maelstrom of emotions that appeared as he reviewed his life, or at least what he could remember of it.

For the first time in a while he began to see the hallucinations again, the figure of a twitching snake in the corner. Twisting and turning so painfully that he wanted to help, but out of reach for him to do anything. The small penguin was there as well, except this time it quickly tripled in size and promptly vanished, replaced by one of Torana's legs coming down to crush him like an ant. He flinched, doubly so as a bat flew by and disappeared into one of the walls, dropping lifelessly from the ceiling and through the floor. On the floor was Zerobi draped in blood, carrying a malicious grin as she stood over Zoroark with her face contorted into a perpetual scream. All these past encounter he could not get out of his head had come back to haunt him, the big flower of a Pokémon frowning at him before shrinking down to size into a sight so familiar yet he could not for the life of him detect the origins of. He lay frozen in bed, unable to move even as a spear reaching down from the black sky stabbed him straight through the stomach, filling his mouth with the taste of blood and something far, far worse. Like a meal he once had, incomparably bad and unforgettable.

And there she was. Among this absurd circus of Pokémon he once knew, perched on top of the window leading outside was Mew, her small and almost transparent body glittering in the moonlight. Despite unceasing cries and interfering from his other visitors, Lucario could not let his vision stray from her ghostly appearance.

"Mew…" he whispered, feeling his eyes tear up almost immediately. Of all the mind-rending expressions the forces that be might have given her, she had been kind enough to come to him with but a stare by those large eyes, as blue as the ocean and morning sky. He felt queasy, trying to focus on something that was not really there, parts of her disappearing the more attention he gave them.

"Are you… My shame?" he said out loud, wanting to close his eyes and leave this terrifying experience but not able to bring himself from erasing her from his sight forever. She just sat there, so peacefully, so harmlessly, could it really be a crime to never close your eyes? Minutes turned into hours, and he refused to even blink until she was gone. When exactly he was not sure, as she had never actually been there in the first place. Feeling a bit stupid to be staring out a window into the black nothingness of the night, he closed his eyes in the hopes of dreaming about something nice for once.

"Lucario," a smooth voice sounded, gently waking him from his sleep.

"Mmm… What…?" he mumbled, realizing his eyes were completely strained and he could not see anything.

"Red's here," the grey blur next to him said as a rock gripped hold of his arm and pulled him into a standing position, "Go see him."

Being moved forward by more rocks aggressively pushing his back, Lucario stumbled blindly and had a little trouble coming to term with what this new day had to offer after such a poignant night.


End file.
